Chapter 1
"Are you insane, Claire?!"
Julian looked at me in disbelief, his voice sharp and piercing.
"I only want this child," I said word by word.
"Have you lost your mind?" he lowered his voice. "Your child is already dead. This isn't your child!"
'Yes. My child died too, on the night my mother passed away.'
"Your child is my child," I said softly. "Or do you want your first child to be born with the title of an illegitimate child?"
Julian froze in place, unable to come up with a single word to refute me.
I was the daughter of the Whitmore family. Back then, I had ignored everyone's advice and insisted on marrying him for love.
For a prestigious family, reputation, etiquette, family status, and rules mattered above all else.
That was exactly why Julian could indulge in his affairs outside the marriage. As long as he didn't bring them into the open, everyone would pretend not to know.
But any stain that could damage the family's reputation was absolutely unacceptable.
Serena finally realized that the situation was unfavorable and tried to step forward to take the child away. She pleaded desperately.
"Julian, don't do this! The baby is the only thing I have left!"
She had believed that having his child would allow her to become Mrs. Sterling openly and legitimately.
But she didn't know that in a wealthy family where everything revolved around interests and reputation, an illegitimate child without a powerful family backing them could never make any waves.
Looking at the conflicted expression on Julian's face, I only felt disgusted.
I took the child from his arms.
Serena stood to the side, trembling helplessly.
"Serena, take good care of yourself."
With a faint and gentle smile on my lips, I cruelly announced:
"From today onward, I am this child's rightful mother."
I admired the color instantly draining from her face and slowly continued, "Remember, the child taken from your womb is the one who died... understand?"
I spoke softly, as if lowering my voice could make me feel less pain.
"This is my child! I carried him for ten months and went through so much to give birth to him! Julian, you can't let her just take our child away!"
Serena cried as she looked at him, her tear-filled eyes making her appear unbearably pitiful.
Julian hesitated.
"Claire..."
I leaned closer to Julian's ear and whispered, "The financing approvals for the entire commercial district in the western part of the city are all controlled by my father."
Julian's body instantly stiffened.
The funding gap for his new project was enormous. This financing was the key lifeline that would determine whether his company could survive the crisis.
He stared straight at me, his eyes filled with resentment and fear.
After taking a deep breath, he turned to Serena.
"The child will be raised by Claire. It is the rightful choice, and it will also be better for the child's future."
I turned around and instructed my personal maid, "Take the child to the nursery and make sure he is properly cared for."
After returning to the second floor, I called my trusted butler.
"Make sure everyone at the hospital and all the servants in this house understand one thing. I don't want anyone else to know about this. The child's biological mother can only be me, Claire Whitmore."
Not long after, even louder arguments erupted from the living room, mixed with Serena's heart-wrenching cries.
I lowered my head and looked at the delicate, fair-skinned baby boy lying in the crib.
He was sleeping soundly, his tiny mouth slightly opening and closing.
A cold smile curled at the corner of my lips.
Julian came to the villa every day and stayed for a short while, but I knew that although he was here physically, his heart was with Serena.
One day, I accidentally picked up Julian's phone that he had left in the living room.
The screen wasn't locked.
When I opened it, I immediately saw countless messages from Serena.
Every word was filled with her longing for the baby and her grievances.
Serena: Julian, I miss the baby so much. I can't sleep night after night. I just want to see him one more time.
Serena: I don't want any status or money. I only want to watch my child grow up safely from afar and be with him in my own way.
Serena: Julian, I haven't been feeling well lately. I've been taking medicine every day, but nothing seems to help. The doctor said my illness is caused by my emotional distress. I just want to see the baby once.
Serena knew exactly what Julian's weakness was.
That was why she never confronted me directly. Instead, she repeatedly emphasized the pain of a mother who had lost her child and how much she missed him.
All to highlight how cruel and heartless I was.
Every time Julian received her messages, his brows would furrow deeper.
In the end, he would always find some excuse and leave the house to deal with her.
One morning, Julian was not at home, and the baby had been taken by the nanny for feeding. I was alone in the garden, watering the flowers.
Serena suddenly appeared in the garden.
Her eyes were filled with hatred as she stared at me.
"Claire, do you really think you've won?" she asked in a lowered voice, her tone filled with malice.
"Do you really think your mother's death was just an accident?
"That morning, Julian came to the hospital to see me. I cried to him and told him that your old, stubborn mother had threatened me and forced me to get rid of the baby. I told him I wanted to take a little revenge on your mother and hoped he wouldn't stop me. I never expected that he would actually give me permission.
"The things that happened afterward were such a pleasant surprise. I never thought I could not only get rid of your mother, but also cause you to lose your baby. And Julian? He helped me clean up the mess! Your child was just as fragile as your marriage. It's dead now, so who can you blame? Don't get too proud too soon. The child you raise will always be my biological child!"
After saying that, she turned and walked away.
Leaving me alone to process every word she had said.
Each sentence felt like a blunt knife cutting into my heart.
'So that's what happened.'
I bit my lip tightly, letting the metallic taste of blood fill my mouth, yet my eyes remained dry, unable to shed a single tear.
I silently stood up and walked back toward the entrance.
Just then, the iron gate of the garden opened again.
Julian walked in.
"What happened? Why is your lip bleeding?"
He carefully wiped away the blood from my lips with his fingertip, his expression showing what seemed like genuine concern.
My entire body trembled uncontrollably.
For a moment, I couldn't tell whether I was overwhelmed by grief or rage.
I wanted nothing more than to scream at him, to tear away his false mask and expose the monster hiding beneath.
But in the end, I held myself back.
"Leave. Go accompany Serena."
My voice was calm, without a trace of emotion.
"The baby has a nanny taking care of him. There's no need for you here."
Julian eventually let go of me and walked out of the house.
I immediately returned to my room and called my personal maid, asking her to pack my luggage right away.
"We're leaving now. I want to go back to the Whitmore family!"
I was going back, and I would return all the pain they had inflicted on me.
