Chapter 1

An ordinary afternoon at Riverside Kindergarten, I was about to pick up my three-year-old son Noah.

Instead, chaos erupted when a psycho began attacking people with a knife.

Taking multiple stab wounds to shield my Noah, and finally collapsed in a pool of my own blood.

Through blurring vision, I saw my husband, Hudson Montclair, arrive with police and a trauma team.

"Noah... how's Noah?" I managed to whisper before they wheeled me into surgery.

Hudson, his eyes glistening with tears, told me Noah had bled out before reaching the hospital.

The grief knocked me unconscious.

I'd forgotten to mention my anesthesia immunity, and as awareness slowly returned, I caught the conversation between Hudson and my doctor.

"What the hell, Mr. Montclair? The kid could've made it - we could've saved him! Why stopping us from saving him? That was your son lying there, barely three years old!"

"I never meant for him to make it. That kid was a mistake I should've fixed a long time ago. And now he dares ask for birthday presents? Clearly longing for my business."

"My son with Valeria turns eighteen next week. I promised her the company as his inheritance. No one can stand in his way."

All this time, what I thought was a blessed marriage was actually hell on earth.

Well, if this is what they want, I'll give them what they desire.

......

The doctor examined my wounded abdomen and sighed.

"Despite the severity of her injuries, we can save her uterus. She could still have baby in the future."

"Remove it. All of it. Make sure she can never conceive again."

"Jesus Christ, Hudson!" The doctor's voice cracked with disbelief.

"You're handing everything to Valeria's son in three days anyway."

"Any future children couldn't possibly threaten that. She just lost her baby boy - how can you be this callous?"

Hudson's fingers traced my cheek with chilling gentleness, his words razor-sharp:

"That mistake of a child should never have been born.That brat dared ask for birthday presents - obvious what he was after."

"I swore to Valeria that no one would challenge our son's birthright."

"Even though she chose another man back then, I'll eliminate every possible threat to her and the boy."

A knock interrupted them.

A casual male voice cut through the sterile air: "Mr. Montclair, thanks for arranging that fake psychiatric evaluation. Kid's taken care of. About that payment we discussed..."

"Five million hits your account tonight. Take it and get out of Boston. Don't ever let Reese see your face again."

"Right then. Start the surgery - I need to meet Valeria about young Leon's custom gift."

"Oh, and pump her full of anesthesia. Don't let Reese suffer."

As footsteps faded, I bit down hard enough to crack teeth, forcing back tears.

The attacker wasn't mentally ill.

My husband - the man I'd trusted with my life, my love, our child - had hired an assassin. All to please his precious Valeria, to protect her son's inheritance.

My precious baby Noah, murdered on his third birthday.

His crime? Simply asking his father for a birthday present.

My perfect marriage was hell on earth all along.

Chapter 2

The anesthesia had no effect on my body.

Every movement of cold surgical instruments felt like being torn me apart. The pain eventually pulled me into darkness.

When I opened my eyes, Hudson was there, his eyes red from crying. His voice was soft with a mix of concern and hidden guilt:

"Reese, thank God you're finally awake. How's your feeling now?"

"I've been outside the OR the whole time. God, Reese, losing Noah... it's killing me. If I lost you too, I just... I couldn't handle it."

"Babe, the doctors told me... the stab wounds damaged your uterus. You won't be able to have more kids." He squeezed my hand. "But don't worry - I'll take care of you forever. Being childless isn't so bad."

I looked down at my bandaged abdomen. The hollow emptiness inside reminded me that my chance at motherhood had been permanently stolen.

"Where's Noah?" My voice was barely a whisper.

Hudson's face tightened with grief mixed with something darker: "He's been cremated. The funeral's tomorrow."

"Reese, I'm so sorry - I failed him. Failed both of you."

My heart clenched, but I didn't expose his lies.

On the bedside table sat a elegant box containing a protection pendant.

"Hudson... it's Noah's birthday. We never gave him his present. Could this pendant stay with him? To keep him safe, wherever he is?"

Hudson's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. "Hon, that's actually a commission I'm handling for a client's kid. We can't give away someone else's piece."

"Besides, it's meant for the living. Noah's... he can't use it now."

"And honestly, it's not special enough for him. I've ordered all the premium items for the funeral. He'll have everything he needs."

I stayed silent, my heart turning to stone.

Hudson had forgotten my years as a luxury jewelry authenticator before becoming a stay-at-home mom.

That pendant was platinum and diamonds, custom-designed, worth well into six figures.

The inscription read "Forever Protected" - a testament to parental love.

For two months, I'd caught glimpses of Hudson in his study, meticulously designing that pendant. I'd thought it was Noah's birthday gift.

Now I understood - in his heart, we were the ones who were unworthy.

At my insistence, Hudson arranged my discharge and took me home.

He dismissed the private nurse, insisting on caring for me himself - bathing me, washing my hair, carefully working around the wounds.

He even blow-dried my hair, playing the attentive husband to perfection.

Once, his gentle touch would have melted me.

Now, tracing the brutal scars across my stomach and remembering Noah's last moments, I felt nothing but emptiness.

That night, while Hudson slept, I slipped into his study and logged into his laptop.

The password? Valeria's birthday.

Thousands of photos and videos filled his drives - Valeria's pregnancy, their son's milestones, every precious moment of their secret family life.

Hidden among them: a prepared stock transfer agreement.

Throughout our fifteen-year marriage, Hudson spent most of his time "traveling for business."

Reality? He was building a life with Valeria and their son.

How naive I'd been never to question it.

His WhatsApp still logged in. The pinned chat group titled "Our Perfect Family of Three" felt like a knife to my heart.

Chapter 3

For eighteen years, Hudson had showered Valeria and their son with extravagant gifts.

The WhatsApp messages told the story:

"Babe, Leon's just a newborn! A bit early for that Maserati, don't you think? But you always spoil him... BTW, obsessed with that sapphire necklace! Love you! "

"Hudson! It's Leon's third birthday! The private island is absolutely gorgeous. You'll be here this afternoon, right? Your little man can't wait to see his daddy! "

That kind of devotion? Noah and I never knew it.

I'd given up my promising career at twenty to marry Hudson, happy to be his support system through the tough years of building his empire.

The stress took its toll - I struggled to conceive, but Hudson seemed oddly unbothered.

I'd thought he was being considerate, trying not to pressure me.

God, how naive I was.

In our fifteenth year of marriage, I finally got pregnant.

However, Hudson's reaction wasn't the joy I'd expected - just a perfunctory smile.

Now, looking at photos of him kissing Valeria's pregnant belly, his face radiant with happiness, the truth hit me:

He already had the child he wanted.

My Noah? Just an unwanted complication to be eliminated.

No wonder Hudson always had "urgent business trips" on Noah's birthday.

The dates were too close - Leon's birthday was just three days later. Hudson needed time to prepare the perfect celebration for his "real" family.

My hands trembling, I called Sophie in Switzerland. For years, she'd been trying to get me to join her jewelry company as an authentication specialist.

"Sophie? I'm ready now. Three days. I'll be there."

I made a few other arrangements with her too.

Afterthat, I went to Noah's room.

Everything was exactly as he'd left it - his pillow still held that sweet baby scent, but my baby would never come home again.

Under his pillow, I found a wish bottle - his birthday wishes written down by his teacher.

"Teacher says brave boys speak up, so I finally asked Daddy for a birthday present. But he got mad and left before I could finish."

"I just wanted Daddy to spend an hour with me on my birthday. Even thirty minutes would make me super happy."

The paper crumpled in my shaking hands. Tears scalded my cheeks as rage and heartbreak warred in my chest.

This - THIS was what Hudson saw as dangerous ambition? A little boy's innocent wish for thirty minutes with his father?

After printing the divorce papers, I held Noah's blanket close, breathing in his scent one last time.