The doctor frowned. Normally, if someone dared to question his expertise, he would be furious. But looking at this pitiful young woman, he couldn’t muster any anger and instead said gently:
"Alright, here's what we’ll do. Go to the obstetrics department and have another examination, then bring the results back to me."
Catherine nodded, still in a daze, and got up to leave the room. As soon as Emily saw her, she immediately supported her, saying:
"Are you done with the check-up? Let’s go home."
Unexpectedly, Catherine shook her head and said, "Can... can you take me to the obstetrics department for a test?"
Emily was stunned, but under Catherine's urging, she complied.
While waiting for the results, Catherine's entire body trembled, cold sweat covering her pale forehead.
"Patient Cartherine, please come for your test results." A nurse called loudly from the hallway.
Both Catherine and Emily stood up quickly to receive them. As soon as Emily read the contents, she exclaimed, "Pregnant? But wasn’t your uterus damaged? How could..."
Catherine collapsed onto the waiting bench, gasping for air, her head spinning even more than before.
The news that she couldn't conceive had come from the Sterling family's doctor. They were adamant she would never have children, so no matter how much her in-laws tormented her, she had endured it, even believing that it was her fault.
But now, this hospital doctor had confirmed that she was pregnant!
So that’s it, she thought. It was all a lie. Those people had conspired together to deceive her!
The Sterling family and even those doctors who were hailed as second parents! They were all lying to her.
"Bastards, such bastards!"
Catherine screamed before fainting. Beside her, Emily panicked and called for help to rush her to the emergency room.
...
She didn’t know how long had passed, but Catherine felt utterly exhausted. She knew she was dreaming again. In her dream, she was back at the Sterling family home, where she was never accepted by the elders and constantly scolded and criticized. Yet, every time, Gabriel would tell her to endure it, saying, "Catherine, you are the eldest daughter-in-law. Don’t be so selfish and petty. You should know how to respect your elders. I understand that your upbringing has affected your character, but can’t you change for my sake?"
Catherine could only laugh bitterly. Why did she only feel the shame of his words when she was dreaming? So, he had always looked down on her, thinking she was unworthy of him.
But if she wasn’t worthy, then how was someone like Juliet, who had come from the gutter, deserving? In the end, it was all because of a child.
"Catherine, Catherine."
Who was calling her?
Catherine was lost in a sorrowful dream when she felt someone calling her. She struggled to open her eyes, finally seeing Emily's worried face.
"I'm fine, thank you for being here with me during times like this."
Catherine gave Emily a faint smile.
"I just had a dream... the doctor said I was pregnant. Hah, I’m so pitiful that I can only be pregnant in my dreams."
Emily, unable to hold back her tears, touched her stomach and choked out:
"That’s not a dream, there’s really a baby in your belly."
Catherine moved her hand to her stomach, her pale lips beginning to tremble.
"That's wonderful, Emily... I'm going to be a mother."
"Yes. Congratulations."
"That’s truly wonderful."
The two girls hugged each other, crying until they were exhausted. After a couple of days in the hospital, Emily handled the discharge procedures for Catherine.
As they stepped out of the hospital gates, Catherine held her belly, thinking to herself that regardless of why the Sterling family had deceived her about her damaged uterus, she would now nurture this child with all her heart and never have anything to do with Gabriel again.
However, life seldom goes as planned. Just as Catherine made her resolution, a familiar female voice shattered her improving mood.
"Sister Catherine, why are you here? Are you feeling unwell?"
Catherine turned to see Gabriel walking towards her with his arm around Juliet. Not wanting to engage with them, she signaled for Emily to leave, but Juliet wouldn’t let her be. She blocked her path, pouting:
"I'm just worried about you. Why are you ignoring me?"
Catherine, furious, thought that this pest wouldn’t go away.
"I'm not your sister. Please stay away from me."
Catherine, still weak and looking pale, felt a bit light-headed after snapping at Juliet. All she wanted now was to find a bench and rest.
But Juliet wouldn’t stop. She clung to Gabriel’s arm and, with a pitiful expression, said: "Brother Gabriel, Sister Catherine just chased me away. Did I do something wrong again?"
Gabriel noticed that Catherine didn’t look well, but recalling her sharp tone from earlier, whatever concern he had quickly vanished. He turned to Juliet and softly said:
"Ignore her."
He then pulled Juliet towards the hospital, but she wasn’t ready to let Catherine off so easily and said:
"I guess you’re here for IVF, right? But that method doesn’t work for someone with a damaged uterus. I know things must be tough for you after divorcing Brother Gabriel, but why not spend some money on tests and adopt a child from an orphanage? That way, someone will care for you in your old age."
Emily, unable to bear it anymore, shouted: "Will you stop it? You’ve already stolen Catherine’s husband, and now you’re here lecturing her? You should spend more time at the temple or else you’ll end up childless in the future."
"Shut up," Gabriel growled.
Frightened by him, Emily fell silent, though her eyes still burned with fury towards Juliet.
Catherine gently patted the back of Emily's hand and softly said: "Let’s not waste our time with these shameless people anymore. Let's go."
After calming Emily down, Catherine turned to Juliet, her expression calm as she said, "You’ve already gotten what you wanted, so stop putting on this disgusting act."
"Catherine, watch your words," Gabriel hissed.
Catherine laughed bitterly, pointing to her own face and said:"What? You want to hit me again? Look, this is your masterpiece."Seeing the bruised, swollen redness on Catherine’s cheek, Gabriel's body stiffened. He had hit her in a moment of anger yesterday, but he hadn't expected the damage to be this severe."Does it hurt?"As he asked, Gabriel reached out to touch her cheek, but she quickly avoided his hand. His face darkened, his eyebrows furrowed, and he sneered:"If you'd listened to me, I wouldn't have had to hit you."Obedient?Obedient, to him, meant enduring insults from her in-laws, tolerating her foster sister stealing her husband, and leaving empty-handed with nothing. Was that what he expected?Ridiculous! How could he be so authoritarian?No wonder he liked someone like Juliet, a woman who was inherently selfish and vengeful but outwardly seemed docile and understanding. From her mother-in-law to the household staff, everyone in the Sterling family adored her sweet and
Catherine smirked, shaking off her hand, and mockingly said, "Oh really? Then I wish you both a hundred years of happiness, may you grow old together."With that, and under Juliet’s stunned gaze, Catherine coolly turned and got into the car. Gabriel rushed over to block her, shouting, "Didn’t you hear me? You’re not allowed to get involved with that guy!"Emily, seeing that her friend wouldn’t be able to rest if they stayed here any longer, spoke up:"Mr. Sterling, actually, that’s my boyfriend. Catherine wasn’t feeling well, so I had her sit in the front seat."Gabriel froze for a moment upon hearing this, feeling a brief moment of joy, quickly replaced by anger."Cartherine, are you daring to mock me?"But Catherine didn’t care. At this point, her entire body was glued to the seat, utterly drained of energy to deal with the shameless couple.Emily and the young man, seeing that the situation had calmed down, quickly drove off. However, no sooner had they lost sight of Gabriel and Ju
Gabriel took a deep breath. Fine, she was the woman he loved, after all. He’d give her some leeway."Catherine, listen to me. I'm the eldest son of the Sterling family. My responsibility is to have an heir. The doctor says Juliet is very healthy. Once she gives me a son, I'll bring you back to be my wife again. How about that?"His tone softened. He had never been this gentle with any woman before. As he caressed her bruised cheek, still swollen from the slap he had given her, his heart ached. He had acted out of anger that day, but he would make it up to her in the future.Gabriel fully expected Catherine to cry tears of joy after hearing his words, but instead, she coldly looked at him and said, "Sorry, I have no intention of being a stepmother, nor do I want to raise someone else's child. Gabriel, what did you expect from me by dragging me to your engagement? To see me cry in pain? Don’t fool yourself. I don’t have any feelings left for you.""What did you say? You have no feelings
Juliet hated the dirty kitchen, and if it weren’t for trying to please Gabriel, she wouldn’t have set foot in there. She recalled how Catherine used to be the perfect wife, always cooking delicious meals for him, yet in the end, she was still abandoned.It goes to show that winning a man's heart wasn’t about satisfying his stomach but rather appealing to his vanity.Juliet looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with admiration, the kind of adoration a girl feels for her man."Brother Gabriel, I really want to be your wife."This move hit directly at Gabriel’s patriarchal nature, and sure enough, his expression softened further, and his eyes showed a hint of tenderness."For now, let’s get engaged first. Once you're pregnant, we’ll get married right away. In the meantime, take good care of your health, and after you give me a chubby son, I promise you’ll live a life of luxury and no one will compare."Hearing this, Juliet’s heart fluttered with joy. She didn’t mind if Gabriel saw her as
When Catherine found out that Gabriel had given her designs to Juliet, she confronted him.His response was to tell her to be generous, not to be petty or selfish, as it didn’t suit the role of the eldest daughter-in-law.Hearing what Gabriel said, what could Catherine do but swallow her frustration?After establishing her brand, Juliet no longer used Catherine’s designs, instead building her fame by following Catherine’s style. Meanwhile, Gabriel forced Catherine to quit her job and stay at home as a housewife.Looking back now, it was all part of a premeditated plan. Gabriel probably feared that if Catherine continued designing, someone might eventually notice the similarities between her style and Juliet’s, exposing the latter as a fraud with mediocre talent.Catherine closed her eyes tightly. In the end, had she always been the most foolish one?Sensing her sinking mood, Emily refrained from saying anything provocative, instead hugging her gently and comforting her in a soft voice
After resting for about two weeks, Catherine finally no longer felt unwell. Seeing her savings dwindling in her bank account, she decided it was time to find a job.Being pregnant now made it difficult to apply to any company. No one would willingly invite trouble by hiring a pregnant woman. So, she could only do online work, such as designing pet clothes or other miscellaneous tasks, to earn some money.During this time, Gabriel didn’t come around to bother her. She guessed he was probably busy preparing for his engagement to Juliet, leaving him no time to pay attention to his ex-wife. That was fine by her, as it spared her from unnecessary anger that might affect the baby.However, her peaceful days didn’t last long. A month passed, and on the day of Gabriel and Juliet’s engagement, a group of his tall, muscular bodyguards barged into Catherine’s home, delivering a message that he wanted her to attend their happy occasion.Catherine looked at the scene unfolding before her, feeling
Then, a voice dripping with sarcasm cut through the crowd: "Maybe she’s here to beg Gabriel to take her back. Think about it, the Sterling family is so prestigious. If it were you, would you walk away from such a fortune? If it were me, I’d cling to him even if it killed me.""True enough. I heard she can’t have children, which is why she got dumped. She deserved it, so what’s there to be bitter about?"As soon as these words were spoken, the guests once again turned their eyes toward Catherine. Some sneered, others pitied her, while the men looking to approach her grew even more excited. The fact that she couldn’t have children was a bonus for them; the last thing they wanted was to accidentally father a child in a casual fling. Money could solve problems, but if their competitors found out, it would be a headache.With this thought, one of the young men from the crowd carried his glass of wine over to Catherine and asked, "May I sit here for a moment, Miss?"Before Catherine could r
Gabriel’s grip on her delicate wrist caused Catherine to wince in pain. Internally, she mocked him for his ability to stir up trouble. He had sent people to forcibly bring her here, yet now he was questioning her as if she had been eager to attend his engagement.Catherine was about to respond when he suddenly grabbed an orange from the banquet table and shoved it into her mouth, muffling her voice with nothing but "mmm" sounds. Then, he swiftly pinned her arms behind her back, removed his tie, and bound her with it, motioning to the security guards standing nearby."Take her to the waiting room."He truly lived up to his reputation as the grandson of a former national leader, displaying quick, efficient movements. Even though the person he was manhandling was a fragile woman, it didn’t diminish the admiration of the onlookers.Someone started laughing, and soon, the other guests covered their mouths to stifle their laughter, leaving Catherine utterly humiliated.She never expected Ga