Chapter 1

The day I give birth, I have to endure the pain of the scalpel cutting through my skin because I'm allergic to anesthesia.

Marcus Lambert weeps by my side and says, "I don't care whether we have a girl or boy, sweetheart. We're not having any more children. You're all I want…"

But later, he has an affair, even allowing his mistress to have his son. He indulges in her and allows her to torment my daughter, which I went through hell to bring into this world.

Meanwhile, I keep Marcus' cancer a secret from everyone. Since he and his mistress are tormenting my child, I'll take his life.

It's a fair trade, isn't it?

Chapter 1

I went to the hospital to pick up a diagnosis report on the day my daughter, Cherie Lambert, went missing. Earlier, I had my husband, Marcus Lambert, pick her up at the kindergarten.

"Don't worry, honey! I promise that I'll bring our beloved princess home safe and sound!"

To think I'd end up making eye contact with the same man who had given me that promise over the phone in the hospital's corridor around the corner.

He looked pretty shocked to see me. Also, he happened to have an arm wrapped around a young woman's shoulders.

I knew who she was. That was the useless intern Marcus had complained to me about every day. Her name was Sylvia Wells.

The moment Marcus saw me, he released his hold on her right away.

Sylvia shrank away from me as she moved to hide behind Marcus timidly. One of her hands instinctively protected her belly, while the other moved to tug at the hem of Marcus' shirt after a moment's hesitation.

"Didn't you go pick Cher up?"

Marcus strode forward in wide strides and hugged me right away. "Don't worry, honey. The driver has gone over to pick her up. Nothing will happen to her."

I squirmed out of Marcus' arms before focusing my attention on Sylvia, who stood behind Marcus. I didn't miss how she smiled at me tauntingly or the malicious glint in her eyes.

My instincts as a mother must have kicked in, for I felt panic washing over me instantly. I was quick to drag Marcus out of the hospital hurriedly.

I needed to see Cher with my own eyes no matter what!

Anyway, I could guess why Marcus and Sylvia showed up at the hospital together, but I didn't have the energy to investigate this matter for now.

All I wanted right now was to see my beloved Cher by my side.

Marcus knew that he had screwed up, so he followed me out of the hospital without putting up a fight. Never once did he glance at Sylvia the whole time.

Upon noticing that we were about to get into our car and leave, Sylvia jogged over to us. "Mark…"

Marcus, who was about to get into the car, froze for a moment.

"You should take a cab home. I need to pick up my daughter with my wife."

After that, he closed the car door and drove away from the hospital.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to shirk the responsibility of picking up Cher. Sylvia fainted all of a sudden earlier, so I took her to the hospital. But I told the driver to pick her up right away. Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to her."

As Marcus spoke, he reached out to grab my hands, which were wrung tightly together.

I shot him a meaningful look before withdrawing my hands. "Focus on driving."

When Marcus saw how displeased I was, he was about to say something when he was interrupted by a sudden phone call. He quickly ended the call before making more promises to me.

"Don't worry, honey. After I get off work, I will never pick up any calls. Once we pick up Cher, we'll—"

His phone began ringing loudly once again.

After Marcus hung up on the caller three times in a row, he picked up the fourth call furiously. "What is it that you can't handle on your own? Must you disturb me during the after work hours? Don't you know I need to spend time with my family too?"

Then, Marcus tossed his phone away before continuing, "Honey, once we pick Cher up, let's take her to the amusement park. We'll be able to watch the fireworks display after dinner."

He might seem like he was discussing tonight's schedule with me seriously, but the truth was, his subtle behavior had already given his anxiety away.

Marcus might not have noticed this detail, but the phone he used to pick up the call earlier was the phone hooked up to his private number. That phone never accepted work-related calls.

I turned to look at the phone, which was discarded in the back seat. Messages kept flooding the phone non-stop. The screen kept lighting up before going dim.

A short while later, the phone rang again. This time, an unknown number was the one calling Marcus.

Now that Marcus was relaxed, he tapped the "accept call" button after connecting the phone's Bluetooth to the car's monitor.

"Hello, this is Mercy Hospital calling. Are you a family member of Sylvia Wells? She insists on going through an abortion, so we need you to sign the papers."

The car immediately screeched to a halt. I lurched forward thanks to the momentum, leading to me banging my head against the dashboard. All I could feel was dizziness.

Chapter 2

"Get out of the car!"

After applying the brakes abruptly, Marcus wasted no time in yanking me out of the front passenger seat.

"Tell the driver to pick you up. I'll explain everything to you later."

I rubbed my reddened forehead as I watched Marcus' cold silhouette disappear with the car.

The moment I saw Sylvia with him at the hospital, I knew right away that their relationship was definitely more intimate than I thought. This was especially true after I saw how she had taunted me and showcased her malice toward me.

In the past, Marcus always prioritized me no matter what. There was one time when he needed to attend a business meeting regarding a crucial deal during his company's start-up stage. He risked being late by insisting on sending me home. After ensuring I was safe, he immediately rushed to the meeting place.

But now, he was willing to abandon me on the side of the road without even caring about my safety for the sake of other women.

I couldn't be bothered to dwell on my sadness right now. Soon, I flagged down a cab and hurried toward Cher's kindergarten.

Nothing mattered more than Cher right now.

But when I arrived at the kindergarten, her teacher told me someone had already picked Cher up. I quickly called the landline at home, but no one picked up the phone.

After that, I called Marcus' mother, Meredith Robinson—despite knowing that the possibility of Cher being with her was close to zero.

"Mom, is Cher with you right now?"

"No! Why would I pick her up in the first place? That brat brings this family endless bad luck, just like you do! I get annoyed whenever I see her! I'll have you know that—"

I wasn't in the mood to listen to Mdm. Meredith's tirade, so I hung up on her right away. Then, I proceeded to request the teacher to let me check the surveillance footage at the kindergarten.

The one who picked up Cher wasn't John Parker, the driver whom I was familiar with. It was a young man with a skinny frame and a hunched back. He had picked Cher up and moved her into Marcus' car. To make things worse, he merely tossed Cher into the back seat while disregarding the way she screamed and cried.

The moment the young man opened the car door leading to the driver's seat, I could catch a glimpse of his face. It was Samson Wells, Sylvia's younger brother.

I made a copy of the surveillance footage before heading toward the police station right away. While I was still in the cab, I kept calling Marcus on the phone, yet he never picked up a single call. In the end, he decided to switch off his phone.

It was the peak hour for the evening traffic because everyone got off work at the same time. I was stuck in the middle of the traffic with nowhere to go. But I soon remembered my housekeeper, Dana Hoffman, calling me earlier and telling me that Cher wasn't home yet.

No… I couldn't wait any longer. I took off my high heels and began sprinting down the crowded road.

Finally, I managed to reach the police station when my feet were completely covered in red blisters. But the police told me I couldn't lodge a missing person's report since it hadn't been 24 hours yet.

Meanwhile, I still couldn't reach Marcus on the phone. When I reached the hospital, I heard him comforting Sylvia in a gentle tone.

His daughter was nowhere to be found, yet he spent his time flirting with another woman in his arms!

Rage and the need to bring destruction kept surging into my mind and swelling into a hideous monster that threatened to flood my senses.

I kicked open the door angrily, effectively shattering the romantic atmosphere.

Marcus stared at me in shock. He parted his lips, looking like he was about to say something. But before he could do so, Sylvia cut him off by calling out his name lovingly.

So, Marcus moved to stand before Sylvia, effectively blocking her from my line of sight. He made it seem like I could easily rip Sylvia into pieces with just my sight.

I only realized I had tears streaking down my face when I felt Marcus' hand on my cheek.

"Don't cry, honey. I'm sorry. Please listen to me, okay? It's not what you think…"

Marcus kept wiping my tears away in a fit of panic, but he could never stem my tears no matter how much he wiped. In the end, he just pulled me into his arms and began comforting me in soft tones. At the same time, he prevented me from looking at Sylvia.

I shoved Marcus away angrily before using all of my strength to backhand him. As a result, one of Marcus' cheeks became red and swollen in an instant.

Chapter 3

"Argh! What makes you think you have the right to strike him like that, you old hag?"

When Sylvia saw her beloved man getting slapped by me, she rushed toward me while shrieking at the top of her lungs. She was acting like a protective mother hen at the moment.

I decided to ignore Sylvia, opting to stare at Marcus instead.

Sylvia shoved me roughly, causing my abdomen to crash against the edge of the bed. Color drained from my face instantly as waves of intense pain hit me. I could barely stand up straight because of the excruciating pain.

"Honey!"

But Sylvia quickly rushed forward to hug Marcus' arm in an attempt to stop him from helping me up.

"Get lost, you insufferable woman!"

Marcus pulled his arm free from Sylvia's embrace and pushed her away, sending her tumbling to the floor. Then, he picked me up from the floor as he wanted to put me on the hospital bed to check my injury.

I just struggled against Marcus wildly so that I could hop off his arms. "How filthy!"

I was talking about both Marcus and the hospital bed.

Marcus was rooted to the spot. His eyes began to redden as he stared at me in a dumbfounded manner. He looked like an abandoned puppy who just got kicked.

"Mark, my belly hurts…"

Sylvia's moans of pain snapped Marcus out of his trance. He looked at me before looking at Sylvia, who was all curled up on the floor. Finally, he spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Jo. Just wait for me…"

As he spoke, he scooped Sylvia into his arms and began bolting out of the ward.

"Do you have any idea that your own daughter has gone missing? Are you sure you want to ignore your daughter's plight for the sake of that woman?"

Marcus paused in his tracks for a moment. In the end, he just left hurriedly with Sylvia in his arms without saying anything to me.

I closed my eyes, feeling the surge of hatred toward Marcus rises to a boiling point.

After that, I had no idea how I managed to go home. My mind was completely muddled. All I could think about was Cher's tear-streaked face.

Did she get beaten up? Did Samson starve her?

She must be super scared right now. Heck, she'd definitely wail while looking for me.

"Cher…" I sobbed to the point I couldn't even breathe.

My phone vibrated at that moment. It had received a notification. I jogged over to find my phone without bothering to deal with the blisters on my feet.

It was a message from Sylvia. There weren't any captions on the message. All it encompassed was a photo.

In the photo, Marcus' hand could be seen resting on Sylvia's belly, which had a tiny bump. His wrist still bore the watch I had given him when we were still dating.

But the wedding ring on his fourth finger was nowhere to be seen. Only a band of pale skin could be seen encircling that particular spot.

The thing was, I could still feel the wedding ring rubbing against my cheek when Marcus was wiping my tears away for me at the hospital.

How ironic.

I stopped my train of thought immediately. This time, I chose to cut to the chase.

"I know you and Marcus got together. Give my daughter back to me, and I'll get a divorce with him," I texted.

Soon, Sylvia responded with a text of her own. "What are you talking about? I don't understand a single word you just wrote. I'm pregnant with a baby boy, you know? Why would I need your daughter?"

I sweetened the deal. "I'm willing to get a divorce without asking for a single cent from Marcus as long as your brother brings my daughter back safe and sound. I don't want anything else."

Sylvia texted back, "Your beloved daughter has already gone missing, and yet Mark still refuses to accompany you at a time like this. What makes you think you have the right to negotiate with me? Besides, how are you so sure that Mark doesn't play a part in your daughter's disappeareance?"

As I read Sylvia's text message, I felt chills running down my spine.

Marcus never came home for the next three days. Even though I visited the police station countless times, which led to Samson's eventual arrest, I still didn't get to see Marcus at all. Heck, I couldn't even reach him on his phone.

Finally, Marcus came home on the fourth night.

I just gazed at him numbly. I opened my mouth, but my throat was so hoarse and parched that I couldn't emit a sound.

Marcus behaved as he usually did—caring and gentle. Soon, he poured me a glass of water to soothe my parchedness. He didn't look guilty at all.

After accepting the glass of water, I instantly hurled it at Marcus' head. Perhaps he knew that he was in the wrong, for he didn't avoid the glass at all.

Instead, he chose to face my rage head-on. As such, his forehead began bleeding after the glass crashed into his head.

Chapter 4

Marcus wiped away the blood on his forehead before crouching down in front of me tentatively.

"I'm sorry for coming back late, honey. I—"

I responded by using all my strength to deliver a slap across his cheek. "Where the hell is your conscience, Marcus Lambert? Your daughter has gone missing, and yet you never returned home for days! Are you saying that your daughter's life isn't as important as that plaything of yours?"

Marcus' expression crashed instantly when he heard the way I addressed Sylvia.

"Must you be so vulgar? What do you mean by 'plaything'? Where the hell are your manners, Joanna?"

Marcus was clearly biased toward Sylvia. From that moment onward, I knew I couldn't assume he had a conscience anymore.

"They lost my daughter! Why would I still be polite to them at a time like this? She wants to marry you, right? Tell her to give Cher back to me, and I'll get a divorce with you right away! I'll let her become your wife!

"My darling Cher is still so young… She'll be scared…"

"That's enough!" Marcus interrupted me impatiently. "Joanna Aleshire, have you gone mad? Sylvia is just a penniless intern! It's bad enough that you keep targeting her, but to think that you're pinning such a huge crime on her! Are you trying to drive her mad?"

Gone was the gentle expression that usually occupied Marcus' face in the past. Now, his expression was twisted into one of blame and disgust toward me.

"Besides, you knew that I was super busy with work, and yet you wanted me to pick Cher up from kindergarten! If Cher really ends up missing, shouldn't you be taking responsibility as well?"

I just stared at Marcus in disbelief. I had no idea how he could say such shameless things in such a righteous tone.

At that moment, I could clearly feel that Marcus' heart now belonged to another woman. Cher and I were no longer his priorities in life.

Marcus must have realized how inappropriate his words were, for he crouched down and took my hands gently. Then, he began coaxing me.

"Honey, I promise you that Cher is fine. She's very safe right now. Trust me, okay?"

I withdrew my hands instantly, my gaze pinned on Marcus' face.

"You and Sylvia are the ones who took her away, right? Since she's safe, why can't you give her back to me? Sylvia doesn't want me and Cher to live our lives in peace just because she's pregnant with your baby, right? Is that why she came up with that scheme just to steal Cher away from me?"

Marcus let out a deep sigh. "The fortune teller was the one who claimed that Sylvia needed a child by her side in order to be able to give birth smoothly.

"My mom threatened to take her own life if I didn't do as she said, but at the same time, I was worried that you might not be able to accept this decision. I didn't have a choice. That's why—"

"In that case, aren't you worried that I might die because I thought Cher went missing? Did the fortune teller also tell you that you might become a widower?"

Truth be told, there was once a time when I was blinded by love. But I was never an idiot. Only an arrogant and idiotic man like Marcus would think that Sylvia was a pitiful and innocent woman.

I refused to believe that Sylvia wasn't involved in Cher's kidnapping.

Since Marcus was the one who cheated on me, I never planned to target Sylvia at first. But she shouldn't have targeted my daughter.

Marcus cycled through a few expressions upon hearing my response. In the end, he managed to respond, "Jo, I know I've hurt you badly. But it's been so many years. You should at least be considerate to me.

"My mom refuses to accept you after all these years. Still, she yearns to have a grandson to continue the lineage. Your physique isn't suited for you to be pregnant with another child. Once Sylvia gives birth to the baby, I'll give her a sum of money and fly her out of the country.

"What happened between me and Sylvia is purely an accident. After my mom found out about the pregnancy, she threatened to take her own life just to force her to keep the baby. I don't love Sylvia at all, okay? I've always been in love with you from the start till the end.

"You no longer have to endure the pain of childbirth anymore, Jo. Not to mention, we'll have a son of our own. My mom will slowly accept you as a member of the family. Isn't this a win-win situation for us?"

Although Marcus still looked the same, I felt that he was no longer the same Marcus I knew.

I just looked at him before bursting into laughter. As my laughter stretched on, I began crying.

"But Marcus, I can't wait for that long…"

Marcus roared back impatiently, "Are you done with your shenanigans? My mom wants a grandson, but you can't get pregnant at all! I've compromised so much for your sake, Joanna! Can't you just compromise for me just this once?

"Why can't you tolerate the imperfections in life as much as everyone else? It's only a few months! You're being really selfish here, Joanna!"

I completely broke down at that moment. All I could do was shriek at Marcus. "But I'm diagnosed with cancer! I don't have much time to live!"