Chapter 1

For five years, Chloe Sterling and I had been secretly married. She said she’d finally announce our wedding at our son’s welcoming party.

I was ecstatic, sharing the news with my younger brother, Noah, my only family. He was just as thrilled.

To show how much he respected Chloe, Noah pinched every penny. He saved up every dime to buy Chloe a pair of gold earrings.

Just as I was about to carry the baby onto the stage, a total stranger suddenly snatched the child from my arms. Then, he intimately held Chloe’s hand and walked onto the stage.

“Today, I have a big announcement to make at this baby’s welcoming party.”

“Julian Hayes and I grew up together, and today, we’ve finally decided to get married!”

The moment those words left her lips, countless complex gazes immediately landed on me.

My brother, completely bewildered, asked, “Brother, isn’t that woman… isn’t she our sister-in-law?”

I stared coldly at Chloe, who stood on stage with a shy smile. “Give me back my child.”

But she just scoffed, “Lucas Reed, you, a small-town guy, actually dared to think I’d have your child? That’s utterly idiotic!”