The Fake Wife's Spectacular Genius Comeback

Chloe took her consultation slip and went to pay the fees and undergo the pre-op blood tests.

While she was waiting for the results, her phone vibrated. It was a FaceTime call from Julian.

Staring at the word "Husband" flashing on the screen, Chloe's eyes were as cold as if she were looking at a dead man. Her first instinct was to reject it, but reason told her she couldn't alert the enemy just yet.

Taking a deep breath, she buried the monstrous hatred deep within her chest, arranged her features into a flawless mask, and pressed accept.

Julian's handsome face filled the screen. His eyes were, as always, brimming with that perfectly manufactured, deep affection.

"Chloe, sweetie? Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing the clinical background behind her, his tone was instantly laced with urgent, convincing concern.

Looking at that face on the screen, Chloe's stomach churned with violent disgust. Just half an hour ago, those exact same lips were passionately kissing another woman, and that same mouth was ruthlessly mocking her as a barren fool. Yet now, he was flawlessly playing the role of the perfect, devoted husband.

When she didn't answer immediately, he assumed she was in too much pain to speak. "Chloe, I'm dropping everything and coming home right now. Just wait for me."

Recalling the atrocious things he had said in the VIP room, Chloe had to dig her nails into her palm to stop herself from reaching through the screen and clawing his eyes out.

But she couldn't let him come. If he found out she was pregnant now, he would undoubtedly use every manipulative tactic to stop the abortion just to keep his "useful asset" under control. She had to keep playing the game.

"You don't need to come," she said, forcing a casual, airy tone, perfectly mimicking her usual self. "I'm fine. I'm just here with Sophie. Her stomach has been acting up again. Focus on your work, don't worry about me."

Sophie was Chloe's best friend. Julian had met her several times.

Hearing it was Sophie, the tension in Julian's shoulders visibly evaporated. He let out a breath of relief.

"Ah, I see," he said, his voice returning to its warm, soothing cadence. "Well, don't tire yourself out, love. It hurts me to see you exhausted. Tell you what, I'll wrap up my business trip early and be home by the weekend. Wait for me."

Chloe sneered inwardly, not believing a single punctuation mark of his garbage. But outwardly, she maintained the facade of the trusting, perfect wife. "Okay. I'll be waiting."

"I love you, Chloe."

The call ended. Chloe went to collect her blood test results and walked into the doctor's office.

The doctor reviewed the report, her brow furrowing deeply. "Ms. Hayes, your uterine lining is extremely thin, which is why it was so difficult for you to conceive in the first place. If we proceed with a surgical termination today, it could cause irreversible damage to the lining. You may never be able to have children again. Knowing this... are you absolutely sure you want to proceed with the surgery?"

Chloe's heart violently seized. Her hand instinctively hovered over her flat stomach.

If she didn't want this child, would she permanently lose her right to be a mother?

The doctor watched her with a sympathetic gaze. "Why don't you take some time to think about it? This is a massive, life-altering decision. Perhaps discuss it with your family."

Chloe lowered her eyes. This tiny speck of life was a miracle she had bought with endless days of agony and thousands of needle pricks.

If she gave up her only chance at motherhood just to erase Julian's existence from her life, she would be punishing herself for his sins. She could effortlessly kick that man out of her world without a second thought, but this child... from now on, this child belonged solely to her. It had absolutely nothing to do with him anymore.

Walking out of the hospital, Chloe looked up at the gray, overcast Manhattan sky, a bitter but resolute smile touching her lips.

Suddenly, a sleek black car sped past, splashing a wave of cold rainwater. Startled, Chloe stumbled backward, her high heels slipping dangerously on the wet pavement.

Just as she was about to take a harsh fall, a large, powerful hand shot out, firmly gripping her waist and pulling her back into safety.

Still reeling from the shock, she looked up and crashed into a pair of stormy, deep gray-blue eyes.

The roar of the city traffic rushed back into her ears. The man's chest was broad and solid, radiating a crisp, cold scent of cedarwood—completely devoid of any sleazy intent.

Chloe snapped back to reality and quickly stepped out of his embrace. Whether it was from the near-fall or the intensely aggressive aura the man exuded, her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you."

The man was impossibly tall, his facial features sculpted with razor-sharp precision. He was dressed in a bespoke suit that screamed unimaginable old money. With just one glance, anyone could tell this was a man who sat at the very apex of power, accustomed to absolute control.

Seeing she was steady, the man spoke plainly, his voice calm and completely unbothered. "You're welcome."

His voice was a low, magnetic rumble that vibrated pleasantly in the cold air.

Just then, a respectful voice called out from behind him. "Mr. Beaumont, the car is ready. We must leave immediately to catch the next flight."

Alistair Beaumont gave Chloe a curt, indifferent nod, extending his long legs as he walked straight toward the waiting extended Rolls-Royce.

His assistant opened the door, and he slid in with effortless grace.

As the car merged smoothly into the traffic, the assistant in the passenger seat spoke up. "Mr. Beaumont, we still haven't located the descendant of the legendary pharmacologist Dr. Hayes during this trip to New York. Should we continue the search?"

Alistair pinched the bridge of his nose, a flash of heavy solemnity in his eyes. "Keep looking. Grandmother's neurodegenerative condition is rapidly deteriorating. Only the unpublished experimental formula left behind by the Hayes family can save her."

"Yes, sir."