Behind the Perfect Marriage

Katie was still hesitating when Luke burst into the room.

The moment he heard from his staff that his mother had gone to the villa, he abandoned the meeting he was in and rushed back without a second thought. It was only when he saw Kayla standing there, unharmed, that he finally let out a breath.

The next second, Stephanie threw herself into his arms. She covered her swollen, reddened cheek and cried pitifully, tears streaming down her face.

"Luke, Kayla accused me and said the baby I'm carrying is an illegitimate child. I saved her back then, and now she's trying to destroy me. She's pushing me into a corner with no way out. If that's how it's going to be, I might as well die."

She turned as if to run out, but Luke caught her arm and pulled her back.

Kayla watched the man she had loved for so many years. Even though her heart had already turned to ash, she could not stop a small flicker of hope from rising. She hoped he would finally tell the truth. That he would give her, and the child she carried, a shred of justice.

Katie stared at Luke anxiously.

"Is what Kayla said true?"

Luke's eyes flickered with hesitation, only for a moment. Then he shook his head.

"Stephanie's child is not illegitimate."

He even looked at Kayla with something close to desperation, as if begging her to understand his struggle and pain.

The disappointment tore through her chest, leaving a hollow ache as cold despair poured in without mercy.

Katie flew into a rage and slapped Kayla hard across the face.

Luke stepped forward instinctively to stop her, but Stephanie held him back.

"After what she's done, your mother needs to vent her anger. Otherwise, it'll be bad for her health," she said softly.

Katie patted Stephanie's hand with affection.

"You're such a good girl. You're a hundred times better than that wretch. And now you're carrying the Hudson family's eldest grandson. You should move in right away so Luke can take good care of you."

She then turned, glaring at Kayla through clenched teeth.

"A shameless woman like you has no right to stay here. Divorce Luke immediately and get out of the Hudson family. Now."

Stephanie obediently agreed out loud, but when no one was looking, she shot Kayla a triumphant smile.

Just as she believed she was about to step into her rightful place as the lady of the Hudson family, Luke brushed her hand aside. He pulled Kayla into his arms and spoke with unmistakable resolve.

"Kayla will not divorce me. And she will not leave the Hudson family. Unless I am dead, I will never let her leave my side."

Katie clenched her fists in anger. Stephanie's face twisted with frustration, but she held herself back and offered a compromise.

"The child I'm carrying needs a father's care too. How about this? I move into the master bedroom with Luke, and Kayla can stay in the basement. That way, she gets punished for slapping me."

Luke of course refused.

Katie slammed her hand down on the nearby table.

"If you won't even agree to this, then get that wretch out of the house!"

And so, Luke personally escorted Kayla to a cold, damp basement.

"Don't worry, Kayla. Once Mom calms down, I'll bring you back upstairs," he promised.

During those weeks in the basement, Kayla could hear Stephanie's belongings constantly being moved into the house.

Stephanie wasn't comfortable in the master bed, so Luke dismantled the custom bed Kayla had spent an entire year commissioning from a master craftsman, replacing it with a latex mattress Stephanie liked.

Stephanie was allergic to pollen, so Luke uprooted all the sunflowers Kayla had carefully nurtured and replaced them with an infinity pool she preferred.

Stephanie even converted Kayla's music room into a nursery. She smashed the piano Luke had painstakingly refinished for Kayla, then set it ablaze until it was nothing but ash.

"Soon I'll completely replace you as the lady of the Hudson family," Stephanie sneered. "As for you and your child, I'll make sure the baby is born, despised by everyone, and left to die in misery."

Only then did Kayla finally understand why Stephanie had deliberately handed her abortion appointment slip to Luke.

Stephanie wanted Kayla to watch it with her own eyes, to see her child rejected by the world and pushed toward ruin.

The moment Luke appeared, Stephanie instantly changed her tone.

"I was only trying to persuade my sister to carry the baby to term."

Luke's expression twisted into one of anguish.

"Kayla, I can't believe you're still thinking about giving up our child. I am so disappointed in you!"

Kayla didn't even want to look at him anymore.

All she wanted now was to leave Luke and go somewhere she wouldn't be disturbed.

The only question was, how could she even reach the outside world?