Chapter 2

On the day Julian helped Chloe out of the luxury postpartum recovery suite, I had just finished handing over my remaining patients at the hospital.

As I approached the door of our shared apartment, the sound of laughter and joy drifted out.

"Oh, look at him! He has Julian's exact brow. Chloe, darling, you are the absolute savior of the Miller family!"

Martha was cooing at the baby in her arms, while Julian walked out of the kitchen holding a bowl of steaming hot chicken soup.

"You worked so hard, Chloe. I made this soup myself to help you recover. You’re still so weak; you need to nourish your body."

He sat on the edge of the bed, gently blowing on the soup before feeding her. They looked like a picture-perfect, loving family.

My father-in-law, Robert, was shaking a rattle to entertain the baby, his face stretched in a massive grin.

"This little guy is just as lovely as his mother. Thank God he didn't inherit Elena’s boring, robotic personality. Having a workaholic doctor for a mother would have been a nightmare."

My hand froze on the doorknob.

I remembered the first time I met Robert. He had proudly patted my shoulder, telling everyone how boasting about a doctor daughter-in-law made him feel like a king.

Now, he was claiming a doctor didn't deserve to have a family.

I had only been away on a one-year medical exchange program, and already, this house had no room left for me.

I lowered my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

Julian and I had been married for three years. We used to have a baby on the way, too.

But due to a terrible accident, I lost the pregnancy and suffered severe uterine damage. I was declared permanently barren.

When the doctor delivered the news, I cried until I choked. Julian had held me tight, swearing he would never want anyone else to bear his children. For my sake, he willingly chose to be child-free.

But now, he had broken his vow. He had shattered his own principles just to satisfy his first love's dying wish.

I still remembered the day I left for my overseas training. He had cried like a child, holding me so tightly at the gate that he almost missed his flight.

Throughout the year, we had called each other every single day on WhatsApp, sharing every detail of our lives. My colleagues used to tease me that after three years of marriage, we were still acting like teenagers in the honeymoon phase.

But a month ago, when I finally got a short leave to surprise him—enduring a grueling nine-hour flight without a single complaint—I walked into our neighborhood only to see Julian holding hands with Chloe.

And Chloe was heavily pregnant.

"Elena? When did you get back? Why are you just standing at the door?"

Chloe's soft voice snapped me back to reality. The other three people in the room instantly whipped their heads toward the entryway.

When Martha saw the resignation letter in my hand, her face immediately hardened into a scowl.

"Why on earth did I ever let Julian marry a freeloading curse like you? Resigning? Are you planning to sit on your lazy butt and let my son support you?"

Robert chimed in with equal disgust.

"You can't even keep a stable, prestigious job. What are you good for? If we knew you were this useless, we would have never let you cross our threshold!"

"Chloe's body is fragile right now, and raising a baby costs a fortune. Instead of helping Julian ease the financial burden, you're just adding stress. What kind of wife does that?"

I looked at them, finding the whole situation incredibly dark and hilarious.

"What about Julian, then? He knocked up another woman while his wife was away saving lives. What kind of husband does that?"

"Elena, that's enough! I did this for us!"

Julian stood up, his brow furrowed, his eyes turning ice-cold as he glared at me.

"You can't have kids. So I let Chloe have one for you. I was trying to give you the chance to be a mother without the physical pain. Why can't you appreciate my good intentions?"

"This was a win-win! Chloe gets to fulfill her lifelong dream before she passes away, and you get to be a mother. I don't get why you're being so incredibly bitter!"

"If Chloe hadn't pulled me out of that car wreck two years ago, I'd be dead! Both of her parents are gone, and she has late-stage cancer. In a few months, she won't even be in this world anymore."

"As a woman, shouldn't you have some empathy for her? Why are you always attacking her? Or do you honestly think I'm some cheap, cheating bastard?"

Chloe looked at Julian with tearful, adoring eyes, then turned her pitiful gaze to me.

"Elena, please don't fight. I know this is all my fault. I promise I will disappear from your lives as soon as I can, but please don't let me ruin your marriage."

Looking at the four of them standing united against me, I realized something.

They were the real family. I was just the outsider.

Julian spoke up again, his voice dropping into a threatening tone.

"Elena, my patience has limits. If you dare to target Chloe again, don't blame me for what happens next!"

"If you want to keep this marriage, fall in line. At the baby’s welcome party next week, I’ll publicly introduce you as his mother in front of all our family and friends."

Next week?

I glanced at the sleeping infant in the stroller. Next week, I would be boarding a flight to the Middle East.

But before I left, I didn't mind giving them a little farewell gift they would never forget.