Chapter 1

On the day I gave birth, my husband was the surgeon.

I had just come out of the anesthesia when I saw him standing by the bed, his tone cruelly calm:

"There was never any child. This surgery was a lie I told you, just to make your sister-in-law happy."

"Your period never came because I swapped all the pregnancy-support medication I gave you for birth control pills."

My stomach churned. I grabbed the alcohol and poured it straight over the wound below. Searing pain swept through my whole body, so sharp it left me numb.

Everything he had touched felt so filthy it suffocated me.

Once I was fully awake, I rushed out of the room, only to find everyone around me pointing and whispering.

Luther seized me tightly from behind, his thin lips against my ear, murmuring coldly:

"Rowena, you can't leave me. I broadcast the entire surgery live, and they've seen your most humiliating side plain as day."

"In this life, no one but me will ever want you."

Looking at the man I'd loved for ten years, I suddenly laughed until I cried.

This love that shamed me to the bone—I was better off without it.

01

Their harsh insults reached my ears.

"So shameless. She must have asked for it herself, planning to seduce some other man."

"Look at the way she flaunts herself. Would our Dr. Henson ever want her? She's not half as pretty as our Dorothy."

Dorothy is my sister-in-law's name.

Luther's lingering warmth left my face.

He shielded me behind him, but every word he said was in defense of Dorothy.

"She doesn't know any better, she's bad with words and can't explain herself, so don't be hard on her."

"But I know exactly what kind of person Dorothy is. This has nothing to do with her."

When he finished, their eyes turned on me with even more disgust.

I only gave a cold laugh and shook off his hand.

My body went weak, and I stumbled, catching myself against the wall.

"Get out! I don't need your pity!"

"Luther, we're through. It's completely over!"

My fingers clawed at the wall, gripping so hard they were almost bleeding.

He only frowned coldly and pushed me behind him.

The wound that had just been stitched split open again, and I clutched my stomach in pain.

With a wet sound, I spat out bright red blood.

Luther's words died on his lips as I cut him off.

He turned his head and looked at me impatiently:

"Is putting on an act in front of me really that fun?"

"Three whole hours of surgery and you didn't cry out in pain once, and now you're pretending to spit up blood."

Everyone turned to look my way.

I stared up at him in disbelief.

But I no longer wanted to argue.

I only shook my head helplessly and took a deep breath.

I turned and walked into the ward, about to shut the door.

Just as the world outside was almost out of sight, Luther shot out a hand and grabbed the door.

His hand was crushed and bleeding badly.

Before I could react, he wrenched the door open and rushed inside.

Then he turned and shut it behind him.

He reached out and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.

The tenderness in his eyes was plain to see.

"Rowena," he said my name cautiously, "does it hurt?"

"I know it hurts you inside, after what they just said about you."

"You know how it is—my brother died young, and his widow doesn't even have a child. If she found out you'd had a baby, she'd definitely be jealous."

I almost laughed from sheer anger.

What did the love between the two of us have to do with his Dorothy?

Looking into his eyes, I felt like I no longer knew this man.

I reached out and weakly pushed him.

"Luther, I want a divorce!"