Chapter 1

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed, my body aching from head to toe.

The pain was everywhere, but especially sharp in my lower abdomen. It felt hollow and empty—that was when I knew the baby was gone.

I picked up my phone and sent Sam Smith a message.

"The baby's gone."

I stared at the screen, waiting for a response, but the phone stayed silent. After a while, I typed another message.

"Let's get a divorce."

He still didn't reply.

Hours passed before he finally called.

When I picked up, I expected to hear his voice, but instead, it was Annie Morgan on the other end of the line.

"Lucy, don't be upset, okay? There was a robbery at the hospital and I got hurt. I couldn't find anyone to help, so I asked Sam to stay with me during my check-up.

"This is my fault. But please don't divorce him over this. Sam really does love you. You'll break his heart if you do this."

Before I could even respond, Sam snatched the phone from her. His voice was edged with impatience as he said, "Lucy, can you stop using the baby and the divorce to threaten me? Seriously, can you just grow up a little?

"Is your jealousy really this out of control? Annie was shaken up, and her pregnancy wasn't stable. I stayed with her for the checkup. Can't you show a little compassion?"

He was getting angrier with every word, practically yelling now.

I was stunned, tears rolling silently down my cheeks.

"Sam, I'm not lying. The baby is really gone," I whispered, my throat tight with emotion. "They took me during the robbery, and I lost the baby because you didn't answer their calls."

I was crying, desperate for him to believe me. But all I heard was a cold laugh on the other end of the line.

"Lucy, your lies just keep getting more ridiculous," he said mockingly. "I went to the ICU. The doctors told me you were fine. Stop playing the victim. I'm busy with Annie's prenatal checkup. Don't bother me!"

Then, in the background, I heard Annie trying to soothe him again. "Sam, don't be mad at Lucy. She probably made this up because she wants you to care more about her."

Sam snapped, "Stop defending her. She's pretending the baby died just to get my attention! What kind of mother does that?

"She's not worth your sympathy. Let her act all she wants! Let's see how long she keeps pretending when no one's watching!"

And just like that, he hung up.

I sat on the bed in a daze, the phone slipping from my fingers and landing on the blanket beside me.

My sister, Lily Gregory, who had been sharing the hospital room with me, immediately came over and wrapped her arms around me.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should've never let you date Sam. I should've stopped you from marrying him! He's a jerk!" Lily cried, holding me tightly as tears streamed down her face.

She knew how hard I had fought for this baby. After more than a dozen failed IVF attempts, I had finally gotten pregnant.

I was so scared of losing the baby that I checked into the hospital the moment I got the good news. I stayed there throughout the entire pregnancy, doing everything I could to keep the baby safe.

But in the end, I still lost the baby.

The pain in my chest was unbearable, as if someone had reached in and torn my heart out.

Sam had no idea that while he was fussing over Annie and making sure she wasn't too shaken up, I was being dragged away by robbers and beaten until I lost our child.

After dozens of calls to Sam went unanswered, the robbers lost it. They grabbed baseball bats and slammed them into my side.

As they beat me, they shouted in rage.

"If the Smith family hadn't destroyed my company with their dirty tricks, I wouldn't be drowning in debt!"

"If your husband doesn't wire us a billion dollars, both you and your baby are dead!"

I actually felt a moment of relief. This was just about money. Sam had plenty of it to pay.

But after torturing me, they called Sam again. This time, he finally answered. "I told you to stop bothering me with this nonsense!

"Annie's shaken up and at risk of miscarriage. I'm at her appointment right now! If you had any sense, you'd shut up and leave me alone!"

When the robbers realized the ransom wouldn't come, they lost it completely. They beat me until I blacked out.

"Sam ruined our lives! Now we'll make sure he knows what it feels like to lose his wife and child!"

They dumped me into a freezing pool and left me to die.

If Lily hadn't found me in time, I probably would have died.

Just then, the sound of her phone ringing pulled me out of my thoughts. It was her husband, Leo Smith, a federal judge.

She answered, and the coldness in his voice hit us both immediately.

"Lily, why are you lying for your sister? How can you say the baby's gone and try to blame Annie for it? Don't you know she's pregnant? Why are you picking on a pregnant woman?

"Tell your sister to stop saying divorce like it means nothing. Marriage isn't a game!

"And I already told you I'm in court handling Annie's case. Why do you keep calling? You're interrupting official proceedings. Can you take responsibility for that? You two are unbelievable!"

Lily was stunned. She tried to explain, but Leo had already hung up.

She held back her tears and took my hand, offering silent comfort. We looked at each other without saying a word, both seeing the same disappointment in each other's eyes.

I had gone through hell, but Sam didn't even care enough to listen.

Maybe this marriage was doomed from the start.

Sam and Leo never truly loved us. The only one they ever cared about was Annie.

Back when Annie left the country and abandoned the twin brothers, Lily and I stepped in. That was when they married us.

But now that Annie was back, everything had changed. They hovered around her constantly, did everything to make her comfortable.

Sam and Leo bought Annie a new house right next to ours. They even hired a personal caregiver to look after her.

Leo, a federal judge, personally handled her petty legal case, while Sam, one of the top surgeons in the city, started cooking healthy meals for her himself.

But they didn't care about us. They even gave us the cold shoulder.

Lily and I held each other in silent tears, our hearts heavy with pain and regret.

"What's the point of a marriage like this?" she asked through sobs, her tears falling hot onto the back of my hand.

Our marriages had been a cruel joke from the beginning.

And now, it was time to end it.