Chapter 1

Today is her daughter's birthday. Megan Whitmore specially bought gifts and came home a day early.

As soon as she reached the front door, she heard her daughter's excited voice from inside: "Aunt Sophia, you can make cakes and buy me toys. I wish you were my mom!"

Megan looked at the unfamiliar pair of high heels by the shoe cabinet, frowned, and slowly walked toward the living room.

The living room was filled with the sweet smell of cream. Her husband Tristan Reid and daughter Ivy Reid were wearing aprons, carefully spreading cream on a cake base.

Standing between them was Sophia, wearing a light pink dress with a gentle, sweet expression on her face.

Sophia was Tristan's first love. They grew up together and had deep feelings for each other, until Megan came along and they were forced to break up. Sophia then went abroad.

But Megan only learned all this after she married Tristan.

Megan never expected that she'd been gone less than a week, and her husband had already brought his first love home, getting along so well with her own daughter.

Ivy stood on her tiptoes, her little hands covered in flour, smiling sweetly at Sophia every time she squeezed out some cream.

Megan stood frozen in place. Looking at the three of them so harmonious and happy together, she felt like the outsider.

Tristan saw her and was startled at first, then his expression immediately turned cold: "Why are you back?"

Ivy just glanced at her indifferently, called out "Mom" halfheartedly, then lowered her head to continue squeezing the cream in her hands.

Sophia turned around at the sound, her smile polite: "Megan, you're back? Don't get the wrong idea. It's Ivy's birthday today, and she said she wanted to eat my cake..."

"Aunt Sophia's cakes are so delicious!" Ivy said without looking up. "Not like Mom, who can't do anything and won't even let me eat sweets."

Megan's fingers tightened slightly around her suitcase handle. She forced a smile and walked over, taking out a gift box she'd prepared in advance and handing it to her daughter: "Ivy, happy birthday."

Ivy took it and opened the box. Inside was a scarf with a cherry blossom pattern.

Winter was coming, and Megan was worried her daughter would catch cold. She'd gone to several stores before finding the scarf she liked.

But Ivy didn't like this gift at all. She pouted: "Mom bought another useless thing! Not like Aunt Sophia, who gave me a box of chocolates. They were so good!"

Megan opened her mouth but couldn't speak.

She didn't let Ivy eat sweets because her daughter was losing her baby teeth. But she never expected that her care would be seen as a crime in her daughter's eyes.

Sophia spoke softly, trying to smooth things over: "Megan, kids like to joke around. Don't take it personally."

Megan stared at that kind, friendly face and felt a wave of nausea. She suddenly spoke up: "She's my own daughter. I'll discipline her myself. It's not your place."

Before Sophia could respond, Tristan, who had been silent, suddenly interrupted, his tone cold: "You should reflect on yourself. Why does Ivy feel close to Sophia but not to you? Are you even a qualified mother?"

"So it's my fault?" Megan's voice began to shake. "I made her feel close to someone else? I made her think her mom isn't as good as an outsider?"

"Megan, don't be like this..." Sophia stepped forward, her eyes already filling with tears. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come. I'll leave right now..."

"You don't need to leave." Tristan stopped her, his tone softening a bit. "You just recovered. The doctor said you need someone to take care of you."

He finished speaking, then turned to look at Megan, using a commanding tone: "I had the maid clean out your room for Sophia to stay in. During this time, you'll sleep in the guest room."

Megan couldn't believe her ears. It was bad enough that her husband brought his first love home, but now he was making her give up her own room.

Ever since Sophia returned to the country, her husband and daughter's hearts were no longer with her.

First, the orchid she'd planted herself on the balcony disappeared, replaced by several succulents Sophia had brought.

Then Ivy stopped asking her to tell bedtime stories. The maid said Ivy called Sophia every night, talking for an hour or two.

The father and daughter even secretly invited Sophia to Ivy's school sports day without telling her. When Megan saw the photo of the three of them on the podium that her daughter posted on her Instagram story, she thought they looked like a real family of three.

Standing in the living room, Megan suddenly felt so unnecessary in this home.

Ivy tugged at her sleeve and said quietly: "Mom, the doctor said Aunt Sophia has depression and we need to spend more time with her. Mom won't get upset over such a small thing, right?"

Looking at her daughter's innocent face, Megan felt her heart being torn apart.

Every time Megan raised objections, her husband and daughter would use Sophia's depression as an excuse, telling Megan not to mind. Now they'd even openly brought her to live in their home.

She remembered what Ivy said when she first came in, so she crouched down, stroked her daughter's hair, and asked softly: "Ivy, do you want Sophia to be your mom?"

Ivy's eyes lit up immediately, and she said happily: "Really? Can I really have Aunt Sophia as my mom?"

In that moment, Megan's heart completely shattered.

Tristan's face darkened: "Megan, do you know what you're saying?"

"I know." Megan raised her head, meeting his gaze, her tone resolute. "Since you all like Sophia, I'll make it happen for you."

"Megan..." Sophia hesitated, a flash of excitement in her eyes.

"You're being completely unreasonable." Tristan shouted. "Sophia is in such a bad state, and you're still saying these things to upset her? How did you become so bitter and mean!"

Ivy saw her father was angry and instinctively hid behind Sophia, gripping her hand tightly, staring at Megan with unfamiliar eyes.

Megan smiled bitterly to herself. Even at this point, what her husband cared about most was still his first love's condition.

Even her own daughter was hiding from her.

She suddenly laughed, a contemptuous laugh.

Megan stood up, her gaze moving from Tristan's cold face to Sophia's wronged, hesitant expression, and finally landing on her daughter's small hand tightly clutching Sophia's clothes.

She suddenly laughed, a contemptuous laugh.

"I thought you loved Ms. Blake so much." Megan raised her head, her eyes calm and still. "I'm just making it happen for you, and you call me bitter and mean. Looks like deep down, you don't want to marry Ms. Blake either."

Tristan's brow furrowed, his face growing darker.

"Megan, don't misunderstand. Tristan and I really don't have..." Sophia's eyes were red, her voice choked with emotion.

"Don't have what?" Megan interrupted her, looking at her coldly. "Sophia, I don't care whether your depression is real or fake, but don't think I can't see what you're scheming."

Sophia's face went pale, and her body swayed slightly.

Tristan immediately supported her, looking at Megan with sharp eyes: "Enough! What exactly do you want?"

"I don't want anything." Megan said coldly. "This house, you can let her live here as long as you want. I have no objection. Tristan, let's get a divorce."

She turned and left. When she reached the door, she couldn't help but look back at Ivy one more time.

Ivy was hugging Sophia's waist tightly, burying her head dependently in her embrace, showing not the slightest bit of attachment to her as a mother.

"Ivy, happy birthday. From now on... Mom won't be able to celebrate your birthday with you anymore."

After murmuring these words, Megan left the Reid family home without looking back.