Chapter 1
Josephine Kennedy waited and waited at the Rooftop Garden Restaurant, but Gideon Getty was nowhere to be seen. Instead of her husband, what arrived was a picture message from an unknown number.
The image showed a woman, face hidden, her voluptuous upper body bare as a pair of large hands cupped and kneaded her full breasts. The wedding band glinting on that hand's ring finger sent Josephine a crystal-clear message: her husband, Gideon, was cheating!
On their third wedding anniversary, when she'd been filled with joyful anticipation, this devastating revelation instantly brought tears to her eyes. Droplets fell onto her phone screen, obscuring the wedding band.
Josephine glanced at the carefully wrapped gift she'd prepared. Now... it was pointless.
Wiping away her tears, she rose gracefully to leave when she spotted him—Gideon in his impeccable suit, sitting in a corner with a woman intimately clinging to his arm. The rage of betrayal surged beyond control.
Josephine marched straight to their table and confronted him, "Since you're bold enough to parade your mistress right in front of me, why not join me at my table?"
"Jojo?" Gideon looked momentarily flustered, but quickly regained his composure. "Let me introduce you—this is Easton's girlfriend, Lorelei Kelly."
Easton Williams was Gideon's lifelong friend, notorious for being a playboy.
Afraid Josephine wouldn't believe him, Gideon continued earnestly, "Easton's preparing a surprise proposal. He asked me to bring her here first. If you don't believe me, wait until he arrives and he'll tell you himself."
Under Gideon's icy warning glare, Lorelei reluctantly forced a smile. "That's right, Josephine. Please don't misunderstand. Gideon and I just arrived early to check things out."
A crowd of onlookers was gathering. Without concrete evidence, pursuing this would only make her look foolish.
"By the way, Jojo, what brings you here?" Gideon suddenly changed the subject.
Josephine gave a cold laugh. "Why am I here? Didn't you see my message?" Several days ago, she'd discovered her pregnancy and immediately called Gideon. But he'd cut the call short, claiming he was busy. She'd decided to surprise him, so she hadn't told him then.
"Today's our anniversary," she said with a bitter smile. "I even sent you a message this morning. Didn't you receive it?"
Gideon genuinely hadn't. He shot a subtle glance at Lorelei before pulling Josephine into his arms. "I'm sorry. I've been in meetings all day—my head's a mess. I've had your gift ready since this morning. I'll call Paul to bring it up right away."
In Gideon's embrace, Josephine caught the scent of cheap, pungent perfume. She felt nauseated—not just physically, but emotionally. She wanted to expose him right there, but she knew Gideon too well. Faced with accusations without proof, he'd have a thousand excuses ready.
Fighting the urge to vomit, Josephine discreetly pushed away from him. "They're planning a proposal—we shouldn't intrude. Let's go." Her tone was casual, offering Gideon an easy exit.
They returned to their table, where Gideon immediately grabbed the gift box. "For me?" He started to unwrap it.
Josephine had imagined countless times how Gideon would react when he opened the gift and saw the pregnancy test results inside. Would he cheer with joy? Or tear up with emotion? But now... it wasn't the right time.
"What is it..." Just as Gideon was about to lift the lid, Josephine snatched the box away. "It's just a little something. Let's wait until we get home."
At that moment, their driver arrived with several gift bags of various sizes—clearly not hastily purchased. But Josephine couldn't summon any happiness. Lorelei had disappeared from the nearby table, and despite the talk of a proposal, Easton never showed up. The truth was obvious.
"Jojo, happy third anniversary." Gideon raised his glass.
Josephine didn't move. "I suddenly don't feel well. I want to go home."
"What's wrong? Should we go to the hospital?"
"No, I'm just tired. I need to rest." Seeing Josephine's unusually pale face, Gideon didn't press further.
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At Evercrest Manor, Josephine had secretly removed the pregnancy test results from the gift box while in the car. Once home, she went straight to bed, burying herself under the covers, thinking about that photo, about that woman...
Suddenly, she found herself enveloped in warm arms. His hot palms traveled from her waist to her lower abdomen, then continued upward.
Josephine looked down at the softly glowing wedding ring, at those same long fingers from the photo, and felt nothing but revulsion. "Let's just sleep."
Sensing her resistance, Gideon didn't push. He whispered in her ear, "Jojo, I love you. That's never changed. I've thought it all through—we can adopt children. One, two... however many. I can provide for them all. As long as you're by my side, nothing else matters."
Hearing this, Josephine couldn't deny feeling touched. She tested the waters, "Actually... the doctor said I have a chance of getting pregnant. It might happen any day now."
"Childbirth is hard on a woman." Gideon paused, then added lightly, "I don't want you to go through that pain. Besides, you'd focus all your attention on the baby—I'd get jealous."
With her back to Gideon, Josephine smirked coldly at his contradictions. Just moments ago, he'd talked about adopting multiple children. Now, in the blink of an eye, he was jealous of a hypothetical baby. Was he truly concerned about her suffering, or did he simply not want to have children with her?
She thought about all these years—how her failure to conceive had led to her mother-in-law forcing bitter herbal remedies down her throat, enduring the cold stares and harsh treatment from his family.
And now that she was finally pregnant, Josephine realized her husband didn't seem to want their child at all. What had all her years of effort and heartache been for?
Perhaps due to pregnancy fatigue, Josephine didn't wake until noon. The housekeeper, Mila, seeing her emerge from the bedroom, quickly served the prepared meal. "Mr. Getty called earlier. He said he's working late and won't be home tonight."
Josephine said nothing. Working late? Even in the early days when Gideon was building his business from scratch, hustling for clients, he always came home, no matter how late.
It seemed that for the past six months, he'd found various excuses to stay out all night. Had the affair started back then?
As she pondered this, her phone chimed with a notification. Josephine checked it—the same unknown number.
[8 PM, Radiant Pearl Hotel, Room 1108.]