Chapter 1

"Once the stem cells are extracted, send the newborn abroad. Sarah can't stand the thought of me raising a child with another woman."

Standing frozen outside the clinic door, I listened as my supposedly loving, devoted husband coldly dictated the fate of my unborn baby.

At that moment, the devastating truth hit me. The beautiful nursery he had meticulously designed, the tender kisses he planted on my pregnant belly every night—none of it was out of love for a new life. He was merely checking if the "matching donor" for his first love's son was developing well.

What chilled me to the bone even more was the realization about our firstborn. The fatal "medical accident" that took our eldest son three years ago was a complete lie...

He had personally stolen our son's life-saving antidote to save his bastard's life!

He destroyed my first child, and now he had his eyes on my second.

But there is one thing he doesn't know: that so-called illegitimate son isn't even his.

He sacrificed his own flesh and blood to save a fake heir.

When he finally discovers the truth, he will learn what true hell feels like.

————

I clutched the freshly printed ultrasound report, my steps light as I walked across the thick carpet of the private hospital's corridor.

My name is Emma. I've been married to my husband, Kevin, for exactly five years. He is the legal heir to this private hospital group.

To outsiders, our marriage had always seemed peaceful and perfectly happy.

But only we knew the massive void that the tragedy three years ago had left in our lives.

Three years ago, due to a sudden medical malpractice incident, our eldest son, Liam, passed away unexpectedly.

During that time, I completely lost my will to live. It was Kevin who stayed patiently by my side, keeping me afloat.

Now, I was finally pregnant again.

This baby was a hard-won blessing and meant everything to me. I had poured almost all my emotions and energy into protecting this little life.

I arrived outside Dr. Smith's office. Just as I raised my hand to knock, I noticed that the heavy dark brown door wasn't completely shut.

From inside, I heard my husband's voice.

He was supposed to be waiting for me in the VIP lounge downstairs, but instead, he had come to the attending doctor's office ahead of time.

Instinctively, I stopped in my tracks.

"Are all the procedures finalized?" Kevin's voice was remarkably low.

"Everything is ready. We can begin the follow-up procedures at any time," Dr. Smith replied. "However, procedurally, I need to make this clear to you again. Sarah's son, Jack, has been showing deteriorating blood panels lately. Since all existing adult relative matches have failed, using the cord blood from your and Emma's newborn—his half-sibling—is indeed the stem cell extraction option with the highest success rate right now."

I froze instantly, the ultrasound report crushed against my side.

The sheer volume of information in those few sentences was too overwhelming. I couldn't process it all at once.

Sarah was a childhood friend of Kevin's. She had gotten pregnant out of wedlock and given birth to her son, Jack. She had always lived alone as a single mother, refusing to reveal the father's identity to anyone.

Kevin had always been quite involved in Sarah's life. He would help pick up and drop off Jack, take him to the amusement park, and organize his birthday parties. Sometimes, Jack would even call Kevin "Dad" in front of everyone.

I had pitied Sarah for the hardships of raising a child as a single mother, so I never thought anything of it.

A few months ago, Jack fell ill. Kevin was frantic, scrambling to contact top specialists around the clock.

I knew all of this, but I had never connected Jack to Kevin's own bloodline.

I had assumed Kevin's devotion to Jack was partly because he and Sarah grew up together, and partly because he had transferred his unresolved love for Liam onto Jack.

But now, judging by what the doctor just said, Jack was Kevin's biological son.

Before I could delve deeper into that horrifying thought, Kevin's voice rang out again.

"That is exactly why I got Emma pregnant," Kevin said, his tone utterly devoid of emotion. "I need her to give birth to this child so we can get what we need."

"Cord blood can serve as the first step." Dr. Smith flipped through some papers on his desk, the rustling sound crisp in the quiet room. "But the initial amount of extracted stem cells might not be enough. If Jack's subsequent rejection reactions are severe, this infant won't just need a single blood draw in the future; they might also have to undergo spinal taps and bone marrow harvesting."

"As long as it cures Jack, the baby can undergo as many extractions as necessary," Kevin replied without a shred of hesitation.

"And what do you plan to do with this child after it's born?" Dr. Smith's voice carried a seeking-confirmation tone.

"Send it away immediately. Contact a foster agency overseas." Kevin's answer was brisk and ruthless. "I never wanted this extra child to begin with. If it weren't to provide a compatible donor for Sarah's son, I would never have let her get pregnant. Besides, there is no way Sarah would accept me raising a child with another woman. Jack is growing up; he won't want to hear another kid calling me Dad."

The ultrasound report in my hand was crushed into deep creases, its edges deformed and curling.

My gaze fell to my slightly swollen belly, and flashes of our recent daily life at home crossed my mind.

Half a month ago, Kevin hired contractors to convert the second-floor guest room into a nursery. He had the walls painted in warm tones and bought a complete set of expensive baby furniture.

He spent several nights sitting on the carpet with me, flipping through baby name books. Every night before bed, he would rest his hand gently on my stomach, whispering about how much he looked forward to the due date.

At this very moment, all those sweet memories completely soured.

That nursery was nothing but a movie set built to deceive me. Naming the baby was just a tactic to keep my emotions stable. Every gentle caress on my belly was merely him checking to ensure the "donor" for his illegitimate son was still intact.

The office fell silent for a few seconds.

Dr. Smith lowered his voice. "Kevin, Emma already lost a child three years ago. If this infant is forcibly sent away after birth, or if something goes wrong..."

"Shut up," Kevin interrupted immediately. "No one is to bring up what happened three years ago. Treat it as if it never happened. You just secure the medical records. Emma must never suspect a thing."

The hallway remained quiet, but all I could hear was my own heavy breathing.

Why would he strictly forbid the doctor from mentioning the events of three years ago?

Why did the past records need to be covered up?

A chilling thought began to take root in my mind: Three years ago, when my eldest son Liam died in that hospital bed... was it never just an accidental medical error after all?

I leaned against the icy wall of the corridor, unable to stop the violent shudders racking my body.