Chapter 2

He really cared about Naomi. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ordered me to make such a tedious meal.

I calmly watched them walk upstairs. My disappointment had long peaked; my emotions barely rippled now.

My phone buzzed with a text from my best friend.

"Are you sure you want to fake your death to leave? I have everything ready for you."

I replied without a second thought.

"Completely sure. I won't change my mind."

Naomi always said I wasn't normal because I could calmly accept my husband having so many mistresses.

What she didn't know was that when Sebastian cheated for the first time, I had demanded a divorce.

The price I paid was him locking me up in a villa abroad for an entire year. It was only when I finally broke down and promised not to divorce him that he gradually gave me some freedom.

He was a severe paranoid with a sick sense of possessiveness. He had told me more than once: for him, there was only widowhood, never divorce.

The only way to leave him was to disappear quietly and let him find my "corpse."

I ordered takeout and plated it on the dining table.

Before leaving, I still had to play along and keep up appearances.

The next day, Sebastian's mother, Julie, came over. She lectured Sebastian, saying it was fine to play around, but he needed to produce an heir immediately.

She didn't know that I had developed a physical revulsion toward Sebastian. Whenever he touched me, I would suffer from breathing difficulties.

Once, Sebastian didn't believe me. Furious, he tried to force me into bed, and I went into anaphylactic shock right then and there.

Since then, he hadn't dared to force me. Instead, he forced me to take pills every day, hoping to cure my "illness."

Sebastian's eyes darkened as he gave Julie a dismissive answer.

"I got it."

Naomi, quick to spot an opportunity, suggested,

"I know a very famous female OB-GYN. Why don't we have her come over and check Clara?"

Julie immediately demanded Naomi call the doctor to the house.

After a thorough one-hour examination, the doctor came out with a grave expression.

"Mrs. Miller's body is fine, but her eggs aren't viable. So..."

Julie's face fell instantly. She issued an ultimatum to Sebastian and me.

"The Miller family must have heirs! Figure it out yourselves!"

A smug glint flashed in Naomi's eyes. I knew right away she had bribed the doctor. Her goal was to use my infertility to force Sebastian to divorce me.

I actually hoped Sebastian would give in to the pressure and divorce me. It would save me the trouble of faking my death.

But to my surprise, he asked the doctor, "If her eggs can't be fertilized, is her uterus still functional?"

"Yes, it is."

Sebastian let out a sigh of relief. He turned to me and said in a gentle but non-negotiable tone,

"Then we'll use your womb to carry my and Naomi's baby. It will still be considered yours. It's better than adopting some stranger's kid."

The smile on Naomi's face vanished instantly. Her attempt to replace me failed again, and her eyes looked darker than ever.

My entire being recoiled, my chest feeling as though a heavy stone was crushing it.

"Sebastian, why do this?" I protested. "I won't do it."

He chuckled softly, caressing my cheek with a look of pure, paranoid possessiveness.

"This is the best way. Be good and listen to me."