The moment we got home, I told Dario I was exhausted and took Sophia straight to the bedroom.
I needed to think.
Why me? Why did Dario choose me to bear his children for spare parts?
The only logical explanation was that Emma was his biological daughter. He believed a child we had together would have the highest chance of being a match.
I looked at the three baby photos hanging on the wall. Wiping away a fresh tear, I whispered, “Don’t worry, my sweet babies. Mommy will get justice for you.”
They say love is blind. Well, mine had just been ripped wide open.
Over the next few weeks, I focused on regaining my strength.
Once I felt better, I asked my mom to help with Sophia, using my design work as an excuse.
The first thing I did was track down Nora.
Nora, Dario’s “true love.” She was a senior nurse at a children’s hospital. They had dated for years before suddenly breaking up, after which Dario married me in a heartbeat.
Looking back, it was painfully clear. He married me to be a human incubator.
Nora was still at the hospital with Emma. Dario had mentioned it, so she wasn't hard to find.
When I arrived, she was in Emma’s room, kissing her daughter.
“Emma, soon you’ll be able to live like a normal kid,” she said softly.
Her daughter’s “normal” life was built on the foundation of my four pregnancies and three dead children.
A child is a mother’s everything.
I was barely thirty, and I had already lost three.
I clenched my fists, my heart a knot of grief and rage.
Composing myself, I walked into the room with a gift bag.
Nora looked up, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard Emma’s surgery is happening soon. I just wanted to see how she was doing,” I said quietly.
“When did you get so nice?” Nora eyed me with suspicion.
I couldn’t blame her. We’d fought more than once, usually because I was jealous of how close she and Dario were. I’d even caught them having dinner together and caused a huge scene.
“I’m done fighting,” I said, feigning defeat. “Dario’s heart is with you. I’m not going to compete anymore.”
“If you want to be Mrs. Blackwood, I’ll step aside.”
As I spoke, I casually swiped Emma’s used toothbrush from the side table while Nora was distracted.
She was still skeptical. “You loved Dario so much. You’re just giving up?”
“There’s no point in loving someone who doesn’t love me back. I’m just… tired. If you don’t believe me, you and Emma can move in with us. I won’t get in your way.”
With that, I left.
I knew she’d take the bait.
Dario had suggested it before, saying it was hard for a single mom. I had shut it down immediately.
I took the toothbrush to a lab and had a DNA test done against a sample of Dario’s.
An hour later, I had my answer.
Just as I suspected. Emma was his daughter.
I gripped the report, my heart feeling like it was being shredded to ribbons.
All these years, I was nothing more than a baby factory to him.
But at least I knew the truth before it was too late.
When I got home, Dario had dinner waiting.
He pulled me into a beaming hug. “I heard you told Nora she could move in. Scarlett, thank you for understanding.”
I had never seen him look so genuinely happy.
I hugged him back. “Of course. As a woman, I understand how hard it must be for her.”
“Of course,” he repeated, grinning from ear to ear.
Just then, Nora and Emma arrived.
Dario’s face lit up. He swept Emma into his arms. “Emma! I made all your favorites!”
He cared so much for Nora’s child, while my own children were less than worthless to him.
In that moment, my heart shattered for the last time.
Nora shot me a sideways glance. “Glad you finally know your place,” she whispered.
I gave her a faint smile. “Then you’d better hurry up and sink your claws into him for good.”
