Chapter 1 Chapter 1

After wrapping up my tasks at work, I called my husband, Christian Clark. "Honey, don't forget to come home for Christmas today! I have some good news to share with you!" On the other end of the line, Christian's voice sounded rushed and tense. "Shiloh, there's an urgent issue with the company project. I need to check on it right away! Juni already finished her bottle and is asleep, so don't worry!" Those two sentences filled me with unease. Our daughter, Juniper Clark, was just over a year old. How could I possibly not worry about her being left alone at home? When I tried to call Christian back, his phone was already unreachable. Christmas traffic was overwhelming, and I found myself stuck in a sea of cars, anxiously praying that Juni would be safe. When I finally rushed home, the house was eerily quiet. I hurried to the crib and saw Juni sleeping soundly. Relieved, I reached out to touch her little face. That touch sent a wave of panic through me—her forehead was burning hot. She clearly had a high fever. I immediately grabbed Juni and drove to the hospital, calling Christian along the way. "Christian, Juni has a fever! I'm taking her to the City Hospital. You need to come right away!" For a brief moment, there was tension in his voice. "How is that possible? She's burning up? This is your fault! I've told you countless times that we need to hire a nanny, but you never listened! I'm in the middle of a meeting. Let's just talk later!" he snapped. I bit down hard, gripping the steering wheel tightly. We had hired a nanny before, but she was caught pinching Juni on the baby monitor while we were at work. We fired her immediately, and I became extremely cautious when screening potential nannies ever since. Unfortunately, we had not found anyone suitable yet. Now, Christian was using that incident as ammunition to blame me. Even so, I did not have time to argue with him. I ran three red lights before finally arriving at the hospital and rushed into the emergency room with Juni in my arms. What I thought was just a routine fever turned into a nightmare when the doctor told me after an examination that Juni had ingested sleeping pills and needed her stomach pumped immediately. The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. How could this happen? Christian and I always prepared all of Juni's meals ourselves. How could she possibly have ingested sleeping pills? As I watched Juni being wheeled into the operating room while her flushed little face burned with fever, I wished I could take on her pain instead. In my panic, I tried calling Christian again, but his phone remained unreachable. Fortunately, the procedure ended successfully after an hour. Juni was then moved to a general ward for observation. I was about to follow and take care of her when the attending doctor called out to me with a serious expression. "Mrs. Clark, please wait a moment." His expression was hesitant, as if he was struggling with his words. "May I ask who usually prepares the child's formula?" I felt puzzled. "Both my husband and I prepare her formula." The doctor pressed further, "Who prepared it tonight?" Growing more confused, I answered, "My husband. Why? Is there something wrong, doctor?" He sighed while gently patting my shoulder. "If your home has surveillance cameras, you should check them." Though I did not fully understand his words, I did not have time to dwell on them. I quickly went to care for Juni. I finally felt a sense of relief as I watched Juni's temperature gradually come down. When I glanced at my phone, it was already 11:30 pm. Exhausted from the night's events, I decided to head to the hospital's convenience store to grab a quick snack. However, I stumbled upon something shocking as I walked downstairs. Christian, who was supposed to be working late, was here. And in his arms was none other than his new assistant, Peyton Sullivan! "Mr. Clark, it's all my fault. I twisted my ankle when I got out of the car, and now, I can't spend Christmas with you properly.""Come now, Peyton. Don't say that. Twisting your ankle is serious. I'm heartbroken for you. Besides, I don't mind spending Christmas in the hospital. By the way, I already bought that diamond necklace you wanted.""Oh, you're so naughty…" Peyton giggled as Christian comforted her gently, completely unaware that I was standing in the shadows. Overwhelmed by sadness and anger, tears streamed down my face. Our daughter was still lying in a hospital bed with a high fever, yet Christian was here flirting with his assistant. He did not care about Juni's well-being at all! While he lavished Peyton with expensive gifts, he had never even thought of buying me—his wife of seven years—a simple 300-dollar necklace. Christian and I were college sweethearts. After graduation, he wanted to start his own business, and I gave him 200 thousand dollars from my family to fund his dream. During his startup days, I pinched pennies, cutting every corner to support him. When his business finally began to flourish, I still refrained from indulging myself for the best of the family. Recently, Christian's company had been struggling with cash flow problems, so I tightened the household budget even more. I haggled over groceries and stretched every dollar to its limit. Yet now, I realized my sacrifices meant nothing to him. He had no problem spending extravagantly on another woman while treating me with indifference. Wiping away my tears, I clenched the ten-million-dollar winning lottery ticket in my pocket. Yes, I had won ten million dollars. I had planned to surprise Christian tonight during our Christmas celebration at home. I also wanted to tell him that I had resigned from my job to focus on taking care of Juni full-time. Yet now… It was clear there was no need to share this with Christian. This seven-year relationship had reached its end. It was time to let go.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

After an exhausting night, Juni was discharged from the hospital the next day. Once we got home, I prepared a bottle of formula for her and rocked her to sleep. The fatigue of a sleepless night finally caught up with me, and I dozed off fully clothed on the couch. When I woke up, it was already noon. Just as I was about to make lunch, the doctor's words from yesterday suddenly came to mind. He had told me to check the surveillance footage at home. What did he mean by that? Could it be that Juni's accidental ingestion of sleeping pills was not an accident? Was it deliberate? The thought sent shivers down my spine. There were only two people in the house—Christian and I. Could Christian have been the one who gave Juni the sleeping pills? That seemed impossible. Even though he was unfaithful, I did not think he would harm his own daughter. With a lingering sense of doubt, I opened the surveillance feed. I did not have to watch for long before anger surged through me. The footage was crystal clear. It showed Christian crushing sleeping pills and mixing them into Juni's formula. He then got on the phone and said, "Peyton, don't worry, I'll pick you up at your door on time. The little brat wouldn't stop crying, so I'm just going to make her quiet down for a bit." He must not have realized the cameras were still recording, or he would not have dared to be so brazen. I could not believe it. To think he was this heartless toward his own daughter, his flesh and blood! Tears blurred my vision again, but this time, they were not from sadness—they were from fury. No mother would tolerate anyone hurting her child, even if that person was the child's father. I wiped my tears away and forced myself to stay calm as I continued reviewing the footage. To my shock, I discovered that while I was at work, Christian—who was supposed to be working from home—had repeatedly brought Peyton to our house. They brazenly carried out their intimate activities right on the couch, utterly ignoring Juni, who cried until she was hoarse. It turned out that Christian's infidelity had begun long before I even suspected it. Fine. Very well. I saved the video clips and called my lawyer, Adam Lewis, with a steady hand. "Mr. Lewis, hello. Please help me draft a divorce agreement." I was determined to leave Christian. I had to take Juni and walk away from this despicable man. I had just hung up the phone when I heard the front door open. Christian entered, lugging several bags of luggage as his face lit up with an enthusiastic smile. It had been a long time since I had seen him smile like that. However, the moment he saw me, his grin vanished. "Why aren't you at work?" I responded with a cold smirk, "I'm not as carefree as you, Christian. Our child was burning with fever, and you acted like nothing happened." Christian frowned. "Why do you always pick fights the moment we see each other? I told you, I was working overtime yesterday! If it weren't for you and Juni, would I be working myself to the bone every day?" Just then, I noticed a slim figure standing outside the door. It was Peyton. She extended her hand to me with a polite smile. "Shiloh, hello. Sorry for the intrusion." I did not respond, nor did I move aside to let her in. Christian, however, could not hide his impatience. He pulled me to the side and gently helped Peyton to the couch. "Peyton's injured, so she'll be staying with us for a few days." I looked at the two of them. "She's injured, so she's staying at someone else's house? Christian, you're really something." Christian waved his hand dismissively. "You know how hard it is for Peyton, being out there all alone. She's a young woman working in my company, so, of course, I need to look after her. We're just colleagues. Don't overthink it." Peyton glanced at me, her eyes welling up. "Shiloh, I'm really sorry for troubling you and Mr. Clark." I nodded. "You're right—it is troubling. As you can see, we have a small child here, and it's really not convenient.""Shiloh Jackson! Shut your mouth!" Christian snapped, cutting me off. "Can't you show some compassion? Peyton is five years younger than you. How can you treat her like this? We have a guest room. What's the harm in letting Peyton stay for a few days? Besides, I bought this house, so I decide who stays in it. Stop making trouble." Christian's righteous tone was laughable. He seemed to have forgotten that when I was Peyton's age, I stood by him as we built our lives from scratch. Back then, I was in the prime of my youth, and he used to care about me, promising to give me a good life. Now, his concern was reserved for another woman. I smiled faintly and blocked Christian's path as he headed to the guest room. "Why would I disagree? I think Peyton should stay in the master bedroom since she's injured. Juni and I can move into the guest room." Christian hesitated, clearly sensing that something was unusual. After all, I had always argued and fought with him about his decisions. I had never agreed so readily. I was even offering to give up the master bedroom. "Shiloh, are you feeling okay?" I quickly started packing my things. "Of course, I'm fine. I'm just thinking of you both." Then, Christian surprisingly agreed with my suggestion and even offered to help me pack. Such a hypocritical man. As he was helping me move, Peyton suddenly stood up. "Thank you, Shiloh. I'll definitely repay your kindness—ow!" Before she could finish, she pretended to lose her balance and fell back down dramatically. Christian immediately rushed past me, scooping Peyton into his arms and carrying her to the master bedroom. Peyton flashed me a smug smile over his shoulder, as if she were mocking my inability to keep my husband in line. However, what she did not realize was that Christian was no better than garbage in my eyes now. Once Peyton moved into the master bedroom, Christian gallantly volunteered to sleep on the couch in the living room, claiming it was to avoid any misunderstandings. Yet later that night, I found the couch empty when I got up to check on Juni. Instead, I heard soft, intimate sounds coming from the master bedroom. Even right under his wife's nose, they were chasing their thrill to the very end.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

The next morning, Christian and Peyton were already having breakfast at the dining table by the time I woke up. Christian blew on the omelet in front of him and fed it to Peyton. Thinking I was still asleep, their actions were bolder than usual. Peyton smiled coyly. "Mr. Clark, I think Shiloh is alright. When you have time, you should help her take care of the child. After all, Juniper is your daughter." Christian's face lit up with a smug grin. "I don't care about that little brat. If I'm going to care about anyone, it's the precious little baby in your belly! That's our love child!" Peyton's cheeks flushed red. "Oh, stop it... But you promised me, if it's a boy, you'll divorce her and marry me." Christian nodded eagerly. "Of course, Peyton. When have I ever lied to you?" I silently recorded the entire conversation and immediately sent the video to Adam. It turned out that this was why Christian had become so brazen—Peyton was pregnant with his child. What angered me even more was how little Christian cared for our daughter. I risked my life to give birth to Juni, but she was worthless to him. Christian was well-educated and always projected an image of intelligence, yet he exhibited such misogyny. It truly disgusted me. I placed Juni in her stroller, planning to take her out for a walk. When I entered the living room, Christian quickly stopped feeding Peyton and came over to talk to me. "Honey, come have some breakfast." I glanced at the leftovers on the table and declined, "No thanks. The weather's nice today. I'll take Juni out to get some sun." Despite everything, Juni was still just a child. When she saw Christian, she instinctively reached out her little hands for her father to hold her. Yet before he could react, Peyton suddenly let out a loud groan. "Oh, my stomach hurts so much!" Christian's expression changed instantly. He ignored Juni's outstretched arms and rushed over to Peyton. "Peyton, what's wrong?" Peyton clung to Christian's arm dramatically. "I don't know. Please, Mr. Clark, help me back to the bedroom to rest." Christian scooped her up and carried her straight into the bedroom without hesitation. I then comforted a visibly disappointed Juni, put on a mask, and stepped out the door. I planned to cash in the lottery ticket today. With Juni by my side, I went to the counter and redeemed the ticket, which amounted to a total of eight million dollars after taxes. I donated a hundred thousand dollars to the Children's Welfare Fund, hoping to bring blessings to other children—and to Juni as well. The rest of the money would be my foundation for leaving Christian and building an independent life for Juni and me. Adam said the contract would take a few days to finalize. To avoid raising Christian's suspicions, I took Juni home after collecting the lottery winnings. As soon as we got back, my boss called, saying I had left a work handover incomplete and needed to send her the report immediately. Hearing this, Peyton walked over with one of Juni's toys in her hand. "Shiloh, let me watch Juni for you while you work." I shook my head. "No need. Juni can play on her own." I placed Juni inside the playpen and quickly went to the computer to find the files. It barely took me five minutes to locate and send the document when I heard Juni crying hysterically. I rushed out and found a glaring red mark on her arm. Juni was my world. Whoever hurt her was messing with my life. I grabbed Peyton by the hair and slapped her hard across the face without thinking. "How dare you touch my daughter?" Peyton did not fight back but began crying loudly. Her cries quickly brought Christian running into the room. He pulled me aside and shielded Peyton with his body. "Shiloh Jackson! What are you doing?" I held Juni tightly, trying to soothe her while she sobbed. "What am I doing? Didn't you see how she hurt your daughter? Look at this mark—she pinched her!" Though Christian did not care much for Juni, she was still his flesh and blood. His brows furrowed as he turned to Peyton. "What's going on?" Peyton wiped her tears, her voice trembling in an attempt to appear pitiful. "Mr. Clark, I didn't mean to. I was just trying to play with Juni, but she kept kicking my stomach. I didn't know what else to do, so I punished her a little." I almost laughed out of anger. "Juni is barely over a year old. How could she possibly kick your stomach?" Peyton's tears flowed even harder. "Mr. Clark, you have to believe me..." Perhaps out of concern for the child Peyton was carrying, Christian chose to side with her again. He held her close, comforting her gently. He then shot me a glare. "Shiloh, take the child to the bedroom. Stop embarrassing yourself." That was the final straw. "Embarrassing myself? Christian, she pinched your child, and you're just going to let it slide?" Christian grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the bedroom. Furious, I broke free and lunged at Peyton again, grabbing her hair once more. Caught off guard, Peyton dropped her phone. In that split second, I caught a glimpse of a message notification on her screen. My eyes widened in shock.