Chapter 1

Five years into their marriage, Astrid Jenner and Reuben Judd were finally having a child. But the pregnant woman wasn't her. In the obstetrics hallway, the person going in for a prenatal checkup with Reuben was his secretary, Eleanor Sharpe.

"Reuben, do you think our baby is a boy or a girl?"

From several feet away, Astrid could hear the joy in Eleanor's voice.

"Either is fine. As long as it's yours, I'll love it," Reuben said.

When they reached the door, Eleanor went in for her exam. Reuben naturally took her bag from her and waited outside. His gaze never left the closed door.

A few minutes later, Eleanor came out holding her results. Her beautiful face was full of the excitement of being a first-time mother. "The doctor said the baby is very healthy, but I'm a little anemic. You know how it is—I'm always watching my figure, so I barely eat."

"Pack up and move into Primero Bay in a couple of days. I'll have Mavis head over to take care of you," Reuben said.

"How can I do that? Didn't you buy the beach house there for her? I'd feel so bad living there…"

"You and the baby are what matters."

Astrid stood behind them, watching them act like they were a loving married couple.

In the five years of her marriage to Reuben, she had never gotten pregnant. She'd tried everything—shots, pills, and every treatment available. Her abdomen was covered in dense pinpricks from injection needles.

She was at the hospital that day to discuss the next surgical plan with her doctor. She never expected to run into this scene.

From the looks of it, Eleanor had to be at least four months along. No wonder no one at home had been pressuring her about having a child lately. Turns out someone else was already pregnant with Reuben's baby.

Back when the Judd family business was in crisis, Astrid had shown up at Reuben's door with two contracts. One was for a 50-million-dollar investment, and the other was a marriage agreement.

She hadn't loftily tried to pressure him. She'd actually given him three days to think it over.

The Judd and Jenner families had known each other for years. When Astrid was 15, she'd met Reuben for the first time after he'd returned from abroad, and it had been love at first sight for her.

Over the years, she'd silently followed him, from getting into his university to studying the same major as him. She'd sat in the same classrooms he had once sat in and pored over the notes he had painstakingly organized.

Of course, Astrid had known that with Reuben's ability, he would've gotten through the crisis sooner or later. Even if he'd turned her down, she would've been content staying by his side as a friend. She loved him so much that just looking at him from a distance filled her with bliss.

To her surprise, Reuben had signed the marriage agreement on the spot without much hesitation. That night itself, Astrid had stayed in his room.

She'd harbored a one-sided love for him since she was 15 and had been married to him for the past 5 years. She was only 25, and he'd taken up such a big part of her life.

He was her first man. She was his wife.

After they married, Jenner Group merged with Judd Group. Under his leadership, their business empire had expanded again and again.

Just when Astrid thought that her life would be complete once she and Reuben had a child, reality had slapped her hard across the face.

Reuben had a mistress, and she was pregnant. Even worse, everyone in the Judd family knew.

At the hospital entrance, Astrid's mother-in-law, Christine Locke, beamed as she stroked Eleanor's belly. Her daughter, Sylvia Judd, kept speaking to Eleanor sweetly and addressing her as her sister-in-law.

They looked like such a happy, harmonious family. Astrid was the only extra there—she was like a fool.

"Ellie, I know a place that does amazing Linderton cuisine. Reuben has already booked a table. Let's all go eat," Sylvia said enthusiastically.

Then, when she spotted Astrid standing a few feet away, her expression instantly darkened. "Why are you here?"

Astrid walked over, her eyes dark and unfathomable. All she did was stare at Eleanor's belly.

Eleanor, feeling frightened, hurriedly covered her belly and burrowed her way into Reuben's arms.

"You head home first. If there's anything to talk about, we can do that later," Reuben said impatiently, blocking Astrid with his arm. He was just like always—emotionless and unwilling to explain anything.

But this time, Astrid refused to play deaf and dumb. She asked, "Reuben, was it fun playing me for a fool this whole time?"

"This isn't the place to talk. Go home, and I'll explain to you when I get back."

"Exactly. We're at a hospital. Do you want everyone to gather around and watch us be shamed?"

"Who do you think you are to kick up a fuss, Astrid? Get home, now!"

"So, you do know what shame is? Did any of you think about how I would feel when you lied to me?" Astrid asked.

Yes, her love for Reuben had reached a point that it was beyond salvaging, but that didn't mean his entire family had the right to trample her dignity.

Even now, all they cared about was the Judd family's reputation.

What about her?

To get pregnant, she'd forced down pill after pill and endured needles as long as her fingers piercing into her flesh. And in the end, they just thought she was being unreasonable.

"I'm not going anywhere. We're making things clear right here and now, or no one is walking away from this!" she snapped.

"Don't drag us into this just because you're insane, Astrid! Do you want to disgrace the Judd family by yelling in public like this?" Sylvia screeched.

She'd never liked Astrid, so this was the perfect chance for her to vent. She pointed at Astrid and continued, "You're the useless piece of trash who can't even get pregnant. How dare you argue with us right now?"

Astrid raised her head and looked straight at Reuben. He met her gaze, his eyes full of impatience and irritation. "Stop making a scene and just go home!"

With that, he shielded Eleanor and led her to the car parked nearby.

"You heard him. Reuben told you to go home! Get lost, why don't you?" Sylvia said smugly. She turned and followed them.

The whole family drove off, leaving Astrid standing there alone.

"Reuben Judd! Get back here!"

With a sudden burst of strength, Astrid let out a roar and ran after the familiar Maybach. Right now, she wasn't thinking about anything else. She just wanted to charge right over to him and demand to know if there'd been even a shred of sincerity in him when he'd signed that marriage contract.

She wanted to know what their five years of marriage meant to him!

The traffic lights at the intersection flashed red and green. Astrid barreled forward, as if she couldn't hear the honking around her.

Just as she was about to reach the Maybach, a runaway truck came hurtling in from the side. There was a violent impact, and her body flew out like a kite with its string cut.

…

"The patient's lost too much blood. Prep for emergency surgery!"

"Her blood pressure is dropping. Start vasopressors, now!"

Astrid's eyes burned under the cold glare of the operating room lights. Her consciousness kept slipping in and out.

"The patient's phone is here. Call her family. We need someone to sign the consent forms."

A nurse dialed the first number she found. On the other end, Reuben's impatient voice came through. "What now?"

"Hello, are you a family member of Ms. Astrid Jenner? She's currently in the ER of First Central Hospital. She's in critical condition, so we need you to sign—"

Reuben cut her off before she could finish, sounding annoyed. "Is she dead?"

"Sir, the patient is in critical condition right—"

"Critical condition?"

After a few seconds of silence, Reuben continued contemptuously, "Playing sick won't work on me. You can call me to collect her body when she's actually dead."

The call ended with a sharp click. The operating room fell into a heavy silence. The beeping of the heart monitor suddenly sounded painfully loud.

A single tear slid from the corner of Astrid's eye. The tension left her body all at once. It turned out a heart could really be broken in an instant.

She stared up at the cold surgical light. The memory of the sunlight on the day she'd first met Reuben when she was 15 flashed in her mind, followed by his profile when he'd signed the marriage agreement, then her own stomach, covered in tiny needle marks…

Finally, everything went dark.

When Astrid opened her eyes again, she found her arm wrapped in bandages. She grabbed her cracked phone from the bedside table and made a call. "Mr. York, draft a divorce agreement for me right now. I want it immediately!"