Chapter 1 Reginald Faustus and I have known each other for 20 years, and married for five. Everyone said we were the perfect couple. Until the day I accidentally ruined our marriage certificate and went to the County Clerk's Office to replace it. "Ms. Montgomery, this certificate is invalid." The clerk frowned, her tone laced with sympathy. "The system shows that Mr. Faustus is married, but you're single." My hands tightened around the hem of my shirt. "That's not possible. We registered our marriage five years ago...""Mr. Faustus's spouse is Ingrid Maxwell." That name landed like a slap, leaving me dizzy. Five years ago, Reginald disappeared right before our wedding. When I found him again, he had lost his memory and was living with another woman. That woman was Ingrid. I stood in the lobby, ears ringing. Everything from five years ago replayed clearly in my mind. The day he got his memory back, he hugged me tightly and said with a shaking voice, "Lisbeth, how could I not recognize you? You're the one I love most." Right in front of me, he deleted all of Ingrid's contact info and threw a check at her in disgust. "Get out, you liar! Don't ever show up again!" Yet, the reality is that he is legally married to her now. Then what am I? I looked at the names on our marriage certificate. The words made my eyes sting. For five years, he slept beside me every night and called me "honey" so gently. We picked out furniture and even decorated our home together... Yet, it turns out I was never really his wife. I went home in a daze. Just as I reached the door, I heard voices from inside. "Reginald, it's been five years. Don't you think Lisbeth deserves a real status?" It was our friend John Vanderbilt's voice. I held my breath, waiting to hear what Reginald would say. However, he stayed silent, and John pushed again, "You lied to Lisbeth for five years for some shallow woman? Didn't you always say she's the one you truly love?" Reginald lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and said, "I just wanted to keep Ingrid stable. After I left, she missed me so much that she nearly died. She can't live without me.""I can be with Lisbeth in public, but I can't always be there for Ingrid. So, giving her a title is the least I can do." My face went pale. Every word felt like a knife. "And she's Andy's mother. For the child's sake, she deserves that title.""How could you say that? When Lisbeth was pregnant, you made her take abortion pills, so she could raise that woman's child. How could you do that to her?" Chapter 2 It was still midsummer, but my heart felt like it had plunged into an icy cave. Not long after we got married, I found out I was pregnant. However, I miscarried after that for reasons I never understood. I always thought I was not strong enough to carry the baby. It never crossed my mind that Reginald had done something. He had actually ended my pregnancy for Ingrid's child. I covered my mouth tightly, afraid they would hear me crying. No wonder he adopted Andy Faustus the day after I had my miscarriage. I was hesitant at first, but he said it would help me move on from the trauma of losing my baby. For five whole years, I lived in the dark, lost in the fantasy he had created for me. I never realized that his heart had already shifted. The grief was so overwhelming that my vision went black and my body gave out. I collapsed to the ground. The voices inside stopped immediately. Reginald rushed out when he saw me on the floor and quickly picked me up. I instinctively tried to pull away. However, he looked nervous and asked gently, "Lisbeth, what's wrong?" I stared at him, unsure how much truth was left in those worried eyes. "I'm fine. Just got a little dizzy from the sun." He carried me to the sofa and looked at the bruises on my knees with concern. "Maybe the courthouse made a mistake." He froze for a second, then looked down, avoiding my gaze. "Aren't you going to Andy's kindergarten for the sports meet this afternoon? Let the lawyer take care of stuff like this." I forced a smile that looked more like pain than anything else. "Sure." Once they left the house, I made a call. "I'm willing to follow the organization's arrangement and go to the polar regions.""Are you sure, Lisbeth? You really need to think this through.""I've thought it through. I'm sure.""Fine. Our team will get everything set for you the day after tomorrow." After hanging up, I looked around the home we had slowly built together over the past five years. A wave of sadness washed over me. I packed up my things and then pulled out the photos we had taken over the years and the letter he once wrote confessing his love. From age ten to twenty-five, from school uniforms to a wedding dress—those photos and words once filled with love were now swallowed by flames, leaving nothing behind. The fire flickered on my tear-streaked face. Just then, my phone rang. It was Andy's teacher. "Hello? Mrs. Faustus, the sports meet's about to begin. Are you coming?""Sorry, I'll be right there." I rushed to the kindergarten and ran straight to the playground. Immediately, I froze at the sight in front of me. Reginald and Ingrid were playing the flag-pulling game with Andy. The three of them were all smiles, looking like the perfect family. He used to hate these kinds of events, but now, with Ingrid, he was willing to play the role of a devoted husband and father. Chapter 3 Andy saw me first, and his smile instantly turned into a frown. "Why are you so late? Go away. I have Dad and Ms. Maxwell, and that's enough." The other two looked over. Before I could even ask anything, Ingrid suddenly knelt down and started slapping herself. "Lisbeth, don't blame Reginald. I just missed him too much. I'm sorry, I really am." He quickly grabbed her hand, eyes full of concern. However, when he looked at me, his expression turned cold. "You were the one who showed up late. If Ingrid hadn't been here, Andy would've been mocked by his classmates for not having a mom. You should be thanking Ingrid." Even Andy stood in front of her. "You're not good enough to be my mom. I want Ms. Maxwell to be my mom instead!" They shielded Ingrid, all ganging up on me with the same coldness, their words stabbing into me. "Didn't you delete all her contact info? How did you two meet again?" Reginald looked nervous and mumbled, "It was just a coincidence. Ingrid works nearby." What a weak excuse, but I did not even care anymore. "Let's do the next activity together." He probably saw how upset I looked and tried to soften his tone before reaching for my hand. However, Andy glared at me with disgust. In the end, it was only after Ingrid coaxed him that he agreed to let me join. After five years of living together, I still could not compete with a few words from someone else. I smiled bitterly at myself. The next game was sandbag toss. Andy looked excited, but I had a bad feeling. Sure enough, every sandbag he threw was aimed right at me. They were not soft either, and they hit hard. The last one hit my head straight on. Smack! Warm blood ran down my forehead and the crowd screamed in shock. Meanwhile, Andy cheered and ran to high-five Ingrid. "Ms. Maxwell, did you see? Wasn't I great?" I stared at them, dazed. At this moment, the pain in my chest was worse than the one in my head. "This isn't our sandbag!" Reginald picked it up, and his face changed instantly. "Go check the surveillance in the equipment room." I looked at Ingrid and caught the panic in her eyes. "Maybe I grabbed the wrong one. Let's take Lisbeth to the infirmary first." She held onto Reginald's wrist, the expression plastered on her face was odd. Her reaction made him freeze. Then, he opened his mouth and nodded stiffly. "Yeah, let's deal with the wound first. We'll talk after.""What are you trying to do? This was on purpose. We need to investigate it." I raised my voice and pushed back. Reginald grabbed my arm so hard that his fingers left red marks. He spoke low. "Lisbeth, do you really want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone? It's just a bit of blood, don't be so dramatic." Andy hid behind Ingrid and stuck his tongue out at me. "You got hit because you're dumb." Chapter 4 Several parents looked like they wanted to say something but held back. In the end, no one stepped in. I was the only one left, completely alone, facing these three and their threats. I laughed through the blood on my face. They looked like the perfect little family while I was nothing but a joke. So, I turned to walk away. Reginald tried to stop me, but I heard Ingrid call out behind me, "Reginald, I think I got cut. It really hurts." Then, I heard his footsteps pause. I smiled coldly and walked away, more certain than ever that I needed to cut ties with him for good. And as for Andy? I didn't want him anymore either. That night, I made up my mind to talk to my family and end my marriage with the Faustus family. After getting treated at the hospital, I came home late, only to find the place packed. Reginald and my dad stood on the second-floor landing. Dad cleared his throat and spoke loudly, "Thank you, Reginald, for helping me find my biological daughter." Everyone—including me—was stunned. And then, we watched someone very familiar walk to the front. My eyes widened. It was Ingrid. "From today, Ingrid is my daughter," My father, Ken Montgomery, said proudly. I could not believe it. What had Reginald done to trick my father into accepting her as his daughter? I pushed through the crowd, ready to demand answers from him, but instead, I ran into John. He pulled me aside, handed me a recording, and left. With shaking hands, I hit play. "Why are you helping Ken Montgomery let Ingrid replace Lisbeth?""I'm planning to marry Lisbeth on her birthday. "Lisbeth has someone backing her, so even if she's not a Montgomery, she'll be fine. But Ingrid has nothing after our divorce. Do you want her to go back to singing in bars?" Each word was jabbed and stuck in my mind like an icepick. I could not think or breathe. I looked upstairs at Ingrid who was chatting and smiling like she owned the place. Rage rushed through me. So, I stormed up and shouted at my dad, "You're saying I'm a fake? What proof do you even have? Just your word and Reginald's?" Everyone turned to stare. My dad stayed calm while Ingrid stood beside him, smiling like a queen. Then my dad pulled out a file from his assistant's hands and opened it. "Here," he said. "One paternity test shows Ingrid and I are a 99.99% match. This one says the match between me and Lisbeth is 0.0001%." "No way!" I screamed. Ingrid came over, leaned close, and whispered, "How do you feel? Your husband, your kid, and your family are all mine." I raised my hand and slapped her hard. However, before I could get the second slap in, three or four men rushed to me, dragged me down, and pinned me to the floor. Chapter 5 "Enough! Lisbeth! "You clearly don't respect me. How could the family put up with someone like you?" Then, my father shot a look at the bodyguard, and with a sharp snap, my arm was dislocated. My face turned ghostly pale, and the sharp pain surged through every nerve. Reginald rushed over, wanting to speak up, but Ingrid beat him to it, dropping to her knees to beg for me. "Dad, please don't blame Lisbeth. It's my fault.""Look how considerate Ingrid is. You should apologize to her right now." Facing the man who now felt like a total stranger, I fought back tears and said "no" in a raspy voice. Reginald could not stay silent anymore. "Lisbeth, you were in the wrong to begin with. Ingrid even stood up for you. What's so hard about apologizing?" This was the man I had loved for five years, and only now did I see his true colors. I let out a cold laugh and looked away, refusing to face them again. Embarrassed, Reginald grew angry and ordered the bodyguards to lift me up. "Ingrid, since she hit you, go hit her back." I was in disbelief that Reginald would actually say something like that. "I don't think that's a good idea," Ingrid muttered, though her fists were already clenched tight. "You're really going to let a fake walk all over you? The Montgomery family isn't made up of cowards. Hit her, and I will reward you." Hearing that, her eyes brightened with a glint of cruelty, and instantly, she slapped me hard across the face. Blood immediately trickled from the corner of my mouth. Another slap followed, and the other side of my face puffed up. The wound on my forehead that had just been stitched reopened. Ingrid curled her lips with a mocking grin and struck the injury directly. My vision turned red. As everyone stood there watching, someone suddenly charged out from the crowd, knife in hand, heading for Ingrid. "Ken, you scum! You took my daughter's life, so I'll let you know what it's like to lose a child!" Reginald pulled me toward him, and the blade that was meant for Ingrid sank into me instead. I hit the floor immediately. I was shaking uncontrollably, with blood spilling fast around me. However, Reginald only cared about Ingrid's scraped knee. We were both taken to the ambulance. I was rushed straight into surgery, while Reginald focused on comforting the shaken Ingrid. Once she calmed down, he finally remembered me, but the lights in the operating room had already gone dark. He searched the hospital, but could not find which room I was in. "Nurse, which ward is Lisbeth Montgomery in?" The nurse glanced up, an odd expression on her face. "Who are you?""I'm her husband." Reginald snapped at the nurse impatiently. The nurse checked the file and then spoke more gently. "I'm sorry. Ms. Montgomery passed away during surgery and was sent for cremation."

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The clerk's words hit like a bullet: "Mr. Faustus is married—to Ingrid Maxwell."

My fingers trembled around the useless paper. Five years. Five years of calling him husband, of waking up beside him, of believing his whispers were only for me. And all along, the law saw me as nothing.

I stumbled out, the city blurring through tears, and reached our home on autopilot. Then I heard them—Reginald and John—talking inside.

"Giving her a title is the least I can do," Reginald said. "And she's Andy's mother."

John shot back, "You made Lisbeth abort so she could raise that child!"

The floor vanished beneath me. My knees cracked against the tiles as the truth tore through—my miscarriage wasn't fate. It was planned.

Reginald stepped out, startled. "Lisbeth? What's wrong?"

I looked up, blood roaring in my ears. Do I scream? Do I run? Or do I stay… and burn it all down?