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Chapter 1 

The day Claudine Hogan learned of her husband’s betrayal, she underwent an abortion all by herself. 

She had zero visitors during her hospital stay. Even on the day of her discharge, she was still alone. Though the doc- tor said she was recovering well, the excruciating agony of losing her flesh and blood still tore through her. 

With sunglasses masking the fatigue in her eyes, she left the hospital. 

Back at home, she headed straight to the second–floor bedroom. 

Everything in the room looked the same, which meant Damian Barrette hadn’t returned in her absence. 

But she no longer gave a damn about whose bed he was in. 

She was exhausted. 

After taking some sleeping pills, she finally drifted into sleep. 

But a nightmare soon seized her, dragging her back to that day a week ago. The spreading pool of blood beneath her, and the call that never went through… 

“My baby!” 

Jolted awake from the nightmare, Claudine opened her eyes, only to see the familiar bedroom. 

She stared blankly at the ceiling for what felt like ages. 

A heart–wrenching pain shot from her lower abdomen to her heart, then spread through her entire body. 

There came a knock on the door. Before she could respond, the door was pushed open. 

“Mrs. Barrette, Mr. Barrette called. He’s coming back tonight and expects dinner to be ready before that,” said the maid, Angie Hammond. 

Claudine blinked back her tears. 

“I’m not feeling well. Tell the kitchen staff to handle it,” she replied, her voice hoarse. 

Then she turned over and faced the other way. 

But Angie wouldn’t leave her alone. 

Approaching the bed, she persuaded, “Come on. Miss Barrette loves your cooking, and Mr. Barrette seldom comes back. You should seize the opportunity to win them over!” 

She extended her hand, wanting to pull Claudine up. 

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Chapter 1 

Claudine frowned and shoved her away. 

“I’m not a maid. Haven’t I made myself clear? I don’t want to cook today!” 

She pointed at the room door and snapped, “Get out!” 

Angie widened her eyes in disbelief, clearly taken aback by her outburst. 

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Taking a step back, she withdrew her hand, muttering with disdain, “Yeah, yeah. Keep making a scene and taking it 

out on me. 

“The moment Mr. Barrette comes back, you’ll be crawling back to him like always.” 

She didn’t intend to keep her voice down, and Claudine heard every word she said loud and clear. 

Even Angie–the maid–knew she always attended to Damian’s every need when he returned, just so he could pay a little bit more attention to her. 

But he had always despised her. 

Their marriage was never about love–only an alliance between two socially matched families. Damian required a tro- phy wife to complete his facade, and his daughter, Darlene Barrette, needed a woman to play the part of mother. That was all… 

Claudine curled up into a ball, clutching her flat lower abdomen. 

Today, she just wanted to be a grieving woman who had just lost her baby… 

The sleeping pills kicked in, and she drifted to sleep again. 

When she woke, she heard the sound of rustling. 

Damian soon got on top of her, kissing her overbearingly while stripping her robe away. 

Classic him–never once considering her feelings. 

“Don’t touch me…” 

She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away. 

But lust had fogged his reasoning, and he mistook her resistance for invitation. 

He clutched her slender wrists, pinned them above her head, and silenced her with another kiss. 

Ashamed by the position, she turned her face away, dodging it. 

A hint of displeasure flickered in Damian’s eyes. Realizing Claudine wasn’t faking it, he was no longer in the mood. 

He wouldn’t stoop so low as to force himself on her. 

He rolled off her body, got out of bed, grabbed the robe, and loosely tied it around his waist. Then he sat on the chaise lounge by the window and lit a cigarette. 

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