Chapter 3

Chloe POV

After I returned to the estate, I went straight to the nursery.

Leo was lying in his crib, crying nonstop.

I stood by the bed and looked down at him, but Elena's face kept flashing through my mind.

So similar. They were so damn similar.

Even the way they frowned when crying was exactly the same.

I had never doubted it before.

But now, looking again, there were flaws everywhere.

The emotions I had been suppressing all night suddenly surged up.

I reached out, my fingertips hovering above the crib.

Even I didn't know what I was about to do at that moment.

Just then, an exclamation came from behind me.

"Mrs. Chloe!" The nanny rushed in quickly.

She scooped Leo into her arms at once and looked at me with obvious caution, as if I were some kind of dangerous person.

"What are you doing?"

I looked at her coldly. "Give me the child."

But the nanny instinctively took a step back.

"Leo just woke up, I can calm him down..."

"I said, give me the child."

My voice turned completely cold.

The atmosphere in the room instantly stiffened.

At that moment, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway came from outside.

A few minutes later, Adrian appeared at the nursery door.

His eyes swept over everyone in the room before finally settling on Leo in the nanny's arms.

"What happened?"

The nanny visibly relaxed and quickly explained what had just happened.

By the end, her voice had grown softer and softer.

Adrian was silent for a moment, then spoke in a flat tone.

"Chloe would never hurt the child. She's kinder than anyone. I don't want to hear that kind of thing a second time."

The nanny's face turned pale, and she immediately lowered her head to apologize.

Adrian walked over to my side, wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and the gesture was intimate and natural.

"What's wrong? Have you been tired from taking care of Leo lately?"

I didn't answer. I just looked at him quietly.

If I hadn't heard those truths with my own ears, I probably would have gone on forever without doubting this man.

But Adrian acted like nothing had happened and ordered a maid, "Bring the lady's calming supplement."

Soon, the maid came back with a silver tray.

On it sat a dark medicine bottle and a cup of warm water.

Adrian personally placed them in front of me.

"I had the doctor adjust the supplement formula again. It'll help with postpartum recovery."

I looked at the bottle and suddenly remembered how, starting at some point, Adrian would tell me every night to take it on time.

He said it would improve my sleep and stabilize my emotions.

"Do I look really off lately?" I asked slowly, lifting my head.

Adrian froze for a moment, then gave a helpless smile.

"You're just a little sensitive. All women after giving birth are like that."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

He said it so naturally, as if he were really a considerate husband.

"Take it and get some rest early."

He poured out two pills and placed them in my palm.

His eyes never left me.

I obediently put the pills in my mouth, took a sip of water, and quietly pressed the pills under my tongue.

Seeing me take them, Adrian clearly relaxed.

The moment he looked at his phone, I lowered my head and spat the half-melted pills into the hidden pocket inside my sleeve.

"It tastes a little bitter today." I set the glass down.

"Maybe because the formula changed." He adjusted my shawl for me. "Don't overthink it. Go to sleep early."

I nodded and went back to the bedroom without looking at him again.

Late at night, I lay in bed and couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

Those words at the dock kept echoing in my head like a curse.

I don't know how much time passed before the mattress suddenly shifted slightly.

Adrian slowly sat up, his movements very light, as if he were checking whether I was asleep.

A moment later, the door was gently shut.

I opened my eyes right away and followed him out without making a sound.

I watched him go down the west corridor and head to the deepest part of the wine cellar.

That place was always locked in ordinary times, and even the servants were forbidden from coming near it.

I hid in the shadows and watched him stop in front of a row of wine racks, then reach out and turn one of the bronze statues.

The next second, the entire wine rack slowly split open to both sides.

It revealed a hidden entrance to a room tucked behind the wall.

My breathing stopped instantly. I had no idea the wine cellar was hiding a place like this.

Adrian didn't hesitate at all and walked straight in.

The wine rack hadn't fully locked back into place. There was a very narrow gap left in the middle.

Through that gap, I saw the interior of the secret room lit up brightly.

It didn't look like storage at all. It looked more like a carefully arranged private suite.

The person inside heard the footsteps and rushed straight into Adrian's arms.

"I thought you weren't coming tonight." She looked up at him, her tone carrying a hint of grievance.

"It's so tiring having to wait until she falls asleep every night just to see you. She didn't suspect anything, did she?"

Adrian lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

"No. Just hold on a little longer. I gave her a new formula."

Elena leaned into his arms. "That's good. Come in. I miss you so much I'm going crazy."

The two of them tangled together tightly, kissing each other fiercely.

I stood outside the hidden door, and it felt like all the blood in my body had frozen at once.

So the calming supplement every night was really a drug that dulled the mind.

So my husband waited until I fell asleep every night, then slipped underground to meet his mistress.

I thought the night at the dock had already been cruel enough.

Only now did I realize that the truly disgusting truth was far uglier than I had imagined.

I didn't sleep at all that night, and by the time Adrian came back, it was almost dawn.

He called me to wake up in his usual gentle voice and pressed a good morning kiss to my lips.

"Chloe, let's go to the riding stables this afternoon and clear our heads. The doctor said equine therapy is good for postpartum recovery, and some light activity will help your body too."

I didn't refuse. I just nodded lightly. "Sure."