Chapter 1

Prologue

I played the dutiful daughter for the Gray family for twenty years, and I waited three years for Ethan Vance to marry me.

Yet the moment their biological daughter, Chloe, returned, I was instantly discarded.

My bedroom was handed over to her. My birthday party became her grand welcome.

And when I got pregnant, Ethan personally had me pushed into the operating room, forcing me to abort his own child.

I looked at him one last time and asked, "Ethan, what did I ever mean to you?"

He didn't answer.

Fine. Then he would never have to answer again.

I had already signed the severance papers and the agreement to call off our engagement. I was just waiting to disappear.

Clara's POV

Ethan and I delayed our wedding for three years, right up until the day I found out I was pregnant with his child. His only response was cold and brief: get an abortion.

The moment the Grays brought Chloe, their real heiress, back home, her mother, Evelyn, grabbed my hands and wept.

She said her heart broke for how much Chloe had suffered all those years, and that Chloe needed to have the master bedroom.

I didn't argue. That very afternoon, I packed two suitcases and moved into the dim, north-facing guest room.

I thought if I stepped back, I could earn a shred of peace and keep a small corner for myself in this house.

I stuffed my old clothes onto the top shelf of the closet and cleared off the large desk by the window for Chloe.

The next morning at breakfast, Evelyn gently blew on a warm bowl of oatmeal, setting it right by Chloe's hand alongside an array of side dishes.

My own bowl sat forgotten at the edge of the table. Evelyn didn't spare it a single glance.

Chloe took two spoonfuls of oatmeal and whispered that she missed her dad.

Thomas Gray canceled all his morning meetings on the spot. He dragged a lawn chair out into the courtyard and spent the entire day soaking up the sun with her.

I served myself half a bowl of cold leftovers and ate in silence at the kitchen counter.

I told myself that once Chloe settled in, this family would finally remember I was sitting at the table too.

On my third day in the guest room, Ethan suddenly invited me out for a birthday dinner.

He picked the restaurant.

I put on a new dress and sat by the window.

The waiter came by four times to ask if I wanted to place my order while the sky outside slowly turned pitch-black.

Finally, Ethan called.

"Chloe got lost. She's hyperventilating and crying on the side of the road. I have to go pick her up."

His tone left zero room for discussion.

"If you're hungry, just order whatever you want. Don't worry about the bill."

I clutched my burning phone, watching the streetlights flicker on across the avenue.

"What about me? I've been waiting here for four hours."

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

He hung up right after.

Someone else cried, and he slammed his foot on the gas to rush to her side. I waited an entire afternoon, and he told me to order dinner alone.

I didn't touch a single bite.

I sat there until closing time, paid the bill myself, and walked all the way back to the Gray residence in my heels.

Chloe's pink slippers were neatly placed by the entryway.

I took off my shoes and kicked my old worn-out slippers into the darkest corner beneath the shoe rack.

My period was a month late. I hid in the bathroom, staring blankly at the two pink lines on the pregnancy test for a long time.

Evelyn knocked on the door, telling me to hurry up because Chloe needed the bathroom.

I pushed the door open, walked out, and set the lab results on the living room table.

Thomas, Evelyn, and Ethan were all sitting there.

I stood before them and said, "I'm pregnant. It's Ethan's."

The room fell deathly quiet.

Evelyn picked up the paper, skimmed it, and tossed it back onto the table.

"Chloe hasn't even recovered yet. Why are you causing drama now? Are you deliberately trying to make things harder for her?"

I had braced myself for several reactions in the bathroom, but I never imagined she would say that.

I thought they would at least ask how I was feeling.

"Mom, this is my baby."

"Then you should've picked a better time," Thomas said, slamming his coffee mug onto the table. "You can't keep this child."

He pointed upstairs. "Chloe suffered for twenty years out there. Our family is finally coming together. You're not going to ruin it with this kind of trouble."

I turned to look at Ethan.

He was slouched at the other end of the couch, rubbing his temples, not looking at me at all.

"Ethan, say something."

He was silent for a long moment before finally looking up.

"Clara, listen to them for now."

I snatched the lab report back and clenched it in my fist. The sharp paper edges dug into my palm, drawing blood.

In a room full of people, he was the only one whose opinion mattered to me.

And the second he opened his mouth, he stood firmly on their side.

"I gave up my bedroom for Chloe. I ate my birthday dinner alone," I said, staring straight at him, my throat burning. "I'm not giving up my baby."

"That's not your decision to make," Thomas said, leaning back without even blinking.

Evelyn stepped over, reaching for my wrist.

"Don't throw a tantrum. Once Chloe's health improves, you can have as many kids as you want later."

I yanked my arm back and laughed bitterly. "That's the exact same lie you fed me when you made me move into the guest room."

Evelyn's hand froze in midair, her expression hardening.

I turned toward the front door. Ethan stepped forward in a flash, blocking my path.

"I have one last question," I said, looking up at him with burning eyes, refusing to let a single tear fall. "What am I to this family? What am I to you?"

The living room fell into total silence.

Evelyn looked down at her phone.

Thomas turned his head to stare out the window.

Ethan kept his eyes cast downward, his lips pressed into a tight line.

Not a single soul answered.

They didn't even care enough to argue with me.

I moved around Ethan toward the door, but all three of them rushed forward at once.

Evelyn locked her grip around my left arm. Ethan clamped his hand around my right elbow.

I fought back with everything I had, screaming at them to let me go.

No one let go. Their grip on my joints was terrifyingly tight.

They dragged me down the steps, my heels scraping against the stone.

The car drove straight into the underground garage of the women's hospital.

They shoved me into the elevator. The polished metal walls reflected my ghost-white face.

Outside the operating room, a nurse wheeled out a gurney.

I gripped the doorframe, looking at Ethan one last time.

"Are you really going to throw our child away?"

Ethan turned his face away, but his hands didn't loosen their grip at all as he shoved me forward.

Before stepping through those doors, I still had a tiny glimmer of hope.

If he had said he wanted to keep this baby, I would have called my lawyer right then to tear up the severance agreement.

The nurse grabbed my wrist.

The double doors swung shut before my eyes.

The harsh surgical lights overhead snapped on, blinding me.

I remembered how, years ago, Ethan had used these exact hands to kneel down and wipe the dirt from my face.

Now, those same hands pushed me into this hell.

I lay flat on the freezing cold operating table, tears streaming from my eyes and disappearing into my hair.

From this moment on, I would never ask him for anything ever again.

The severance papers and annulment agreement at my lawyer's office were already signed. Once the legal paperwork cleared, I was leaving for good.