Chapter 1

The day I almost died giving birth, my husband was already filing for divorce to marry my best friend, Seraphina Vance.

As I teetered on the edge, my boss, Dominic Thorne, swooped in. He spent three hundred million to save my life and our son.

The moment I woke from surgery, he proposed.

For thirteen years, he treated me like a treasure, his devotion absolute.

Everything shattered the day I went to pick up our son, Leo. I overheard their conversation.

"Since Seraphina can't have children," Dominic said, "will you be her son forever, Leo? How does that sound?"

Thirteen-year-old Leo thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Dad! She's the best-like a real mom, even better! We're even meeting her at our secret spot today!"

A decade of being spoiled rotten, all a beautiful lie. He had only ever needed me to give Seraphina the child she couldn't have.

Fine. If that's how it is, then I don't want either of them anymore.

I stood frozen, watching the scene unfold. The stew I'd made for Leo crashed to the floor, splashing and scalding my leg.

So, all these years of 'love and devotion' were just a calculated trap from the very beginning!

I clapped my hand over my mouth, stifling a sob. Hot tears streamed down my face, burning a hundred, a thousand times worse than the scalding.

"Mom! Dad and I are coming to see you soon! I brought your favorite blueberry cake!"

Leo bounced around, phone pressed to his ear, calling her Mom again and again.

Dominic, watching with a doting smile, eagerly snatched the phone.

"Go on, Leo, let me talk to her for a moment."

He clutched the phone as if it were a lifeline. Watching them fight over it, I retreated home in shame, feeling like a complete outsider.

But as I reached my front door, I saw our housekeeper leaving the villa across the street.

Driven by a grim curiosity, I slipped inside.

To my shock, every wall of the villa was covered with photos of Dominic, Seraphina, and Leo-a picture-perfect family. So, this was their "secret hideout."

In the hallway, there was a large group photo of Seraphina with the entire Thorne family.

It was then I realized that not only Dominic, but the entire Thorne family adored her.

Dominic had always said he was afraid I wouldn't be comfortable at Thorne Manor, so he rarely took me there. Now, it seemed I simply wasn't worthy.

Dragging my numb body, I returned home to tend to my scalded leg. Dominic, who had just entered, stumbled over and knelt before me.

"What happened, darling? How did you get burned?"

Leo also knelt, gently blowing on my wound. I suppressed the bitterness. "An accident while cooking, it's nothing."

But when I looked up again, their gazes were fixed on the window.

Seraphina had just walked into the villa across the street. My family, painstakingly built over a decade, was just a facade, a stage for someone else's happily ever after.

No wonder Dominic had specifically taught Leo to be filial.

He probably just wanted Leo to be filial to Seraphina, to give her a complete family.

At that moment, the family doctor knocked and entered, handing Dominic a form. The two went upstairs conspiratorially, and I quietly followed.

"Seraphina's husband is critically ill. If you intervene, there might still be hope."

Dominic frowned. "How am I supposed to save him? Impossible."

A knowing smirk touched the doctor's lips. "Exactly. If her husband dies, your path clears. No more juggling these two lives of yours."

Dominic, whose thoughts were caught red-handed, simply rolled his eyes at the doctor with a smirk, then added his chilling instruction. "Curing him is tough, but making things worse? That's easy. You know what needs to be done."

I hid behind the wall, biting my lip hard. Dominic was willing to play God with someone's life, all to fulfill a lifelong regret. I had underestimated Seraphina's place in his heart.

When Dominic reappeared, he was holding Leo's hand. "I have to handle something at the office. Leo insisted on coming. You should rest, darling."

Not long after they left, an anonymous message popped up in the school's parent group chat. "Attention: From now on, each family is limited to one parent in this chat."

Before I could even process it, I was removed. I knew exactly who would take my place as 'Leo's mom' in there.

With a bitter smile, I exited the chat and called home, informing them I would be back in a few days. From then on, I would no longer have a husband, nor a son.