Chapter 1

Three months into my pregnancy, Zoran publicly pointed at my belly and told me to get rid of the baby.

I held back tears as I tried to coax him home, but he shoved me away.

He looked down at me with cold arrogance:

"Felicity, didn't you plan to climb into my bed and get pregnant with my child in exchange for a place to stay?"

"You are not qualified to give birth to my child."

I stood up, my stomach cramping painfully.

Zoran kissed the woman in his arms shamelessly, putting on a live sex show.

In the dim private room, everyone was waiting to see me humiliated.

------

Zoran's pitch-black eyes stared straight at me as he kissed the woman in his arms right in front of me.

Amidst the sensual atmosphere, the woman's soft moans continuously echoed.

"Stop it, everyone's watching!"

Her coquettish yet seductive voice sent shivers down everyone's spine.

Zoran tightened his grip and with a swift motion, tore the woman's collar apart:

"What's the big deal? Have Felicity take hers off and give it to you."

Zoran glanced at me from the woman's snow-white skin: "If you won't take it off, should I do it for her?"

My face turned pale as I bit my lip, struggling to control my emotions that were on the verge of collapse.

Taking a deep breath, I took off my jacket and draped it over the woman's shoulders.

The private room was too dark; I could barely make out their faces.

"Zoran, you're drunk. I'll wait for you outside."

My choked voice was accompanied by my entire body trembling.

"Sister, it's cold outside. You should take your jacket back."

A sweet female voice came from behind me. Before I could react, someone grabbed my wrist.

Under the woman's torn collar, her delicate neck was covered in tiny, shocking kiss marks.

She placed the jacket in my hands and smiled at me. Extremely close, it was only now that I could see clearly the woman in front of me smiled exactly like the deceased Serena.

I was somewhat stunned: "Serena??"

That woman was badly startled by me, stepping back and retreating into Zoran's arms.

"You have no right to call her name!"

"It should have been you who died back then, not Serena!"

Zoran roared with a deep anger, wishing he could tear me apart and devour me.

He hated me.

Hated that I was the only survivor of that car accident years ago.

Ten years ago, I accompanied Serena to a dance troupe competition, but we encountered a multi-car pileup, and Serena died on the spot.

Zoran blamed everything on me. If I hadn't encouraged her to participate in the competition, she wouldn't have died.

But what he didn't know was that his deeply loved pure love only faked her death to escape because she no longer loved him.

To avoid breaking his heart, I've kept my mouth shut all these years.

But even after a decade, I couldn't thaw this man's heart.

This time, I'm truly exhausted.

A heart I couldn't warm, I no longer want it either.

With a loud bang, Zoran threw me against the corner of the wall.

The dull pain from my back nearly left me breathless.

I instinctively clutched my stomach, but this only made Zoran angrier. "I knew you signed a surrogacy agreement with the Gevano family. Once the child is born, they'll acquire the struggling Winters family."

"But I won't acknowledge your child! If you're smart, you'll terminate the pregnancy early."

Everyone present finally couldn't help but start gossiping.

Those mocking gazes fell on me, like a thousand cuts.

They freely discussed the wild and reckless decade Zoran and I shared.

Stealing a dead friend's boyfriend, bankruptcy, drugging to get into bed, a secret lover, selling myself for investments...

Even including the surrogacy agreement I signed with the Gevano family.

One by one, each incident nailed me, a woman of ill repute, to the pillory of shame.

"I won't let anyone but Serena bear my..."

"Fine."

I cut Zoran off before he could finish.

Propping myself up with my elbow, I slowly stood up.