After three years of dating, Breanna Hilton—born with a congenital uterus defect—finally got pregnant after ninety-nine rounds of IVF.
But on the very day she learned she was pregnant, she saw—right there in the obstetrics department—her boyfriend Todd Lannister standing beside her best friend Darlean… while accompanying her for an ultrasound.
Her heart lurched so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
“Babe, look! Doesn’t our child look just like you?”
Darlean’s voice was all soft and sweet.
Todd bent down and gently kissed her full, rounded belly. “She’s only five months along,” he said softly. “How can you tell anything already?”
Breanna’s mind went completely blank. It was like a loud buzzing swallowed everything.
Everyone knew that Todd cherished her like his own life.
She was the one who stuck with him through his three hardest years. His first love. He had sworn to the heavens that he would marry no one but her.
But the Lannisters said she could only marry into the family after giving birth to a child.
For her, Todd had clashed with his family again and again. He had endured family punishments, begging for forgiveness three days and nights in the pouring rain…
He once told her, “Even if you can’t have kids, I’ll still marry you.”
Because of that promise, Breanna willingly went through ninety-nine IVF attempts, her abdomen covered in dark bruised scars—just to give him a child that belonged to the two of them.
Todd was the one who saved her from her bullies.
Darlean Hewey was the best friend she rescued from a gambling-addict father.
And now… the two of them were together, betraying her.
A tight, crushing pain hit her chest. While tears welled up, threatening to spill, she dialed a number with shaking fingers.
“Hello… I’m ready to accept your offer. I’ll be your partner on the case. I agree to cancel my identity and head overseas.”
Six months ago, after completing her mission, the organization awarded her their highest honor and promised she could return anytime she wanted.
Fifteen days later, the name Breanna no longer existed in this world.
And before that happened, Todd didn’t deserve to know a thing.
1
Breanna stood in the shadows, a sharp, twisting pain churning in her stomach.
She rushed into the nearest restroom stall, throat burning with bitterness, but nothing would come out.
Just then, her phone lit up. It was a message from Todd.
[Babe, I just bought an emerald bracelet for you at the auction. You’ll love it.]
A swarm of dark spots exploded across her vision, and she finally couldn’t hold it back; she doubled over and vomited.
Staring at the sweet couple photo of them on her screen, her fingers dug deep into her palms.
She was just about to push open the door when she suddenly heard his low voice outside.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
Darlean’s soft, fragile voice followed.
“Todd, the baby keeps kicking me lately… I haven’t slept well in days.”
Todd let out a low chuckle.
“I know it’s been hard for you. So, what do you want as compensation?”
Darlean’s voice turned overly sweet.
“I want that emerald bracelet you just bought… or… do you think Breanna is more important than me?”
A sharp pulse throbbed in Breanna’s temples, her chest tightening.
A few seconds later, Todd finally spoke.
“Of course not. If you like it, it’s yours.”
Darlean laughed in satisfaction. Their footsteps faded as they finally walked away.
Inside the stall, Breanna tasted iron on her tongue; it felt like she’d swallowed her own blood.
Apparently, in Todd’s heart, she ranked beneath Darlean now.
Breanna slowly slid down to the floor, her mind drifting back to everything they’d been through.
At sixteen, she had stepped in to pull him out of the nightmare of school bullying. The day he grabbed a knife and tried to hurt himself, she’d yanked it from his hand and cut her own arm instead, smiling as she said, “Todd, can you really stand to see me like this?”
At eighteen, on his birthday, she’d baked him a cake herself, found him drenched in the rain by the roadside, just to tell him, “Happy birthday.”
His eyes had gone red as he tugged on her sleeve and whispered, “You’ll never leave me, right?”
A year ago, on the day his family publicly announced him as the next heir, she received a call from the police—her father, a narcotics officer, had been shot dead by traffickers.
She swore to carry on his legacy. After failing to reach Todd multiple times, she eventually found out why.
On his way to see her, he’d gotten into a severe car accident. His kidney ruptured, and he was dying.
Without hesitation, she donated her own kidney to save him, left him a letter, and quietly left the country.
She believed their love could withstand time.
But when she finished her mission and returned to the Lannisters’ place, she saw Todd and Darlean kissing.
He noticed Breanna. He pulled her into his arms, refusing to let go.
“Babe, you’re finally back… I was just drunk…” he reasoned. “She smiles too much like you… I messed up…”
He waited outside her building for seven days and seven nights. When he finally collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, Breanna saw the countless fresh self-inflicted wounds on his wrists and learned that after she left, his depression had relapsed. He’d been hospitalized repeatedly and nearly died.
That was when her heart softened.
She forgave him and Darlean.
Breanna never imagined that her forgiveness would turn her into the biggest joke of all.
Betrayal pierced her like a blade. With her eyes burning red, she ran out of the hospital and headed straight home.
Before stepping inside, she wiped her tears and forced herself to calm down.
Then she heard voices from the living room.
Todd and his mother were talking.
“Todd, these baby items were specially picked. Don’t forget to bring them to Darlean.”
Complicated emotions flickered in Todd’s eyes. He replied quietly, “Don’t bring these things here anymore. Breanna still can’t get pregnant… Seeing them will only upset her.”
“If she weren’t infertile, I wouldn’t have supported you being with that Hewey girl,” his mother said. Each word stabbed into Breanna’s chest like needles. “But are you really using Darlean only to have a child? You’ve got no feelings for her at all?”
Todd paused, his voice low and steady.
“Of course not.
“Breanna is the air I breathe. I can’t live without her.
“But Darlean… She gives me this sense of conquest. She’s irresistible.
“Once she gives birth, I’ll find an excuse to adopt the baby. Breanna can finally have a child, and she won’t have to suffer through IVF anymore. As for the family’s future, let Darlean’s child inherit. Think of it as compensation for her.”
His mother sighed. “What if Breanna finds out? That girl is stubborn…”
Todd’s expression instantly turned cold.
“She never will.”
Pain ripped through Breanna’s chest. Her throat burned; even breathing hurt.
Her stomach heaved violently, but she forced down the nausea, pulled out her phone, and made a call.
“Hi. I accept your offer. I’ll be your partner on the case. I agree to cancel my identity and leave the country.”
Six months ago, after completing her mission, she’d been awarded a first-class merit and was told she could return anytime she wished.
Fifteen days later, she ceased to exist.
And before that happens, Todd has no right to know.
