Chapter 1In the second year of her marriage, Elara Lennox accidentally tore her marriage certificate while organizing her drawer.
She rushed to the City Hall to apply for a replacement. The staff at the window looked confused and said, "Ma'am, there is no record of your marriage registration in the system."
"That can't be right. I've been married for two years," Elara said, then handed over the certificate that had been torn in half.
The staff checked the system patiently three times. Finally, they turned the screen toward her and said, "There really is no registration information for you. Besides, the official seal on your certificate is crooked... It must be forged."
Elara walked out of the City Hall in a daze. Suddenly, her phone rang.
"Ms. Lennox, hello. I am the attorney entrusted by your father. Would it be convenient for you to come to Kingsley Law Firm to sign the property inheritance agreement?"
Elara thought it was a scam and was about to hang up when the caller suddenly added, "Ms. Lennox, your mother is Lila Lennox. She abandoned you at the gate of Sunnybrook Orphanage twenty years ago. After verification, you are the only blood-related child of Nathaniel Hale, the former richest man in Los Angeles."
Elara froze in place. Then she immediately went to keep the appointment.
From the attorney, she heard the most unbelievable news of her life.
Her biological father, Nathaniel Hale, was a tycoon. He had passed away last month. His stocks, real estate, and companies combined were worth over 100 billion dollars, and she was his only blood-related daughter.
Her mind was buzzing when the attorney suddenly asked, "What is your marital and childbearing status?"
Her husband's face popped into Elara's mind instantly.
Thinking of the broken fake marriage certificate in her bag, she gripped her pen and said, "Give me two hours. I need to go clarify something first."
After leaving the law firm, Elara headed straight to her husband's company.
The door to Jasper Mercer's office was slightly ajar. She was about to push it open when she heard a mature and charming woman's voice coming from inside.
"Jasper, we've been married for five years. When will we finally make our relationship public?"
Elara froze completely.
She knew that voice all too well—it belonged to Clara Bennett, their college teaching assistant.
Clara was six years older than Jasper. But aside from her age, her looks and figure were on par with those of a goddess.
Back in college, Clara had been very popular. She was loved by both men and women, and was even praised as the best female teaching assistant in the entire school.
Elara held her breath tightly. The next second, she heard her husband's usual gentle voice, which carried a unique magnetic tone.
"The company is about to go public soon. There are still many areas where we need her help. Besides, Grandpa left a will that doesn't allow you to join the family. If we go public now, I'm afraid my grandma will make things difficult for you—and that would break my heart..."
Elara felt a sudden buzz in her ears, as if something had exploded inside. She quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth tightly, barely stopping the sobs in her throat from making a sound.
She had carefully pieced together the torn fake certificate again and again, and kept it in her bag like a precious treasure.
It turned out that from the very beginning, she had been the fool who was kept in the dark.
Elara walked out of the company quickly and made a call right away. She took a deep breath, her voice steady as if she had become a different person.
"Mr. Wade, I can sign the property inheritance agreement right now.
"Additionally, I am currently unmarried and have no children. I will inherit all the estate by myself."
After completing the inheritance procedures, Elara drove home. She had been distracted the whole way, which led to a rear-end collision. She suffered a minor injury on her forehead.
After having her wound treated in the emergency room, it seemed she remembered something. So, Elara stopped by the gynecology department on her way out.
After receiving her test report, her heart finally sank completely.
"You mean... there's nothing wrong with my uterus, right?"
"That's correct. Based on the report, your body is very healthy."
"So I can get pregnant?"
"Of course."
"Then it won't affect my marital life either?"
When Elara asked this question, even the female doctor, who was over fifty years old, couldn't help but feel a little awkward. "Is that even a question?"
But during their pre-marital check-up, Jasper had taken her medical report and told her that her uterus had a serious abnormality. Not only would she be unable to conceive, but even a normal sex life would cause irreversible damage to her body.
"Even so, I still want to marry you," he had said at that time, holding her hand. His eyes were filled with unwavering tenderness. "For the rest of my life, I've made up my mind about you."
For that promise, the two of them had stood firm against the fierce opposition from Jasper's family elders.
"A hen that can't lay eggs!"
"You're marrying someone who can't have kids? You trying to end our bloodline?"
She'd watched his father hurl a coffee cup across the room, his mother sobbing at family gatherings... Every single time, Jasper had pulled her close and shielded her.
"Don't listen to them. I'm here for you."
She used to think—that was love.
Until now. Only now did she realize that every grievance she'd swallowed alone had, in an instant, become the most absurd joke of all.
Upon hearing that Elara had been in a car accident, Jasper rushed to the hospital to pick her up.
The man wore a crisp white shirt, his tall frame—nearly six-two—hurrying toward her in a rush. For a moment, Elara's mind drifted back to the six years they'd known each other.
Back then, they'd fallen for each other at first sight in college. Jasper wasn't just the campus heartthrob—he came from money. That made Elara, who'd grown up in an orphanage, feel small. But Jasper had spent four years chasing her relentlessly, until he finally won her over.
Jasper talked to Elara for what felt like forever, but she barely responded. Thinking she was still shaken from the crash, he immediately pulled her into his arms. But Elara—almost on reflex—shoved him away hard.
"Jasper, is it really true that my body can't have children?"
Elara stared straight at Jasper's face.
Jasper's smile froze instantly.
Chapter 2
He tried to reach for her hand. "Elara, why are you suddenly bringing this up again? Haven't we already accepted this? I love you—whether we have kids or not doesn't matter..."
Watching his still-fake expression, Elara's heart turned completely cold.
"Let's go."
Elara tossed out those words and walked right past him.
His chest, which had once felt warm and safe, now only made her feel sick.
Once they got in the car, Jasper was still worried about Elara's state.
"What happened? You're always so careful when you drive. What went wrong today?"
"..."
Elara didn't answer. Her gaze fell on her ring finger, where the massive diamond caught the sunlight and threw off a cold, glittering halo.
Jasper didn't mind her silence. He reached out naturally to hold her hand.
Again, Elara pulled away.
"Why are you mad at me all of a sudden? If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."
"We have a guest at home today. I had the kitchen make all your favorite dishes."
The gentler he acted, the more ridiculous Elara found it.
"Once the IPO's wrapped up, I'll make time for you. I promise."
Elara turned away, her gaze drifting out the window. "Sure, no problem. I just wonder if you'll still have the 'mood' by then."
Jasper felt like something was off about what she'd said, but seeing her calm expression, he figured she was just tired and venting.
Soon, they arrived at the villa.
The Mercer family mansion was located in Riverside Gardens, the priciest area in the city. The villa alone covered over five thousand square feet.
But all of this—every bit of it—had been earned by Elara giving up her own career after graduation to help Jasper build his company from the ground up.
As soon as they got home, Elara heard laughter and playful chatter coming from upstairs.
A little boy's voice, and a soft, sweet woman's voice.
The little boy was a child Jasper and Elara had adopted right after they got married. He was five years old now. His name was Milo Mercer.
The next second, the person who came into view was Clara—someone Elara hadn't seen in five years.
Clara wore a teal knit dress, her long hair styled in loose waves. Though she was over thirty, her face still looked as fresh as someone in her early twenties. Every move she made radiated even more charm.
"Elara, look who's here!"
Jasper's voice came from beside her, his deep tone barely hiding his excitement.
It was the first time Elara had ever felt such intense emotion from him.
No matter how kind or gentle he'd been with her before, he'd never shown this kind of thrill.
This was love—raw, surging, straight from the heart. A man's primal, unfiltered passion.
"Ms. Bennett?" Elara frowned, feigning surprise.
But inside, the disgust had hit its peak.
The Clara standing in front of her was poised and proper—nothing like the coquettish, overly sweet version she'd heard in the office.
"Elara, long time no see."
Clara quickly took Milo's hand and came downstairs, greeting Elara warmly.
Elara's gaze shifted to Milo.
Not long after Jasper and she got married, he'd discussed with her the idea of adopting a little boy from the orphanage Elara had once lived in. They'd named him Milo Mercer.
He'd claimed that adopting the child would help them deal with the Mercer family elders, so his parents wouldn't pressure Elara to have children.
Elara had thought Jasper was looking out for her, so she'd agreed.
But she never could've imagined that the two years she'd spent raising Milo would be absolute hell.
The kid had a terrible temper. Whenever he was unhappy, he'd throw things at Elara, like he had some deep grudge against her.
Once, Milo had even asked Jasper to "give him back his real mom" right in front of Elara.
When Elara had lost her temper and suggested giving up custody, Jasper had always talked her out of it.
He had said Milo was poor without a mother and asked Elara to be more forgiving toward him. His words had also reminded Elara of how she herself had been abandoned by her parents as a child.
Now, seeing Milo clinging tightly to Clara's hand—and connecting this to all the things Jasper had done to her—Elara suddenly understood everything.
They had been married for five years, and Milo was five years old.
The Mercer family had refused to let Clara join the family. So... Jasper had used her as a decoy, tricking her into working like a servant and shielding them from trouble?
During dinner, both Jasper and Milo kept piling food onto Clara's plate. The three of them chatted and laughed, their warmth making Elara—who sat quietly eating by herself—look like a complete outsider.
"Elara, Ms. Bennett's been working on a parenting book lately. She's looking for a quiet place to write. And since the company's been busy recently, and you've got a lot on your plate too, I was thinking..."
Seeing the moment was right, Jasper set down his fork and spoke softly to Elara.
"I was thinking of asking Ms. Bennett to stay with us for a while. She can help you with Milo—he seems to really like her."
Hah.
They'd been sneaking around for five years and got bored. Now they wanted to move in together out in the open?
Elara acted like she hadn't heard him and kept eating slowly, calmly.
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Jasper felt a little awkward. He reminded her quietly, "Elara, I'm talking to you."
With a soft "clink," Elara set down her fork.
But before she could say anything, Clara jumped in.
"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault for putting you both in a tough spot. Elara, Jasper was just suggesting it. He's worried you're working too hard—juggling your job, the house, and Milo. He thought I could help you out..."
"No! I want Ms. Bennett to stay!"
Milo, sitting next to Clara, immediately started screaming. Before Clara could even finish, he started throwing his fork and slamming the table!
After making a total mess of the dining table, he grabbed the silver fork beside him and hurled it straight at Elara!
"Milo! Don't—"
"Milo! Stop it!"
Clara's panicked shout and Elara's sharp command rang out at the same time.
Elara instinctively turned her head to dodge, but the fork was already flying toward her. Its sharp prongs slashed across her cheek!
A stinging, burning pain shot through her. Warm blood immediately seeped from the cut and slid down her pale cheek.
Chapter 3
"Ah—" Elara pressed her hand to her cheek. Her fingertips touched something wet and sticky. The bright red blood between her fingers was painfully vivid.
Milo himself froze, stunned in place.
"Elara!"
Jasper shot to his feet, his face changing. His first instinct was to check on Clara and his son. Only after seeing they were both fine did he turn to Elara. "Are you okay?"
Clara had already pulled Milo tightly into her arms, patting his back soothingly. "Milo, don't be scared. It's okay, it's okay..." As if she and Milo were the ones who'd been hurt and traumatized.
Elara looked at this "family of three" in front of her. The last bit of warmth left inside her finally went out.
The housekeepers rushed over to help Elara treat her wound.
"Milo Mercer!"
Jasper flew into a rage too. Milo was frightened and scampered upstairs in a flash.
Jasper was about to chase after him when Clara quickly stood up to stop him. "Jasper, he's just a child. You can't discipline him with violence. Let me go check on him."
After speaking, she glanced at Elara, who was wiping herself off. She seemed to want to say something but held back.
Only then did Jasper hurry to turn his attention back to Elara.
"Are you okay? Let me see."
Elara had already finished wiping herself down, but he reached out again, wanting to touch her face.
"Dirty—don't touch me!"
The words spilled out of her mouth.
But Jasper didn't understand what Elara meant.
"How could I ever find you dirty? I only feel sorry for you.
"I should've never let you take care of Milo alone, knowing he's so misbehaved."
Elara curled her lips slightly, her tone mocking. "Yeah, if his real mom were here to raise him, it would definitely be better than me doing it. Too bad his real mom's dead. I, his adoptive mom, really don't know how to raise kids, do I?"
Jasper froze for a moment, his face stiffening. "What are you talking about? Milo is our adopted son—you're his only mom."
After saying that, he even affectionately ruffled Elara's hair.
Elara wasn't prepared for the touch. A wave of discomfort washed over her, making her feel utterly awful.
When she got back to her room, she immediately rushed to take a shower.
Jasper followed soon after. His main goal was still to talk to Elara about letting Clara stay.
Call it a "discussion" all he wanted—Elara knew she had no real say in the matter.
They were the real couple; she was just a fake, using a borrowed identity.
"The company's in a critical phase for its IPO. Milo can't be left unattended, and the company still needs you.
"Ms. Bennett is a parenting expert now. And you saw it yourself—Milo listens to her..."
"Fine, then it's settled."
Elara didn't want to listen to him ramble. The more she heard, the more nauseous she felt.
"Elara, I knew you'd be reasonable. You understand how much I care about you."
Seeing the matter resolved, the dark depths of Jasper's eyes softened into a pool of tenderness. He stood up and reached to wrap his arms around Elara's slender waist.
Elara turned around immediately, holding her phone up between them.
The screen showed a river-view villa, located in the Financial District.
That area was a bustling business hub, standing as the prime location in Los Angeles—its property prices were even higher than Jasper's current house.
"Jasper, what do you think of this house?"
"It's definitely a great house. That neighborhood is prime real estate—every square foot counts."
Jasper didn't quite understand what Elara was getting at.
"My birthday is next month. I really like this house. Will you give it to me as my birthday gift? Please?"
Elara smiled, making her voice as sweet and soft as possible.
