Moments later, an assistant arrived with a platter of my favorite fruits and snacks. Tristan placed his laptop in front of me, queuing up my favorite TV series. Finally, he reached out and rubbed my head affectionately.
"I still have some work to finish. Be good and wait for me here, okay? Once I’m done, I’ll take you out for seafood."
His tone was soft, his gaze filled with love—so convincing, so practiced.
He turned away, settling into his chair, but barely a minute had passed when a message popped up on my screen.
"Brother, my heart is getting worse. Am I dying soon? When will you give me my sister-in-law’s umbilical cord blood?"
My breath hitched.
He had forgotten to log out of Facebook on his laptop, syncing his messages in real time.
And then, right before my eyes, he responded.
"Soon. In five days, I’ll arrange a car accident. She’ll believe the child died in the crash. Then, we’ll use the umbilical cord blood to treat you. My Faye will be fine."
A car accident.
He had planned it all.
The joy on his face when he learned about my pregnancy, the way he had cradled me as if I were his most precious treasure—none of it was real. He wasn’t excited to become a father. He was just thrilled that he could finally save Faye.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, he suddenly turned to me and flashed a reassuring smile.
"Wife, just a little longer. I’ll finish up soon, and then we’ll go have that seafood dinner you love."
His eyes were filled with sincerity, his tone dripping with affection, as if he weren’t plotting my death just moments ago.
I clenched my hands beneath the blanket, forcing down the rage and nausea clawing at my throat. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I scrolled through the rest of his chat with Faye.
And what I saw made my blood turn to ice.
"Tristan, I got my period again. My underwear is dirty. Come wash it for me."
"Tristan, my sister-in-law won’t be mad that we talk every day, right? We’re just siblings. If she gets jealous of her sister, she’s too petty."
"Tristan, Wesley kept me up all night again. He’s been clinging to me lately, but I still miss the days with you. My brother is better than Wesley."
"Brother, why are you pretending to be so serious? No one knows we’re not really related by blood. Didn’t you do enough to confront me when we were in love?"