I Hid His Sterility for 8 Years. He Gave Me a Fake Daughter.

Chapter 1

I looked at the frozen expressions of everyone in the room before turning on my heel and walking out of the playroom.

Ezra Vance chased after me frantically and grabbed my wrist as soon as I stepped out the front doors.

"Rosalind, don't go. Let me explain," he pleaded, slipping off his cashmere coat and wrapping it securely around my shoulders. "I swear, you're the only woman I've ever loved. Getting blackout drunk at that business dinner was a complete accident, and I don't even know how it happened. Camilla Thorne has been raising our child alone in the countryside for 3 years, and she's been through hell."

He took a deep, steadying breath. "I only wanted to register Daisy as an orphan so we could legally adopt her under your name. You insisted on being childfree for 8 years, and I shielded you from all the nasty gossip. Now you get to be a mother without going through the physical toll of pregnancy, and the Vance family would finally have a child to bring home. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"

I stared at the man whose self-respect I had protected for 8 years, finding the entire situation utterly ridiculous. Brushing his hand away coldly, I let his coat slip from my shoulders and fall into the dirt.

"Ezra, I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m."

Shock washed over his face, as if he never expected me to bring up divorce. Just then, the child in Camilla's arms let out a piercing wail, thrashing wildly as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"It hurts," the little girl cried out in pain.

Panic seized Ezra immediately, his entire body going rigid. He glanced back at them, then back at me, before ultimately turning away to take the girl into his arms. "Daisy, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?" he asked frantically.

Mrs. Vance shrieked and pressed a hand to the girl's forehead, demanding they rush to the hospital at once.

Holding the endlessly crying child, Ezra threw one last look over his shoulder. "I'm not getting a divorce, so just go home and calm down. I'll come find you as soon as I get Daisy settled."

The heavy doors of the luxury sedan slammed shut, and its tires sent muddy water splashing over my clothes as the car rolled through a puddle.

I didn't cry or make a scene, knowing that 8 years of love ended at that moment.

After returning home, I took a hot shower and changed into clean loungewear before sitting down at my study desk to type up the divorce settlement agreement. In the section for asset division, I asked for nothing but my own art gallery, which my grandfather had left to me years ago. I didn't want a single dime from the Vance family.

I signed the document and placed it on the coffee table in the living room before making my way upstairs to my art studio.

In the center of the room stood Rebirth, a massive oil painting that had taken me 2 years to complete. It was scheduled to be shipped to Valoria next month to compete in the Grand Avalon Exhibition.

The painting was the work of my heart and my only hope for a new beginning. Picking up my brush, I quietly perfected the final details.