Leaving My Cheating Husband to Inherit a Fortune novel
Seven years into the marriage, just as I finally managed to conceive our second child, I made up my mind to divorce him.
Ms. Young, are you sure you don't want to reconsider? the divorce lawyer asked cautiously.
Back then, I agreed to take my sister's place because of her dying wish. "Sister... please give Sebastian a child for me. I'm afraid he'll forget me."
I carried that promise for yearseven as I hid a truth too shameful to admit. There was a secret buried deep in my heartI had fallen for Sebastian long before my sister ever did.
For seven years, I willingly lived as her substitute. Even when the orphanage director who raised us cut ties with me, calling me shameless, I never regretted it. I even bore Sebastian a child, but he died of leukemia when the hospital supposedly made a fatal mistake and missed the transplant window.
At least, that was what I had always believed... until I caught Sebastian cheating.
On our seventh wedding anniversarythe same day I tested positive for my second pregnancyand the day I caught him with his secretary.
I heard him say, unmistakably. "How's Jacob's bone marrow working for you? That idiot Lorelei still thinks the mix-up at the hospital was an accident. Tsk. Pathetic."
"Does she really think I'd let a substitute for a dead woman give birth to my child? What a bad omen."
It turned out that while I was pouring everything I had into creating a family, he had secretly given our dying child's life-saving bone marrow to his mistressand tampered with my medication to destroy my health and stop me from getting pregnant.
Years of love... Seven years of marriage. And in one moment, it all turned to ash.
I told the lawyer quietly, "Go ahead. I've made up my mind."
I always knew Sebastian didn't love me. I was the greedy oneborrowing seven years of marriage under the excuse of fulfilling my sister's wish, foolishly hoping time and devotion could change him.
I could endure being unloved. But what I couldn't forgive was hearing him call my sister a "bad-luck dead woman." What I couldn't accept was knowing he personally caused our child's death.
After leaving the law firm, I called my biological fatherthe richest man in the citywho had come to acknowledge me a month ago, but whom I had rejected.
"Dad," I said calmly, "I've made up my mind. Once the divorce is finalized in seven days, I'll come home and inherit the family estate."
"Did that man bully you?"
My father's usually calm voice carried a rare edge of anger.
I bit my lip. The sudden, unconditional protectiveness in his tone made my chest tighten. I couldn't hold back the lump in my throat. "Dad... I'm just tired."
On the phone, his deep voice softened. "Come home. Dad will always have your back. Whatever decision you make, I'll support you."
When the call ended, I sat in silence, my emotions tangled.
Just a month ago, my biological fatherthe richest man in the city had finally found me. Back then, I refused to return to my birth family. After all, I was already married, and I thought I already had my own home.
To me, Sebastian, whom I had known for nearly ten years, felt far more familiar than the parents I had only just met.
And... my sister was gone.
The thought of going back to that magnificent home on my own would be unfair to my younger sister.
Besides, my biological parents never approved of Sebastian. They constantly belittled him, urging me to leave him. At the time, clueless about the truth, I resisted them. Their sudden reappearance and strictness felt suffocating.
So I didn't tell Sebastian I had found my family. I simply supported him quietlyinvesting behind the scenes, helping him close a fragrance partnership with my family's business.
But looking back now, I realize I was only fooling myself.
Soon, none of it would matter.
I tore the pregnancy report into pieces and dropped it into the trash just as the front door opened. Sebastian returned from work.
His suit was neatly pressed, the faint scent of cologne clinging to him. Everything about him looked the same as always.
"Wife, don't cook tonight. I'll take care of dinner."
Sebastian didn't even notice my swollen eyes. He simply took off his jacket and headed toward the kitchen.
He was in his thirties, yet maintained a broad-shouldered, lean figureno less attractive than younger men.
A few months ago, he suddenly developed an interest in cooking. A man who hadn't stepped into a kitchen in seven years began preparing meals.
He said he wanted to ease my burden.
And I believed him.
So no matter what he made, I always finished every bite. But now I knew the truthhe learned to cook for Sabrina, the delicate heiress who willingly worked at his side as his secretary.
His mistress.
"Wife, have some shrimp. I went all the way to the market for these. I remember shrimp is your favorite."
At the dinner table, he smiled as he placed a piece of shrimp into my bowl.
I was quiet, but he didn't notice anything off. In his eyes, my emotions had always been insignificant, barely noticeable.
Seven years of unconditional devotion had convinced him I would never be angry... and would certainly never leave.
I stared at the shrimp without touching it.
Shrimp had always been my sister's favorite. Not mine.
Seven years ago, six months after my sister died of cancer, I married Sebastian.
Everyone who heard the news called me shamelessaccusing me of stealing my sister's love, climbing up by taking her place.
They didn't know the truth.
That my terminally ill sister had once knelt on her hospital bed, clutching my hand in tears. "Sister... Sebastian can't live without me. Please... marry him for me. Take care of him."
"And if you can... give him a child. Only then... can I leave without regrets."
At that moment, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
She never knew that I had loved Sebastian long before she did. But she said it first. So I buried my feelings deep and never spoke a word.
"Sister... he's the only one besides you who's ever treated me well. I don't want him to forget me."
Her desperate plea had taken the air from my lungs.
Maybe it was my hidden love. Maybe it was the soft spot I had for a sister who was fading away.
Either way, I agreed to her unreasonable request.
The day after her funeral, the heartbroken Sebastian got drunk. When I went to pick him up, he mistook me for herdragging me to bed for a long, painful night.
Tearing, discomfort... my first time was spent in agony.
The next morning, he woke up and cursed mecalling me shameless, disgusting for getting into his bed when my sister's body was barely cold.
Swallowing my grief, I told him I was willing to be her substitute.
At first, he treated me terribly. In his eyes, I was a vile woman who seduced her dead sister's boyfriend. He only touched me when he was drunk.
But because I persisted, he slowly softened. Within six months, we registered our marriage.
Years passed, and we even had a child.
I thought, at the very least, I had a small place in his heart.
But he still remembered only my sister's preferencesnot mine.
When I didn't eat, he frowned but didn't think much of it. He simply moved the shrimp into my bowl and began packing shrimp porridge into containers.
"Wife, my employees are still working overtime. I'll bring them some food. I'll sleep at the office tonightdon't wait for me."
If it were before, I wouldn't think there was anything wrong, I would only think he was considerate of his subordinates. But now, I immediately thought of Sabrina. I remembered visiting his office once, only to find her there with stomach painsand Sebastian fussing over her.
And around that time... he had suddenly begun learning how to cook.
Realization spread through my chest like a blade twisting slowly.
I took a deep breath, pulled out the divorce papers, and set them on the table.
"Sign this before you go."
Sebastian frowned. "Didn't we agree not to talk business at home?"
He was just about to read the document closely when a phone call cut him off.
Even though he hung up quickly, I had already seen the caller IDSabrina.
He set the papers aside, grabbed the containers of porridge, and headed for the door.
I tugged on the hem of his shirt. "You haven't signed the documents."
I had never spoken to him so firmly before. My sudden insistence annoyed him, and guilt flickered briefly across his expression. With a click of his tongue, he flipped straight to the last page, scrawled his signature, and tossed the papers into my arms.
"Such a hassle. Thereyou happy? If you have any small business deals, just use my seal directly. Anything under a million is yours to play with."
Before I could respond, his phone rang again. He grabbed the porridge and rushed out, answering the call as he walked.
I looked at the messy dining tableeverything half-eaten, half-packedand let out a bitter laugh.
If he cared about me even a little, he would have noticed that the document he just signed was a divorce agreement.
But he didn't notice anything.
He didn't even hesitate to take Sabrina's call while I was standing right thereafraid she might wait for even a second.
I boiled myself a bowl of noodles. The rising steam blurred my vision.
After eating, I mailed the divorce agreement to my lawyer. Then I called the assistant my father arranged for me.
"A week from now," I reminded her softly, "my father said he would sign the fragrance-ceremony collaboration with the Mitchell family, right?"
"Yes, Miss Young."
"Tell my father the collaboration with Sebastian is canceled. But the ceremony will continueonly the partner will be announced live, by me."
The assistant hesitated, but soon replied, "Understood."
"Also... book me an abortion surgery."
There was a pause. But she didn't question me.
I placed a trembling hand on my lower abdomenwhere a tiny life had just been lost.
My sister and I grew up depending on each other. We always dreamed of having a child, a family of our own.
I knew that after terminating this pregnancy, with my damaged health, I might never conceive again.
But I didn't regret it.
I would have a family nowmy father, my mother. I didn't need to cling to Sebastian anymore. And I didn't want to bring a child into the world carrying his face.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door to my deceased son's room.
I wanted to tidy up his things.
But the moment I saw his little clothes, I collapsed to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
When I became pregnant with Jacob, I thought I finally saw hope. I had fulfilled my sister's last wish. I believed I had gained my husband's love.
Maybe, after that, I could finally become myself, not just "my sister's shadow."
But perhaps it was heaven punishing me.
Our first childmy sweet Jacobwas diagnosed with aplastic anemia.
The doctors said his only hope was a bone marrow transplant.
I waited for five long years.
For five years, I begged every hospital, donated every cent I could, praying that somewhereanywherethere was a matching donor.
Then one day, the hospital finally called. They had found a match.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, I knelt to thank the donor's family and repeatedly confirmed with the hospital that everything would proceed smoothly.
But in the end... my son died on the operating table.
Sebastian told me the bone marrow donation paperwork had issues. The hospital didn't have time to verify it, so the marrow was allocated to someone else.
That delay... cost my child his life.
I believed him.
I blamed myself endlessly for not double-checking everything. I lived in guilt and grief for years.
I thought it was fate. A cruel coincidence. That perhaps Jacob and I simply didn't have enough time together.
But the truth... The truth was a serrated blade, ripping me apart.
This morning, when I discovered I was pregnant again, I was ecstatic.
After confirming the baby was healthy, I rushed to the company parking lot, wanting to surprise him.
But when I opened his car door, the first thing I saw was a half-opened box of condoms tossed on the passenger-side floor mat.
My hands went numb. My mind blanked.
And then I heard laughter.
At the parking lot entrance, I watched helplessly as Sebastian wrapped one arm around Sabrina's waist, the other hand cradling the back of her head, kissing her deeply.
She giggled breathlessly. "Seb... someone might see..."
He chuckled. "So what? We haven't done it in so long. Don't you miss me? By the way, how's Jacob's bone marrow settling in your body?"
The world spun violently around me.
Not only was he cheating...
But his wordsJacob's bone marrow... in her body?
What did he mean?
Sabrina smiled coquettishly. "Perfectly fused. I heard you even gave the doctor two million to keep quiet. You're so generous."
He stroked her hair, his voice gentle. "It's nothing. A sickly child from a woman I don't love will never be as important as you."
My heart clenched so hard I couldn't breathe.
So the one bone marrow match that could have saved Jacob had been stolen by him. And he gave it to her!
Sabrina asked sweetly, "If she gets pregnant again, would it affect our baby's status?"
He sneered, "No. I already made arrangements. The vitamins and supplements she takesI replaced them. She can't get pregnant."
She pouted. "Poor her... If she learns the truth, wouldn't she want to die?"
"How could she?" Sebastian laughed coldly. "She's an orphan. No one would marry her except me. She should be grateful I give her a roof over her head. Why would she still dream of having a child to tie me down?"
My right hand trembled violentlya side effect of the countless hormone injections I had endured. I remembered all the bitter pills I swallowed, all the mornings I forced myself to smile in the mirror, all the needles I stabbed into my own skin trying to conceive.
I blamed myself. I doubted my own body. Never once did I imagine he was the one sabotaging me.
He never intended for me to bear his child.
Outside the car window, the two of them pressed against his luxury Maybach, tangled together. The sound of their gasps, the rustle of clothes, the slap of skin against the carIt all blurred into the most sickening nightmare of my life.
Remembering everything from that day feels like being thrown into an ice cavemy breath caught, my chest tightening until it hurts to breathe.
I'm going to be divorced soon.
That thought kept crashing through my mind, over and over again, as if forcing me to stay awake... to stay sane.
Soon, whoever Sebastian wanted to sleep with, he could sleep with. Whoever he wanted to protect, coax, or spoil... None of it would have anything to do with me anymore.
My fingers trembled as I covered my eyes.
The biggest mistake of my life wasn't marrying a man who never loved meit was destroying myself for him. Draining every last bit of my strength to prove something he never cared to see. Grinding my bones down until there was nothing left.
Aggrieved, hollow, ashamedeach emotion pricked my heart like a hundred needles.
Tears blurred my vision as I knelt down and began packing Jacob's things.
His tiny jacket, his little socks. The milk bottle he used to bite on. The messy little cards he drew with his crayons...
Each item I placed in the box felt like carving a piece of flesh out of my own body.
"Mommy... Jacob likes Mommy the most... Mommy should smile more, okay?" His soft little voice still echoed in my ears.
He couldn't even form full sentences back then, yet right before surgery, he would wipe my tears with his warm little hands, comforting me with his clumsy words.
"Mommy don't cry... baby not pain... Mommy hug..."
But that sweet, sensible childhe would never walk out of that operating room again. Never run into my arms again.
How could Sebastian be so cruel? How could he bear to let our child die alone?
Jacob could have lived!
Just a little moreif only the bone marrow that belonged to him hadn't been stolen
I cover my mouth, choking on a sob as pain tears through my chest.
Just as I wiped away my tears, the bedroom door suddenly clicked open. I snapped the suitcase shut and quickly wiped my face.
Sebastian steps in, taking off his coat. His brows knitted as he looked at me. "Wife, what are you doing?"
I forced my stiff lips into a smile. "Didn't you say... you weren't coming back tonight? I'm just clearing out some old things."
Before my voice even faded, a sharp, coquettish voice cut in, "Oh my, President Mitchell, even with your wife at home, the place still looks so messy?"
Sabrina strutted in on high heels, her gaze sweeping over me like a scanning beam, slow and mocking.
Then she brushed past me casually, as if this were her house.
A beat later, she let out a high-pitched shriek of surprise. "President Mitchell! I didn't know you had something so cute at home!"
She lunged toward the giant teddy bear in the cornerthe one I hand-stitched while pregnant with Jacob. The one that accompanied him through countless painful nights.
Her movement was too rough; her shoulder knocked straight into the photo frame beside the doorthe one containing the only family photo we had.
Crack!
As glass shattered across the floor, my heart shattered with it.
It was the only wedding photo we had taken after Jacob was born. He stood between us in a tiny suit, smiling with innocent joy.
That day, Sebastian held my hand and promised he would protect me and our child.
It was the only thing we had that felt remotely meaningful.
And now it lay broken on the floorjust like this family.
Sabrina gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. "Ah! Madam won't be mad, right? I didn't mean to... If you feel bad, I can pay"
She didn't even finish before Sebastian rushed to her side, grabbing her arm and checking her for injuries.
"Are you hurt? Did you bump yourself? Be careful."
Only when he confirmed she was fine did he exhale in relief. His voice softened, so tender it felt foreign. "As long as you're fine, that's alright. It's just a piece of paper. Why would you compensate?"
I stare at the shattered pieces on the floor, my chest tightening painfully.
So in his eyes... those days, those memories...were nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.
Clenching my fist, I steadied my voice. "It's fine. If it's broken, it's broken."
Sebastian pausedclearly not expecting me to be so "sensible."
Sabrina blinked, displeasure flashing in her eyes, apparently displeased that I didn't fall into her trap. She had been expecting me to explode.
But no matter how much I cared about that photo, more than anything... I wanted to claw out the bone marrow inside her. The marrow that should have saved my son. However, I knew that was impossible.
With a sugary smile hiding sharp edges, she said, "President Mitchell, did you forget to tell your wife why I'm here?"
Her "reminder" jogged his memory. He turned to me, speaking as if it were natural, logical, unquestionable. "Lorelei, clear out Jacob's room. Sabrina fought with her family and has nowhere to stay. She's my secretaryI can't just throw her out. She'll temporarily stay in Jacob's room."
My nails dug deep into my palms, sharp enough to break skin. The pain made my fingers tremble, yet it still wasn't as suffocating as the weight crushing my heart.
Sebastian had always wanted to clear out Jacob's room as soon as possible, saying it hurt him to look at it.
But I stopped him, again and again.
Because that room... was the last trace of our son's lifethe only place in this house where I could still feel him.
But now, even that final piece of him is being casually erased by others.
Sebastian clearly expected me to argue with him like before, to fight tooth and nail to keep our child's room intact. He was already bracing himself.
But instead, as if I had become someone completely different, I simply nodded and said calmly, "Alright. I was planning to tidy up anyway. I might as well clear everything out."
Only by severing every memory in that room can I leave this "home" I've been guarding with my whole heartwithout looking back.
The moment I said that, Sebastian froze, as if all his prepared arguments had nowhere to go.
Sabrina immediately chimed in, voice dripping with sweetness. "Madam is really so considerate. I was afraid I'd trouble you."
I didn't even bother looking at her. I just moved faster, my breaths turning cold and hollow.
One by one, I folded Jacob's drawings, his toys, his tiny shoes. I held each item to my chest, as if I were holding a child I would never get back.
By the time I closed the lid on the last box, my chest felt empty, carved clean.
I forced myself to lift the suitcase and dragged it toward the door.
My vision blurred.
My steps faltered.
Crack.
The dull, sickening sound of glass piercing flesh echoed sharply in my ears.
Agonizing pain shot up from my foot like electricity.
My knees buckled, my whole body trembling from spine to fingertips. Tears spilled before I could stop them.
I clung to the doorframe, cold sweat sliding down my neck.
But upstairs, Sebastian and Sabrina's laughter floated down effortlessly.
"The light on this balcony is great."
"President Mitchell, your study is so spacious..."
His studythe place where he snapped at me every time I stepped inside.
So someone else could waltz in effortlessly, welcomed, and praised.
As long as it wasn't me, it seemed even a woman who looked nothing like my sisternothing like his pastcould easily earn his gentleness, his attention, his preference.
My vision turned hazy.
Only when my blood had soaked half the floor did I drag the box to the living room and sit down. I dabbed at my wound with tissues, each touch painful enough to shake my hand.
A while later, Sebastian finally came downstairs.
His gaze swept through the now-emptied child's room. His brows knitted.
"Why did you clear it out so thoroughly?"
As if he found the emptiness... strange and unsettling.
I lowered my head. "You said it was an eyesore."
He paused but didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "Later, go buy a new bedding set and cushions. Sabrina is a pampered young ladynot like you. She can't sleep on the things you buy."
Blood was literally pooling beneath my feet, yet he didn't spare me even a glance.
In his eyes, I never deserved the best. But Sabrina... by simply standing beside himdeserved everything.
I silently applied medicine, ignoring him. My silence made Sebastian finally sense something was off.
He stared at me for a long time before speaking, "Why aren't you responding? Oh rightI forgot to tell you. The day after tomorrow, come with me to a fragrance gala."
I didn't want to go.
Before I could even respond, he snapped at me coldly. "You're my wife. If you don't attend, you'll embarrass me. People will start speculating about our marriage. How am I supposed to explain that?"
On hearing that, I swallowed every refusal.
Fine.
I'll treat it as the last occasion I attend as his wife before the divorce
a beginning and an end.
Besides, I need to find a reliable partner for the future. I can't just bring back anyone to meet my father.
On the day of the banquet, the wound on my foot had barely scabbed over. Every step felt like my shoe was slicing into the flesh again.
Meanwhile, Sebastian and Sabrina walked ahead, hand in hand, their steps brisk and lightnever once slowing down for me.
Watching their backs felt like watching seven years of my own stupidity.
The banquet hall glowed under warm lights. Perfumers and collectors from major fragrance families mingled.
Someone spotted Sebastian from afar and approached cheerfully. "President Mitchell, long time no see."
Then the man's gaze shifted toward Sabrina. His smile brightened. "And this must be Mrs. Mitchell? Her taste is exquisiteand what a beautiful presence."
He was a senior expert in the industry, known for sharp accuracy.
Sebastian hesitated, not correcting him immediately.
Sabrina's cheeks turned beet-red. "Oh no, I'm just President Mitchell's secretary. How could I be the Madam..."
The man blinked. "Secretary? But the scent you're wearingcold wood base with a hint of clean leather and the faintest soap note... This ratio is extremely rare."
He clicked his tongue appreciatively. "This fragrance is gentle, clean, yet carries a subtle, falling-in-love warmth. Very romantic. Didn't President Mitchell create it as a personal blend for his wife?"
Only then did his gaze land on me.
He sniffed lightly, then raised his brows, "Don't tell me that cheap roadside perfume clinging to this lady... is something President Mitchell created?"
Facing the senior perfumer's half-joking question, Sebastian simply smiled.
"The scent on my secretary is one of my blends. A practice piece I'm pretty satisfied with."
He didn't mention the perfume on me at all. Perhaps he was afraid that others would think he had terrible taste.
I lowered my gaze, forcing a weak smile.
Back then, for my sister, Sebastian stayed up three nights straight, creating the first perfume of his life just for her.
That perfume held the softest part of him, the pure devotion of his youth.
My sister had held that bottle like a priceless treasure. She even sprayed some on my wrist, grinning brightly. "Sis, smell it! Isn't it lovely? My boyfriend made it just for me!"
I smiled and said yes, it was lovely, and yes, I envied her.
But the truth wasI never envied the perfume. I envied the position of being cherished, chosen, held tenderly in someone's palm.
And me?
It wasn't until our fourth year of marriage that Sebastian finally gave me a "perfume."
For an event like tonight, I couldn't possibly show up wearing nothing. So I had carefully taken out that bottlethe only one I felt presentableand checked the scent over and over before coming.
Who would've thought... The perfume he gave me was a cheap roadside knockoff.
Absurd. Ridiculous.
The wife of a renowned master perfumer... wearing a perfume that smelled like fifty cents at a street corner.
While his secretary wore a fragrance handcrafted with devotion and romance.
Sebastian didn't spare me a glance, nor did he notice my expression. Soon, he and Sabrina were immersed in business matters I had never been allowed to touch.
He was the one who insisted I accompany himyet at this moment, I was nothing but a decorative vase left in the corner.
And Sabrina, with her effortless grace, looked more like his wife than I ever did.
The crowd buzzed with conversation and lights, but dizziness overwhelmed me. My stomach churned violently.
I hurried to the restroom, gripping the sink as my breaths came fastlike someone drowning, desperately gasping for air.
This pregnancy was hitting harder than the first.
Maybe this child also sensed that neither of his parents wanted him.
When I finally calmed down, I splashed cold water on my face and turned to leavebut froze the moment I stepped into the hallway.
A small boy, maybe three or four, stumbled across the carpet and ran forward.
"Daddy!"
Sebastian pausedthen opened his arms.
The boy threw himself into his chest, giggling sweetly. "Daddy, hug!"
Sabrina followed beside them, smiling as she straightened the boy's collar. "Don't make trouble. Daddy still has work."
Sebastian crouched down, gently smoothing the boy's hair. His voice was soft. "Alright, no fussing. Why did you come find Daddy today?"
The child pouted adorably. "I missed you, Daddy."
I stood frozen. Something lodged painfully in my throat.
The "baby" Sabrina mentioned earlier... I didn't think much of it. I thought she meant a future child.
I never imagined... They already had one.
And he was three or four years old.
Which meantback when Jacob was at his worst... Back when I was kneeling outside hospital doors, begging doctors, crying myself hoarse every night holding my dying childSabrina had been pregnant with Sebastian's baby, close to delivery.
While I drowned in grief over my son's death, Sebastian had already welcomed a new heir.
And to protect that child's inheritance, he had drugged me.
Cold spread down my spine, heavy and suffocating.
He lifted the boy onto his shoulders, making him laugh gleefully. The child's legs kicked in excitement as he patted his father's hair.
It was warm, and soft. A picture-perfect moment.
But to me, it was blinding.
Jacob used to want nothing more than a hug from his father.
But Sebastian only frowned. "Boys shouldn't cling so much."
He couldn't even spare five minutes of patience. To him, Jacob had been nothing but a sick burden.
But this childthis child was his treasured jewel.
My tears spilled before I could wipe them away.
I hadn't even processed the scene when a hand yanked me backwardvicious, forceful.
"Well, well. Where'd this pretty thing come from? Crying so sweetly. Come play with me."
A drunken man dragged me into the restroom, reeking of alcohol, his arm clamping around my waist.
"Let me go!" My voice shook with fear, but my cries were swallowed by the distant laughter in the corridor.
"Sebastian... Sebastian, help me!"
Even noweven now, my instinct was to call for him.
I saw his broad back pause for half a second. But then he simply smiled and continued teasing the child.
"Help me... please..." My voice cracked, drowning in desperation.
A filthy hand clamped over my mouth.
Not far away, Sabrina glanced back at me.
She smiled. Then turned away, ignoring me completely as she walked off with Sebastian.
I struggled wildlydigging my nails into the drunkard's skin, kicking, thrashingbut he was too strong.
"That's what you get for offending someone," he slurred, fingers reaching for my skirt.
I could smell the nauseating alcohol against my collarbone.
Just as I prepared to fight to the death...
"Get your hands off her! Do you know where you are?!"
A cold, furious voice cut through the air.
The next second, the man was yanked away from me and slammed against the wall.
A tall man stood before mesharp features, pale skin like porcelain, eyes blazing with anger. "Are you alright?"
My legs gave out.
I collapsed to the floor, breath shaking uncontrollably as tears streamed down my face.
I opened my mouth, but no sound came. I could only tremble and shake my head.
He didn't ask more.
He simply removed his coat, placed it underneath me, and handed me a clean handkerchief.
"The lounge is next door. I'll help you there."
He nearly carried me inside.
After the door closed, he didn't stay.
He left me alonegiving me space to breathe.
I buried my face in the handkerchief he left behind, and sobbed until my chest hurt.
Not only did Sebastian have a new family... He could be so gentle with someone else's child.
If Jacob had lived, would he also have wished... to be held high like that?
The thought crushed me. My chest ached until I could barely breathe.
And remembering what the drunkard said, I realizedSabrina ignoring me wasn't an accident.
She arranged this. She wanted to ruin me.
Just then, my phone vibrated, and a message from the assistant flashed on the screen.
[Miss, the abortion surgery has been scheduled. You can come anytime.]
My fingers trembled around the device.
I touched my stomachthere was still a life inside me. But I could no longer carry anything tied to Sebastian.
I stood up, wiped my tears, and clenched the handkerchief tightly.
No more looking back.
I left the hall, called a car, and went straight to the hospital.
Outside the operating room, the doctor confirmed again. "After this procedure, your body... may not be able to conceive again. You must be absolutely sure."
I closed my eyes.
My voice was softbut firm. "I won't regret it."
When I dragged my body home after the surgery, the anesthesia still hadn't fully worn off. My fingertips trembled uncontrollably with each step I took.
The moment I pushed the door open, a sweet, cloying fragrance rushed toward methe scent Sabrina always wore.
She had deliberately filled the entire house with it, as if marking her territory as if provoking me.
I had disappeared for an entire day, and Sebastian didn't even notice.
If he cared at all, he wouldn't have gone a whole day without a single call.
I let out a small, self-mocking laugh.
Of coursewasn't this the result I should have expected all along?
What right did I have to feel torn apart?
Sabrina sat on the sofa, leaning lazily against a pillow. She lifted her gaze, looking at me as though waiting to watch a good show.
"You're back so late?" Her voice was soft, but the tail end curled with mockery. "What, were you reluctant to leave that drunkard?"
I lifted my head, my eyes flat and emotionless. "It was arranged by you."
I didn't even bother to ask.
A faint crease appeared between her browsclearly, my indifference disappointed her. She must have imagined me returning in utter humiliation, broken and weeping.
"Did that idiot take the money and do nothing?!" she muttered, irritation sharpening her tone.
Then she rose and glared down at me.
"So what if it was me? Do you think you can fight me? I was being kind, but you don't even appreciate it. Looks like I haven't taught you enough."
I stared at her, voice low and steady.
"Sabrina, you will pay the price."
Her smile froze for a split second.
Then she stepped closer and snapped, "Pay the price? Don't make me laugh! Do you, an orphan, understand what money and power mean? As long as I'm alive, no one can touch me! If I want to deal with you, you won't live to see tomorrow's sun!"
She sneered, her eyes gleaming with ridicule.
"Oh, I get it. You must be devastated after seeing the child between me and Sebastian, right? Seven years of pestering him, and you only managed to have one childwho was sickly, unlike my son, who's perfectly healthy."
My breath faltered.
Seeing my momentary shadow, Sabrina instantly lit upas if she'd just won a game.
She leaned in, eyes sparkling with cruelty. "That's right."
She casually adjusted her rolled-up sleeves, then smiled as though remembering something amusing. "Didn't your son almost get matching bone marrow back then?"
My hand, still holding a towel, paused mid-air.
Her lips curled into a sweet, vicious arc.
"Tsk. And you begged on your knees for that match."
"Do you remember?" she drawled, shaking a teacup as if discussing something trivial. "I said I needed a bone marrow transplant. Sebastian was so terrified something would happen to me"
"that when I hinted at your son's bone marrow being compatible, he immediately altered the donation contract and listed me as the beneficiary."
My breath tightened painfully.
Even knowing the truth already, hearing it again felt like being stabbed all over.
My baby because his father adored his mistress more than his own child lost his only chance to live
Sabrina laughed, mocking me as though I were some pathetic creature.
"And the funniest part?" she said lightly. "I didn't need it at all. I've always been perfectly healthy. I never needed any bone marrow transplant."
My voice trembled. "Then that bone marrow"
"Oh, it was annoying," she interrupted casually. "So I told the nurse to just throw it away."
Bang!
It felt as if someone had punched straight through my chest.
I stared at her, my voice hoarse. "What did you say?"
Sabrina looked at the despair in my eyes and smiled even brighter. "I saidwhen your son was finally about to be saved, I threw the bone marrow away."
"Sabrina!"
I couldn't stop myself from crying out.
"Oh, you still have a temper? How laughable."
Half-reclining on the sofa, watching me like I was a clown.
"People like you from the orphanage have cheap lives. And your son? A commoner's brat. Was his life worth anything? Why be so dramatic? Dying early was a relief for him."
I stepped forward abruptly, pain tearing through my chest.
"That was a living child!"
She rolled her eyes with open disdain.
"He was just a burden. Better off dead. What, are you so angry you want to hit me?"
My whole body trembled.
And then she laughed.
"But you probably don't have the guts. You've lived your whole life as your sister's substitute, haven't you? Hahaha"
The words felt like knives twisting in my heart.
"Sabrina," I forced out, my voice shaking, "insult my son or my sister one more time. Try it."
"What's wrong with calling the two of them what they were?" She grinned, her eyes gleaming with twisted satisfaction. "Dead trash."
Then she reached toward the Lego set on the coffee table.
The one Jacob and I spent the last three months of his life building together.
My voice shot up. "Sabrina, don't you"
She hooked her finger under the corner of the Lego castle and chuckled.
"My favorite thing..."
"is watching the heartbroken faces of people like you."
And with a sharp shove
Crash!
The Lego fell to the floor, exploding into a thousand pieces.
For a moment, I saw my son's last breath shatter on an operating table.
A rush of heat surged from my ears to my skull.
I raised my handand slapped her across the face with all my strength.
At that moment, I only had one thoughtI wanted to tear Sabrina apart.
Sabrina screamed, clutching her face, staggering backward in terror.
"Sebastian! Sebastian!"
She had barely shouted the second time when footsteps echoed at the top of the stairs.
Sebastian came charging down. When he saw the two of us facing off, his eyes darkened, stormy enough to be terrifying. "Lorelei! What are you doing?!"
Sabrina's eyes reddened. She tried to play innocent, her voice trembling with fake despair. "Sebastian... she hit me... I just said one little thing, and she suddenly went crazy"
I cut her off coldly. "Sebastian, she destroyed Jacob's Lego. It was his favorite toy."
Sebastian's brow furrowed, irritation dripping from his words. "That dead child again? Lorelei, people can't live in the past!"
He strode over to the scattered pieces on the floor and glared down with clear disgust. "Let the past stay in the past!"
He lifted his foot, and with a sickening crack, he stomped down hard.
My mind went blank.
Sebastian's face grew colder. "Enough, Lorelei. Apologize to Sabrina. Right now."
I lifted my head, voice raw and strained. "Impossible."
He laughed, almost in disbelief. "What did you just say?"
"I said I won't apologize!" I glared at him, eyes burning.
For the first time, I had spoken to him like thisand his face darkened instantly, rage flaring.
"Looks like I gave you too much leeway. You've forgotten you're just a placeholder, a substitute for your sister!"
"You and your sister came from the orphanage. No matter how many years you've lived beyond her, you'll never escape the lowliness in your bones!"
Slap!
My body froze, my mind snappingbut for the first time, I found the courage to strike this man hard across the face.
At that moment, I saw him for who he really was.
He was no longer the high school student council presidentthe one who showed kindness to stray cats and outcast orphans.
It had been my love that filtered him, polished him, made him shine.
I had been timid, enduring, naivenever taught how to love or be loved. I foolishly believed that if I gave him everything, loved him endlessly, he would love me in return.
But I didn't want to live like that anymore.
I want my love for myself.
No one can look down on me, belittle me, or humiliate me!
Sebastian clutched the side of his face I had struck, anger stacking in layers, disbelief painted across his eyeshow dare I hit him?
Sabrina grabbed his hand. "Sebastian, are you okay... Don't blame her... She just got jealous seeing us together..."
Sebastian didn't respond. He picked Sabrina up and carried her, ignoring me entirely, walking toward Jacob's room.
Before closing the door, his voice cut through like a whip.
"Lorelei, who do you think you are? Everything you have now is because of me, but you are not irreplaceable to me!"
The door slammed shut violently. I gasped sharply, tears streaming without my control.
Soon, from inside Jacob's room, the bed creaked, low moans filled the air, and muffled, desperate sounds of pleasure followed.
Sebastian was doing it on purpose. He wanted me to hear itwanted to punish me.
I ignored the disgusting sounds. Slowly, I crouched and began picking up the Lego pieces, one by one.
My fingertips tore on the jagged edges, blood mixing with the fragments.
I didn't even notice.
Then, my phone vibrated.
There was a message from my assistant.[Madam, the divorce papers are finalized.]
I stood up, clutching the bag of shattered Lego, leaving this home that no longer deserved even a single memory.
I immediately booked a flight home and boarded that very night.
One day later, at the fragrance ceremony... I would give Sebastian a "gift" he would never forget.
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