Chapter 2

Returning from the hospital to Marcus's suburban estate, I bumped right into him. He was gently guiding my sister, Chloe, out the front door.

Luckily, I had put on my fake baby bump beforehand. Neither of them noticed anything unusual.

Chloe smiled sweetly when she saw me.

"Vivian, you're back! I wasn't feeling well, so I told Marcus. He said he’d take me to his private clinic for a checkup."

"Look at him, making such a big deal out of a minor stomach ache. Marcus is so responsible. I'm sure he'll be an amazing father when your baby is born."

In my past life, her words would have made me blush, painting a picture of a happy future raising a family with Marcus.

But now, after being reborn, I only felt sick. I couldn't believe I had ever thought this disgusting duo was kind.

Their eyes locked onto my belly. There was no affection in their gaze—only greed and calculation.

In my past life, I was too naive. I never noticed that Marcus, my husband, cared far more about Chloe than he did about me, his wife.

When Chloe and I went into labor on the same day, I actually thought it was a beautiful blessing that we were sharing this milestone.

But after I delivered a healthy baby, the child Marcus brought to my bedside was blue, gasping for air, and on the verge of death.

He slapped me hard across the face in front of the doctors, accusing me of abusing illegal weight-loss drugs during my pregnancy, which supposedly caused "my baby's" birth defects.

I was in shock. I screamed that my baby had been swapped, but nobody believed me. To make matters worse, Marcus immediately reported me to the board and the police for leaking corporate secrets.

Along with his report, he handed over forged documents found in our study, supposedly showing my correspondence with our top competitor.

Overnight, I became a disgraced white-collar criminal. Before I could even recover from childbirth, I was taken in for interrogation and sentenced to ten years.

After enduring a decade of hell, I was released, only for Marcus and Chloe to mock me with the truth.

He held Chloe’s hand and my biological son's hand, tossing a check at my feet like I was a stray dog.

"Vivian, I'll be honest. Chloe and I have been together for a long time. The child she had was mine."

"But her baby was sick. She was devastated, and I couldn't bear to see my own blood suffer... so I swapped your baby with hers."

"This check is compensation for your ten years. We're divorced now. Our son hates you."

Even my son sneered at me.

"Chloe is my mom. She didn't go to prison like you. You're not my mother!"

Already frail from prison life, I was literally choked to death by my own rage.

Remembering my tragic end, while Marcus climbed the corporate ladder using my stolen career and lived happily ever after with Chloe, a dark fire burned in my chest.

"An amazing father? We'll see about that," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I told you I had a cold yesterday, Marcus, and you didn't care at all. It seems you care much more about my sister than your own wife."

Marcus’s face stiffened. He quickly tried to cover it up. "Don't be silly, Vivian. You've always had a strong immune system. Chloe is different. She's been delicate since she was a kid."

"Besides, she’s your sister. She’s all alone, and the baby's father is a deadbeat. As her brother-in-law, it's only right that I look after her."

He sounded so noble, as if he were just being a good guy.

Before leading Chloe out, Marcus turned back and added one more thing.

"If you're not feeling well, just stay in bed. Oh, and don't take any cold medicine. It might hurt the baby."

The first sentence was filler.

The second sentence was his real point.

Noticing his eyes darting to my stomach again, I mumbled a quick response, turned around, and walked upstairs. Once in my room, I took some vitamins with a glass of water.

What a joke. The ungrateful brat who would eventually call my enemy "mother" was already gone. Why would I care about any warnings?