Chapter 1

Macloria Hospital, maternity ward, delivery room…

Everyone in the room smiled as the baby's cries echoed through the delivery room. "Congratulations, Ms. Mitchell, it's twins. A boy and a girl!" the nurse said, smiling at the woman on the bed. Rebecca Mitchell offered a weak smile, trying to catch a glimpse of her babies amidst the doctors. Outside the delivery room, a nurse called out, holding the babies, "Rebecca Mitchell's family? Anyone here for Rebecca Mitchell?"

No one answered. Rebecca was alone.

On the bed, Rebecca's face paled. 'So, Theodore… He didn't come?' A profound sense of helplessness washed over her.

The doctors and nurses quickly transferred her to a regular ward, along with her newborn twins.

The ward bustled. Three other beds were occupied by new mothers, each surrounded by their families. Some tended to the new mothers; others peered into bassinets; new fathers cradled their babies, their faces beaming with joy.

Rebecca's solitude was noticeable. She was alone, without a single family member. However, no one was particularly nosy; most people glanced at her and returned to their own conversations.

"Hey, did you catch the news today? Apparently, Janet Mitchell's pregnant! Paparazzi caught her leaving a prenatal check-up."

"Janet? No way! She's a huge movie star! She just won an award, didn't she? And now she's pregnant?"

"Could it be fake news?"

"No way! Her belly is huge. Looks like she's eight or nine months along, almost ready to give birth!"

"She's not even married, right? Pregnant out of wedlock… Man, the entertainment industry is wild these days!"

"Come on, do you know who was with her at the check-up? It was Theodore Edwards, the president of the Edwards Group! He's six feet tall, more handsome than any movie star, and only twenty-eight. Janet's really hit the jackpot, marrying into all that money!"

The family members gossiped, oblivious to Rebecca's increasingly pale face.

Finally, a shift in the conversation brought Rebecca relief. She took out her phone, found Theodore's number, and after a long hesitation, called him.

"What?" Theodore's cold voice came from the other end.

"I… The babies are here. A boy and a girl. Do you want to… come see them?" Rebecca's voice trembled.

"I'm busy. No time," Theodore replied irritably before hanging up.

In the hospital room, Rebecca listened to the dial tone, her face drained of color. Her hand tightened around the phone, trembling. Exhaustion finally overcame her. She set the phone down, lay back, and closed her eyes. "I need to rest," she thought.

She slept for an unknown length of time. When she woke, she heard the soft murmurs of the other families. They were talking about her.

"It's so sad that no one is here for her at a time like this."

"Exactly, and she had twins! I'd be thrilled!"

"Thrilled? Who knows? Maybe she had an affair and wants to keep it quiet."

"No way!"

"Would you look how beautiful she is? If it wasn't an affair, what man wouldn't be right here by her side? Even if her husband couldn't come, her husband's parents should be here, right? But there's no one. I bet she slept with someone else's man, got knocked up, and now she's too ashamed to tell anyone. I really think we should stay away from such a woman."

Her husband… Her parents… Her husband…

Rebecca's newfound peace vanished. Her heart ached.

Was there anyone in the world who truly cared about her?

Theodore's parents disliked her. Her own parents doted on her sister, Janet, and even her husband only thought of Janet. Was it simply because she was adopted and Janet was their biological daughter?

Twenty-three years ago, her adoptive parents, unable to have children, had adopted her from an orphanage. A few months later, her mother unexpectedly became pregnant and gave birth to Janet. From then on, Rebecca was the unwanted child, forever overshadowed by Janet.

Three years ago, a car accident left Theodore in a vegetative state. No one wanted to marry him, but the Mitchells, driven by greed, pushed Rebecca into the marriage.

A year later, Theodore miraculously awoke. Rebecca thought her nightmare was over, but then Janet fell in love with him.

Rebecca had a falling out with the Mitchell family because she loved Theodore. Throughout her life, she had sacrificed too much for Janet, and she didn't want to give up her husband. But she couldn't win Theodore's heart.

Six months ago, Theodore came home and handed her divorce papers. Rebecca refused, even willing to spend her life as his wife, casting Janet as the other woman. But she lost to Theodore's ruthlessness.

When Theodore learned Rebecca was pregnant, he threatened her. If she didn't agree to the divorce, she would have to terminate the pregnancy!

She couldn't abandon her child. The doctor warned her that terminating the pregnancy could leave her unable to have children again. With no family, the child was her only hope. She couldn't give up her right to be a mother.

For the sake of her children, she signed the divorce agreement.

Since Theodore was the children's father, she called him before labor. But he didn't come.

In the doctor's office, obstetrics chief Paul Carter stared at the paternity test results in disbelief. 'Matched? The woman in room 209 is really my brother's daughter?'

When Paul first saw Rebecca, he was struck by her resemblance to his brother's wife, and faint traces of his brother's features. He secretly took a blood sample and conducted a paternity test. He never expected a match.