###Chapter 2
My heart pounded wildly in my chest, as if it would explode at any moment.
In my desperate quest to conceive a child, I had swallowed countless hormone pills over the years. As a result, my once slender figure became bloated and misshapen and my skin lost its natural glow.
More painfully, I found myself lying on cold operating tables time and time again for procedures like fallopian tube recanalization and uterine adhesion release. Each excruciating pain from the instruments churning inside me pushed me to the brink of unconsciousness.
When I emerged from the surgery, drenched in cold sweat and pale-faced, Cedric would always hold me tightly in his arms immediately.
"It's all those bastards' fault, making you suffer like this!" His voice choked with sobs, full of heartache. "I wish I could cut them into a thousand pieces, but they've already vanished without a trace."
At the time, I felt blessed to have such a gentle husband, believing he was the only light shining into my dark life. But now, I finally realize that the child I am risking my life for is nothing more than a "fertilized egg" to him.
A chill ran down my spine as I listened to him confidently tell Sandra. "Your brother, William, will also support us. After all, when Macie returned to the Lancasters, she used despicable means to drive you away out of jealousy. Although you're just an adopted daughter, you're the only family he truly loves."
The irony was that twenty-five years ago, when the Larkin Enterprise was facing a crisis, Sandra took half of my parents' inheritance and abandoned Cedric without a second thought.
And on that same night, Cedric received a video.
In the footage, Sandra, dressed in tattered clothes, knelt on the ground. That woman sobbed as she begged, "Macie, please don't do this to me! I've already left Cedric. Isn't that enough? Please, they're going to kill me!"
By the end of the video, she was assaulted by several men.
Back then, I desperately tried to explain that I had nothing to do with it and Cedric just gently stroked my hair as he said, "Macie, how could I not believe you?"
Still, just a few days later, I was dragged into a dark alley after working late.
Humiliating videos of me were spread all over the internet and everyone mocked me as "damaged goods."
Despite the scandal, Cedric knelt by my hospital bed with a ten-carat diamond ring to propose, using his "devotion" to protect my "reputation."
When the doctor declared it would be difficult for me to conceive, he wiped away my tears. He hired the world's best specialists, promising, "Macie, we will have our own baby."
During my long nights of insomnia, he stayed by my side, repeatedly vowing to love me for a lifetime.
The whole world believed Cedric cherished me above all else. I never doubted it either—until I realized he'd orchestrated this entire charade himself.
It was all a lie.
For twenty-five years, I have lived as a joke perfectly directed by him. I wonder what he felt as he watched me, his pawn, struggle and act foolishly from the front row.
I staggered away, fled in my car at full speed back home and the moment I stepped through the door, I vomited a mouthful of blood.
Lying face-down on the icy floor tiles, my face smeared with blood and tears. I felt despair nearly tear me apart, but for the sake of my child, I had to stand up.
Throughout these years, I was the one who helped Cedric through every crisis. Half of the Larkin Enterprise's success was built on my hard work.
On our tenth anniversary, he had insisted on gifting me 25% of the shares. Although I declined at the time, he told me he would keep that contract for me forever.
I entered Sandra's birthday as the code and sure enough, the safe clicked open.
Reaching inside, the first thing I touched was a box of condoms of a brand I'd never used, with only a few left. Looking further down, I found his insurance policy, where the beneficiary had already been changed.
Sandra Lancaster's name pierced my heart once again.
I wiped my face and hesitated no longer as I signed my name on the share transfer agreement. Fortunately, Cedric was so certain I would never touch this "gift" that the signatures and company seal were already complete.
After calling my lawyer and having him draft the divorce agreement, I sent him a photo of the share transfer contract.
His reply came quickly. [The agreement is authentic and valid. It can take effect immediately.]
A cold smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "Very well, but I need you to wait a few days before making it public."
Just then, familiar footsteps sounded behind me as Cedric walked in, his brow furrowed. "Make it public? What are you planning to make public?"
