Chapter 1

While I was having my prenatal checkup, my husband suddenly posted a photo of a delivery room wristband on Instagram.

The caption read: "Welcome to the world, little guy."

I tapped on the photo and realized the hospital name on the wristband was exactly the same private clinic where I was.

Just as I was about to text him, a comment from my best friend, Harper, popped up at the bottom of the post.

"Congrats on becoming a dad!"

My hands shook as I called her. She stammered before finally letting the truth slip.

"He's been with that girl for five years, Chloe. We all knew."

"We just didn't want to stress you out while you were pregnant."

I leaned against the freezing hospital wall and slowly slid down to the floor.

It turned out my seven-year marriage was nothing but a performance, and everyone around me had been playing their parts perfectly.

And the baby in my belly? From the very beginning, he was nothing but an unplanned accident in Julian's perfect plan.

"Chloe, don't blame me for keeping this from you. I did it for your own good."

My best friend Harper's voice came through the receiver.

"Sienna has been with Julian for five years. She didn't want a title, she didn't want his money. She just wanted her baby to have a father."

"You're still Julian's legal wife. You're the one carrying his baby."

"Julian promised me he wouldn't divorce you. If you just pretend you don't know, you can still keep your perfect life."

I squeezed the crumpled prenatal report in my hand, my fingernails digging deep into my palm.

"Pretend I don't know?"

"Come on, Chloe. He's a rich, successful man. Which man in his circle doesn't have a little fun on the side?"

Her tone became incredibly dismissive.

"Your belly is so big right now. Making a scene will only hurt your baby."

"Julian's sister, Lauren, and the rest of the family have already met Sienna. Everyone agrees that as long as your position as his wife isn't threatened, you should just let it go."

I hung up.

My stomach churned, and acid burned the back of my throat.

I opened Julian's Instagram again. I zoomed in on the photo of the hospital wristband a hundred times.

The building number on the band was the seventeenth floor of this very hospital.

The format of the newborn's foot tag was identical to this high-end private clinic.

The comment section was buzzing.

Julian's childhood friend, Carter: "Hidden for five years, finally out in the open. Congrats, man!"

Julian's sister, Lauren: "Thank you for your hard work, Sienna. You've given our family our beautiful firstborn boy!"

Harper replied below: "Don't tag the one who shouldn't see this. She's pregnant and can't take the drama right now."

I scrolled down, line by line. Every single username was someone I knew.

Just then, my screen lit up.

It was Julian.

I pressed answer.

"Hey, sweetie. Are you done with your checkup?"

His voice was deep, gentle, and carried a perfectly calculated touch of exhaustion.

"What did the OB-GYN say? Is our baby healthy?"

I stared at the bustling lobby of the hospital.

"Where are you, Julian?"

"I just landed. There's an emergency project out of town that I need to supervise personally."

His tone was filled with fake regret.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there with you today. Did you eat a good lunch?"

"Is your morning sickness still bad? I had my assistant buy some peppermint tea and cookies you like."

"I'll be back in a few days to take you to the anatomy scan, okay?"

I listened to his steady, calm breathing.

His Instagram post went up at 9:43 AM today.

At that exact moment, I couldn't reach him, and I was crying alone in the corner of the hallway.

"Julian."

"Yeah? What's wrong, babe? You sound off."

"Are you really out of town?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end.

"Of course I am. The clients here are pretty demanding, so I might have to stay a couple more days. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"Go home and rest, okay? I asked the housekeeper to warm up some milk for you. Be good, wait for me to get back."

The line went dead.

I stood up. My legs were so weak my knees buckled before I could steady myself.

I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prenatal vitamins. As I passed the reception desk, a nurse's voice suddenly rose.

"Family of Sienna Brooks! Is the family of Sienna Brooks here?"

My feet froze.

Sienna Brooks.

The "demanding fifty-year-old female client" Julian had saved in his contacts.

He had told me she was a nightmare business partner.

"The birth registration form is wrong! The father's middle name is missing a letter!"

The nurse crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the recycling bin outside the counter.

"Fill out a new one and bring it back! Don't hold up the line!"

I walked over, bent down, and retrieved the paper ball from the bin.

I smoothed it out slowly.

Mother: Sienna Brooks.

Father: Julian Vance.

The timestamp was 10:00 AM today.

Right when I was on the fourth floor getting a fetal heart rate monitor, trembling with fear because of abnormal fetal movement.

The handwriting on the paper was firm and confident. It was Julian's.

I folded the paper and slipped it into my bag.