Chapter 1

"You're five weeks into your pregnancy. Since your health isn't the best, you must watch out for …"

Margot Stone didn't hear what the doctor said afterward. All she heard was that she was pregnant.

She was pregnant …

She couldn't believe she was having his baby.

Didn't this mean that their contract marriage would now turn into a real one?

Margot was over the moon. She remembered that he was returning from his business trip tonight, so she grabbed her pregnancy report and dashed home excitedly.

As the sun set and the sky began drizzling, Margot returned home completely drenched.

As soon as she entered the house, her housekeeper, Doris, rushed over with a towel to dry off Margot's hair.

"Oh, look at you! You'll catch a cold at this rate! Hurry upstairs and take a warm bath."

Still, Margot kept beaming from ear to ear.

She bent over to change her shoes. That was when she saw a pair of well-polished leather shoes on top of the shoe cabinet.

Pleasantly surprised, Margot spun around and asked Doris, "Is he back?"

Doris nodded with a smile. "Yes. He even brought you some gifts. You better change your clothes if you want to see him."

"Okay," Margot called as she hauled her backpack over her shoulder and ran upstairs.

Rather than taking a bath, she was more eager to let him know about her pregnancy.

Dripping water as she walked, she eventually stopped in front of his study. She was about to go in when she heard his sexy voice.

"I'll marry you once she's given birth to my child. It won't take longer than two years."

Margot froze. Her smile instantly disappeared, and her hand stilled in midair.

A woman replied, "Fine, I'll wait another two years. By then, you have to divorce her no matter what."

The man hummed in response.

"Curt, I believe we'll have a happy marriage. After all, no one else loves you more than I do. I …"

Numb from shock, Margot couldn't bear to listen any longer.

What did she just hear?

He was going to divorce her and expected her to give birth to a child for him before that. Why?

Had he always been in love with someone else? Now that the other woman was back, was he going to abandon Margot for that woman?

Unable to accept this, she staggered away from the study. She dragged herself to her room and collapsed to the floor as tears trickled down her face.

She had known this man for 15 years and had been in love with him for five.

He hadn't hesitated to marry her when she first suggested they do a contract marriage.

Although they merely had a contract marriage, he treated her so dearly that she felt like she was dancing on a cloud of love.

Margot thought what they had was love, so she willingly gave herself up to him.

Just like that, the two of them became inseparable. He would often whisper to her in the deep of the night, saying how wonderful it would be if they had a child.

Whenever she heard that, Margot thought their lovely marriage would stay that way forever. She thought they'd grow old together as they watched their child grow up.

She didn't expect all of this to be fake—all of it.

Margot was devastated. However, the thought of her child forced her to crawl to the bathroom to get rid of her wet clothes.

Once she was done showering, she buried herself in her blanket and forced herself to go to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Margot felt another presence beside her. A familiar scent engulfed her as gentle kisses landed all over her body.

Gaining awareness, she turned on her bedside lamp to see the man nuzzling his face into her neck.

He mumbled, "You smell so good, Margot."

The man was her husband, Curtis Crosby. A decade older than her, he just turned 30 this year. He stood over six feet tall and preferred dark clothing that made him appear more mature and refined.

Besides having perfect looks, he was also the president of Regal Enterprises.

He was Margot's savior, as well as her only ray of hope.

She thought marrying him and getting pregnant with his child was her destiny, but her dreams had been shattered so soon.

Margot struggled to keep her emotions in check as Curtis' kisses became more passionate, but the pained affection in her eyes betrayed her.

Recalling what he had said in the study made her think of her unborn baby. She felt like she was slowly being torn to pieces.

Right now, she couldn't stand the man's touch.

Just as Curtis was about to lose himself to lust, Margot pressed a hand against his chest and said, "I don't want to, Curt."

Curtis froze and studied her skeptically. In a low voice, he demanded, "Say that again?"

Margot met his eyes head-on and said, "I don't want to do it, so could you please back up a little?"

This was the first time Margot was pushing him away.

Although Margot wanted him as well, she was currently in a bad mood.

"Why?"

Curtis was visibly irritated, so Margot asked frankly, "Who was the woman in your study?"

Curtis immediately averted his eyes. He sat up and slowly straightened his clothing before answering calmly, "I'll marry her in the future."

Instantly, needles began stabbing at her heart.

With moist eyes, Margot mumbled, "Then, what am I to you?"

Curtis felt his chest tightening as he watched the angry woman on the bed. Yet, he forced himself to keep a stoic expression.

"Have you forgotten why we got married?"

Margot suppressed her tears and shouted, "No, I haven't, but wasn't the love between us real?

"I thought you wanted a child because you loved me and wanted to be with me forever. If you have always loved her, why did you marry me?"