Chapter 1

When I went to the hospital for my prenatal checkup, I ran into my husband, Carter Brooks, and his mistress, Chloe Jenkins, right outside the VIP clinic.

"I told you to go easy last night, but you just wouldn't listen! Now the doctor says I can't have sex for a whole month," Chloe whined, her voice dripping with fake innocence.

"I'm sorry, baby," Carter replied, his voice incredibly tender. "You were just too sexy last night, and I couldn't control myself. Tell me what you want, and I'll buy it to make it up to you."

Hearing their conversation didn't bother me at all.

After all, three years ago, I had agreed to Carter's proposal of an open marriage.

Chloe snuggled happily into Carter's chest and kept asking, "But what if your wife finds a lover too? Would you really not mind?"

Carter scoffed, his voice filled with disdain. "She would never cheat. She got pregnant just to keep me. She's desperate for my heart."

Standing right outside the door, I cursed silently.

What an arrogant, delusional idiot!

I only told him I was pregnant, but I never told him that the baby wasn't his.

I pulled out my phone and sent a text to the baby's real father, asking him to pick me up from the hospital in thirty minutes.

Then, I pushed the clinic door open.

The moment the crowd inside saw me, they instantly fell silent and stood up.

Carter's face went stiff. He instinctively shifted his body to block Chloe from my view, as if he was terrified I would do something to his precious little mistress.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Why are you so tense?" I asked. "I just came to see you. Now that I know you're fine, I'll be on my way."

Carter was clearly taken by surprise. His eyes lingered on my calm, emotionless face for a few seconds.

Back when he first proposed the open marriage, I had screamed, cried, and even tried to cut my wrists to fight it. But he had stood by with a cold gaze, letting the media drag my name through the mud until I became the most famous "crazy, jealous wife" in the entire city.

Carter rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking slightly guilty for once.

"She wanted to try something... wild, and there was a little accident."

He sighed. "The news in the papers today... you need to take the fall for her. She has a fragile personality, and she's still young. She can't handle the public backlash."

Carter was talking about the morning headlines. He and his mistress had ended up in the emergency room due to some extreme bedroom activities.

Yet, the public was blaming me.

Some called me a desperate wife turned doormat, while others mocked me for throwing away my dignity just to keep my title, even taking the blame for my husband's embarrassing scandals.

I simply smiled it off.

"You're right," I said. "I have thick skin. I don't mind taking the blame."

Carter's expression froze. He hesitated for a long moment before saying, "Amelia, I didn't mean it like that..."

Before he could finish, Chloe burst into dramatic, hysterical tears, interrupting our conversation.

"Oh, it's all my fault! I was just too clingy, and now I've made Amelia mad. Amelia, please, just slap me or scream at me like you used to! Just don't make things hard for Carter, I beg you!"

Her seemingly innocent words instantly triggered Carter's memory.

His face darkened, and he roared at me, "Apologize to Chloe, right now!"

"You came here pretending to check on me, but you're actually here to humiliate her. Do you think I can't see through your pathetic little games?"

I massaged my temples, feeling exhausted. "I really didn't mean it that way."

"Ha! You've done things like this a thousand times. Stop acting so innocent!" Carter sneered. "Do you think playing the victim will make me feel sorry for you and go home with you?"

I stared at him, momentarily dazed.

In the past, I really had done everything to save our marriage.

The first time he brought a woman home to spend the night, I had screamed and smashed our wedding photos.

The first time one of his playthings shoved an ultrasound photo in my face, I had set his office on fire.

Later, when my family's business was on the brink of collapse, he stood by and watched, taking the rescue funds meant for my parents to buy Chloe a luxury yacht instead. In retaliation, I plastered their intimate photos all over the city.

That stunt cost me everything. My family's business was liquidated, and my parents, unable to bear the shame and ruin, took their own lives.

Since then, I had learned my lesson.

I became the perfect, obedient Mrs. Brooks he always wanted. But now that I was finally giving him what he asked for, he accused me of playing hard to get.

I gently caressed my still-flat stomach, having no desire to argue with him. I quietly murmured, "I'm sorry, Chloe."

Everyone in the room was stunned. They had never seen me so submissive.

But Chloe's little lapdog of a friend decided to push her luck. "Chloe suffered so much because of you! You think a simple 'sorry' is enough?"

Carter glanced at me, his brow softening slightly. "That's enough. Amelia is pregnant. Let's not push it too far."

Chloe whimpered, wiping her tears. "Yes, let it go. I lost a baby for you once, Carter, so I know how hard pregnancy is. I don't mind suffering a little. After all, Amelia is pregnant."

She made it sound like I was abusing my pregnancy to bully her.

Sure enough, Carter's heart ached for her instantly.

He glared at me with a freezing look. "Amelia Sterling, just because I allowed you to carry my child doesn't mean you're above Chloe. If you dare to bully her again, I can take this child away from you at any moment!"