Chapter 2

Celine made sure not to let any of her distress show. She knew that leaving would become much more challenging if anyone found out that she knew Stellan's real intentions. For now, she had to pretend as if everything were normal. Seven days later, just before her discharge, Celine got an email from overseas. Attached were several photos of Lucia Stone. After discovering that Stellan had only been with her to avenge Lucia, Celine had asked her studio team to look into Lucia. She couldn't understand why winning the award—something she'd rightfully earned—had driven Lucia to such despair that she'd take her own life. Yet, the investigation revealed something shocking—Lucia wasn't dead. The photos showed her overseas, wrapped in a man's arms, her face radiant with happiness. Lucia and Stellan had been childhood sweethearts. They were promised to each other since they were young. However, she had fallen for someone else. Fearful of the Layman family's influence, she'd spun a lie, claiming that Celine's victory had made her severely depressed. Then, she faked her own death by drowning at sea to disappear abroad with the man she truly loved. Celine stared at the photos and laughed. Stellan had destroyed her for Lucia's sake. He'd taken three children from her, removed one of her kidneys, and left her barren. And the woman he pined for? His precious childhood sweetheart was alive and well overseas, clinging to another man. It was all a lie. The irony of the situation burned Celine like acid. She couldn't stop picturing Stellan's face when he would learn the truth. He planned to ruin her at their engagement ceremony, didn't he? She'd let him try. And in return, she'd give him a gift he'd remember for the rest of his life. Stellan led Celine back to the villa, where a towering stack of gifts awaited her. Taking her arm, he gestured toward the lavish display and murmured, "Do you like them, Celine?" She glanced at the assortment of items—handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, and high-end car keys—but said nothing. Stellan's brow furrowed slightly at her indifference. "Celine, are you feeling alright?" His voice held its usual tenderness. Yet, when she looked into his eyes, which were so full of adoration, the face she'd once longed for now felt utterly unfamiliar. She withdrew from his grasp and replied evenly, "I'm fine." Stellan remained oblivious to her detachment. He treated her just as he always had—attentive, considerate, and unfailingly devoted. If she hadn't heard those cruel words herself and if not for the angry scar across her abdomen, she might have almost believed that his love was genuine. He ladled soup into her bowl and piled her plate with food at dinner. "Celine, eat more. You've lost weight." Celine studied the dishes before her. They were all her former favorites. "What if I can never have children again?" she asked suddenly. Stellan froze. A flicker of something dark passed over his features before he grabbed her hand, his gaze brimming with tender conviction. "Don't be ridiculous. How could that happen? Once you've recovered, we'll try again. Next time... we'll hold our baby in our arms." A hollow ache spread across Celine's chest. Another child? Her uterus was gone. The very possibility had been carved from her body. She offered a faint, joyless smile and turned away before he could see the bitterness in her eyes. "If you say so… Take me to the cemetery tomorrow. I want to visit our baby." Stellan's hand froze, suspended above the serving dish. After a brief silence, he finally replied, "Okay." Later that night, Celine jolted awake from another nightmare. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and beads of her sweat soaked the sheets. After steadying herself, she got up to get herself a glass of water. But as she cracked the door open, she caught Stellan speaking on the phone. "Arrange for a burial plot. It doesn't have to be real. Celine wants to visit that wretched child's grave tomorrow, but I've already scattered the ashes by Lucia's tomb. Just set up a fake one to throw her off."