Chapter 1

During dinner, my mother-in-law, Sophia Valdez, suddenly clutched her chest. Her face turned pale.

I quickly put down my fork and went up to her. "Mom, is it your heart problem?"

Sophia nodded.

I picked up my phone to give my husband, Caleb Wright, a call. He was a cardiologist.

Caleb did not join us for dinner since he said he would be working overtime tonight.

I tried calling him several times, but Caleb did not pick up the phone. When the line finally got through, I could hear a soft female voice speaking on the other end.

"Esther, my cat, Bailey, is feeling a bit under the weather. Caleb is preparing some food for him. Can you stop calling? The noise is going to wake Bailey up."

I stiffened for a moment.

It was Lexie Simmons, Caleb's first love.

The two of them dated back when they were still in high school. However, Lexie's parents did not like the fact that Caleb came from a poor family.

They eventually forced the couple to break up and sent Lexie away to study abroad.

After that, Caleb met me and fell in love with me at first sight. I only agreed to date him after he had spent more than half a year trying to pursue me.

Even after getting married, we had a stable relationship. Caleb was the perfect husband in almost everyone's eyes.

That was until three months ago when Lexie came back to our country. Caleb started acting like a completely different person.

He would leave home early and come back late. Caleb was also rarely home during the weekends. He claimed to be busy with work whenever I asked about it.

However, I knew he was not busy with work. Instead, he was meeting Lexie. When I got so fed up and asked him about it, Caleb said I was being paranoid and narrow-minded instead.

It seemed like he had lied to me again. Caleb was not working overtime that day!

However, now was not the time for me to bring this issue up. I said in a cold voice, "Tell Caleb to answer the phone."

"Lexie, who's on the line?" I could hear Caleb's voice on the other end of the line this time.

I quickly said, "Caleb, Mom's having a heart attack. You need to hurry and get back now."

I thought Caleb would be anxious after learning that Sophia was having a heart attack. To my bewilderment, he replied, "Esther Lloyd, are you mental? You're making up these horrible stories about my mom just to make me go home?"

Caleb hung up right after saying that.

I tried calling him again but found that he had turned off his phone.

Since Sophia's condition seemed to be worsening, I decided not to waste any more time. "Mom, I'll take you to the hospital."

I brought Sophia to the hospital.

After entering the hospital lobby, I supported the unconscious Sophia and lowered her into a chair. When I turned around, I spotted an acquaintance. It was Caleb's colleague, Morgan Shaw.

I called after him frantically as though I had just found a lifeline, "Morgan, my mother-in-law is having a heart attack. Please help her!"

Morgan glanced at me with a resigned look on his face.

"Esther, Caleb told me that you got Sophia to help you put on an act just to make him go home and that I should just ignore you."

I replied anxiously, "This isn't an act. My mother-in-law is really having a heart attack."

Morgan still refused to believe me. "Esther, you shouldn't joke about these things. It's inappropriate. It's getting late. You should bring Sophia home so that she can get some rest."

I lost my temper at that moment since Sophia's life was at stake.

"Morgan Shaw! I'm demanding you perform the necessary medical procedures for my mother-in-law right now! Otherwise, I'll file a complaint against you!"

Since I was usually polite and mild-tempered, Morgan was momentarily stunned when I started yelling at him.

"You weren't lying, Esther? Sophia is really having a heart attack?"

I answered sternly, "You're a doctor. Can't you see that my mother-in-law is really feeling unwell now?"

Morgan finally realized that I was not trying to trick him. He went up to Sophia and did a brief examination. Then, Morgan quickly fetched some staff to transfer Sophia to the emergency room.

A while later, Morgan came out of the emergency room.

He said anxiously, "Esther, Sophia is in critical condition. Caleb is the only person in the entire city that can perform the surgery for her. I tried calling him, but he had turned off his phone."

I subconsciously held my breath.

Sophia had always treated me well as though I was her real daughter. She never made me do any house chores, and she would even prepare delicious meals for me every day.

Sophia would often transfer some money to my bank account since she was worried that I might not have enough money for my spending. She would also reject my gifts, saying I should spend the money on more useful things.

Moreover, she would not just side with Caleb whenever he and I were having a fight. Instead, Sophia would usually defend me and ask Caleb to apologize to me.

I must find a way to save her.

Soon enough, I rushed to the residential area where Lexie was staying. I was panting heavily when I pressed the doorbell.

A short while later, someone opened the door. It was Lexie. She was wearing a nightgown with a plunging neckline. Anyone could see what was underneath her dress if she just bent forward slightly.