Chapter 3

Countless gazes fell on me—some shocked, some mocking, some openly disdainful.

My whole body trembled, my face burning red.

I had endured this kind of humiliation before.

Four years ago, at my wedding.

Back then, Arin deliberately hid my wedding dress, forcing me to stumble through the ceremony in a random white gown.

And over the past four years of illness, I had survived countless moments of unspeakable disgrace.

I refused to show weakness.

After struggling up the final step, I lifted my face instinctively, about to ask Byron for help.

“My wheelchair…”

But Byron was already gone.

Arin had dragged him away to open her birthday presents.

The last bit of strength I was holding onto collapsed instantly.

The man who had sworn countless times to protect me had long since abandoned me.

In a neglected corner, tears soaked silently into the carpet.

The banquet was lavish beyond measure—far more than a birthday party.

It looked like a grand gathering meant for a Godfather and Godmother.

With a casual wave of his hand, Byron presented Arin with three extravagant gifts.

A nomination for a prestigious medical award.

A private hospital, with Arin appointed as its director.

And a ring bearing the totem of the family’s matriarch.

The very ring he once told me he would personally place on my finger once I recovered—

now firmly worn on Arin’s hand.

I couldn’t stop the bitter curve of my lips.

That faint trace of self-mockery, however, enraged Arin.

Unable to lash out in public, she cornered me during a break in the banquet, blocking me outside the restroom.

“What are you laughing at?” she snapped.

“So what if you have a marriage certificate? I’m telling you—Byron will marry me sooner or later and cut you off completely!”

I replied calmly,

“You don’t need to tell me. Go tell him.”

She choked on her words, her face flushing red.

Then she lunged at me like a madwoman, trying to shove me down the stairs.

But I was prepared—I clung tightly to the handrail.

In the scuffle, Byron arrived just in time.

Instantly, tears welled up in Arin’s eyes.

“Eunice, I’m sorry!” she cried. “Please don’t push me!”

With that, she clenched her teeth—

and deliberately threw herself down the stairs.

Clumsy acting.

A crude setup.

But for someone as clever as Byron—

he believed it.

“Arin!”

Fury and panic collided in his voice as he rushed down the stairs, never sparing a glance for me—

clinging to the railing, half my body suspended over empty space.

“Byron…”

My voice echoed through the stairwell.

There was no response.

Several minutes later, my strength finally gave out.

I fell from the third floor.

I don’t know how long I was unconscious this time.

When I finally opened my eyes again, the hospital bed beside me was empty.

Three days later, Byron finally came to see me.

The moment he entered, he accused me instead.

“It was Arin’s birthday, and you still let her fall and bleed. That was completely inappropriate.”

Inappropriate?

The most inappropriate thing I ever did—

was marrying him.

I turned my face away, rejecting any further conversation.

Perhaps the sight of me wrapped in bandages from head to toe finally stirred something in him.

Byron sighed and sat down beside me.

“Making you crawl up the steps in public was a bit much,” he admitted.

“But you also pushed her down the stairs… Let’s just let this go. No need to keep score.”

“Do I even have the right to keep score with her?” I asked coldly.

“You know perfectly well whose fault this is. Haven’t you always been taking her side?”

His expression shifted, a flash of guilt crossing his eyes.

But in the end, it hardened into blame directed at me.

“You’re her elder. She’s just a young girl throwing a tantrum. Rest for a few days—once your body heals, it’ll be fine. It’s nothing serious.”

Nothing serious?

I had fallen from the third floor.

Multiple comminuted fractures all over my body.

Eating was painful.

And he dismissed it with a single casual sentence.

I had no doubt that even if I had died in front of him that day, he would only have complained that my blood stained Arin’s birthday party.

A man who no longer loved me—no matter how much pain I was in, I couldn’t stir even a trace of concern in him.

I didn’t want to waste any more energy.

Suppressing the cold smile at my lips, I said,

“Fine. I won’t argue. You can leave. I need to rest.”

But Byron didn’t get up.

After hesitating for a moment, he tightened his grip on my hand and spoke gently.

“Eunice, there’s something I need your consent for…”

“My mother hopes Arin can give me an heir—to continue the bloodline.”

I froze for a moment before replying.

“Whatever happens between you and her, you don’t need my permission.”

Even if I refused—would he listen?

Seeing that I had misunderstood, Byron explained patiently.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you suffer. The technology is very advanced now. As long as we use artificial insemination, Arin can get pregnant.”

“The child will be registered under your name. You’ll still be the Godmother. The child will call you ‘Mom.’”

I felt dazed.

The man in front of me had become a stranger.

“But I don’t want her child!”

I broke down completely.

“Don’t forget—it was her schemes that made me unable to stand. I may never even be able to have my own child!”

Just imagining myself holding the child of Arin and Byron made me sick to my stomach.

“No. I don’t agree.”