Chapter 2

Zachary opened his mouth to retort, but he couldn't find the words. In the end, he simply frowned harder and kept silent.

At that moment, Vivian, who was still curled up in his arms, piped up in an aggrieved tone, "Sammy, don't be angry. This is all my fault… I shouldn't have insisted on staying here. It's no wonder that you hate me so much. I'll leave right away and won't burden you two any longer."

With that, she pretended to pack up her things, as though she were ready to move out right that second.

I scoffed at her acting. "You don't need to leave. I will. That way, you two 'siblings' will get the house to yourselves. That would be perfect for you, right? I won't be around to be an eyesore anymore."

The fury that Zachary had only just pushed down flared to life again. His expression darkened as he snapped, "Samantha Linden, are you just about done with your tantrum? You don't even have any parents. Where will you go if you leave me?"

The moment he finished speaking, even he seemed taken aback for a moment. Clearly, he had realized just how hurtful his words were. A hint of panic flickered in his eyes, and he opened his mouth to apologize.

However, before he could, Vivian went limp in his arms as she fainted.

With that, Zachary couldn't be bothered with me anymore. His face fell before he hurriedly swept her up into his arms and rushed outside.

I stood rooted to the spot, staring at their retreating backs and noting the intimate way they leaned against each other. The last bit of hope and love I had for Zachary went out like a candle that had been snuffed out.

Instead of crying, I contacted my lawyer to draft a divorce agreement.

…

Zachary hadn't come home in three days.

Every day, he would message me at the same time, like clockwork. He kept apologizing, saying how he knew that he was wrong and that he had hurt me, that he would come back to apologize to me in person later.

I simply stared at the messages, feeling nothing but numbness. I honestly didn't care whether he returned home or not. All I wanted was for him to quickly sign the divorce agreement.

However, while I was waiting to divorce him, I discovered that I was pregnant.

I was an orphan, so my greatest wish since I was a child was to have a family of my own. That was why I took great care in preparing my body for conception after I married Zachary.

Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as I had hoped.

In the past three years, I had gone to the hospital countless times for medical checkups, taken all kinds of bitter herbs that claimed to increase fertility, and even went through all sorts of suffering in my bid to get pregnant. Still, I failed to conceive.

Now, this child had come at the worst possible time.

I gazed down at the positive pregnancy test report in my hands, a complex mix of emotions swirling in me.

Just then, a familiar voice drifted over from around the corner.

It was Zachary.

When I looked over, I saw him carefully supporting Vivian as they slowly made their way past me. I found myself following them subconsciously, but I had only just reached the doorway when the conversation from inside pinned me to the spot.

Vivian asked him softly, "Will you divorce her if she's truly determined to leave you?"

Zachary was silent for a long while before he answered, "No, I won't divorce her. She's my wife. At most, I'll just put a little more effort into making it up to her."

From my position outside the door, I couldn't help but smile mockingly.

Wife? So, it turned out that he did still remember that I was his wife.

Immediately after, Zachary spoke up again. "I've already stopped her medication."

Medication? What medication?

My heart jumped into my throat at the words.

In the next second, Vivian's voice rang out, her tone filled with clear displeasure.

"What, are you blaming me for drugging her with birth control pills ever since you two got married?"

My mind went blank as I froze on the spot, completely thunderstruck.

I could hardly believe my ears!

As it turned out, I had failed to conceive all these years, not because there was something wrong with my body, but because Vivian had been secretly drugging me all along!

And Zachary had been aware of it from the start.

Before I could recover from my shock, I heard Zachary hastily reassure Vivian.

"Of course, I'm not blaming you. Why would I? I can absolutely understand that you can't stand seeing her pregnant when you can't bear children yourself.

"It's just that… we've been married for so many years, so it's only right to have a child by now. It's technically a form of compensation from me to her. Besides, with a niece or nephew, at least there'll be someone to take care of you when you're old."