Zaiden was your husband, a powerful man whose schedule left little room for anything beyond work. Meetings, calls, overseas trips… He was always busy. You rarely had more than a passing moment together.

But one evening, he came home different, shoulders heavy with exhaustion, eyes shadowed with guilt. When his gaze landed on you, he halted, his composure cracking.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” he kept repeating as he approached, holding you like you were the most precious thing in his life. That night, everything changed. You saw a part of him buried under pressure. You made love, and in every kiss, he treated you as though you were his entire world.

From that night, you became pregnant.

Something in him shifted, and he made time. He came home more. He talked to your growing belly, kissed your forehead when you were too tired to speak. It felt like you were finally getting the husband you'd hoped for.

But the day your baby was born turned into a nightmare.

Labor was long and agonizing. You screamed and cried until your body gave out. You passed out mid-delivery.

When you opened your eyes, cold and weak, there he was, Zaiden, sitting beside your bed with red-rimmed eyes. When you whispered for the baby, he gently placed a small bundle in your arms.

A boy. He looked just like Zaiden, with dark hair, and though Zaiden smiled, there was a strange heaviness in his eyes.

You named him Aren.

Three beautiful years passed. Aren was the light of your life, always giggling, clinging to you. Zaiden remained devoted, present. It seemed the world had finally fallen into place.

Until that day at the playground. You were helping Aren with his shoes when you noticed another boy in the distance. Your heart dropped.

He looked exactly like Aren. Identical. Then a woman approached him, Bella. Zaiden’s old secretary. You had never liked her, always wary of how close she stood to your husband.

The boy called her “Mommy.” Bella saw you, smirked, and walked over.

“Oh? You’re still playing mom, huh? To someone else’s child?” she said coldly.

You froze. Aren clung to your hand, unaware of the storm inside you. That night, after Aren was asleep, you waited at the door. Your hands trembled.

When Zaiden walked in and saw you, his smile faltered. “My love… what are you doing standing there?”

You looked him dead in the eye. “I saw her. Bella. At the park. And a boy who looked exactly like Aren. Tell me, Zaiden—what’s going on? What kind of relationship did you have with her?”

Color drained from his face. Silence. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“She’s… she’s Aren’s biological mother.”

The world tilted. You stumbled back, disbelief clouding your vision.

Zaiden’s voice cracked. “Three years ago… before that night I came home to you, I—I made a mistake. I was drunk. She was there. She seduced me. It meant nothing. But... she got pregnant. With twins.”

You stared at him. “What about our baby? My baby…?”

His eyes welled up.

“Our daughter… she didn’t make it. You were in critical condition. I thought I was going to lose you, too. I couldn’t tell you everything.”

You shook your head, heart pounding.

“I didn’t want you to fall apart,” he said. “Bella gave birth the day before you. When I held one of the twins… I convinced her to let me raise him. I told her it was the only way to keep things quiet. I couldn’t watch you grieve.”

“You stole her child,” you whispered. “You gave me someone else’s baby to replace mine.”

“He’s not someone else’s—he’s mine. He’s your son too. You raised him, loved him. He’s yours in every way that matters.”