Love is Sweet as Poison

Glancing at Jacob's phone's wallpaper, I felt my chest tighten.

It was a maternity photo I had specially taken. He said he'd change it to a family picture of the three of us once the baby was born, but that would never happen now.

…

Later that night, Kaia Jennings strutted into my ward and asked, "Selene, are you feeling better now? How in the world did this happen? That person must've done it on purpose. You're so unfortunate!

"You have to pull yourself together. Don't let this break you. At least you still have Jacob by your side…"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued, "Unlike me, who married Hendrik. Now that he's in prison, Clara and I have absolutely no one to rely on."

Her acting was horrible.

Noticing how she struggled to mask her glee beneath her tearful façade, I finally snapped, "Or maybe you were just as dumb as a rock. Otherwise, how else would you have ended up like this?"

Kaia froze, staring at me like I was a stranger.

Her phone suddenly rang. After picking it up, she hurried downstairs, but not before saying, "Jacob asked me to grab something for him."

She had left in such a hurry that she didn't even lock her phone screen.

At the top of her pinned contacts was Jacob—but their conversation was blank. As if remembering something, I clicked on her private social media posts and finally found their secret.

They chatted late into the night and shared pictures of beautiful sceneries and good food from their trips. Jacob had even been supporting Kaia and her daughter after Hendrik Scott went to prison.

I remembered all those nights when I'd wake up and see Jacob awake with his screen still lit, assuming he was busy with work. But it turned out that the man lying beside me every night had been pouring his heart out to another woman.

Pain gripped my heart again. I clutched my chest as if it would make the pain less unbearable.

"Selene, what's wrong! Get the doctor here now!" Jacob yelled, his face paling at the sight of my agony.

Kaia, who was trailing behind him with red-rimmed eyes, also seemed startled.

A lump welled up in my throat. I couldn't speak at all, and shaking my head was the only thing I could manage.

As soon as the nurse helped me lie back down, tears spilled from my eyes again. The dampness of my soaked collar clung to my skin, sending a chill through my heart.

…

Seeing that I looked better the next day, Jacob began tentatively, "Selene, you've always loved kids. I know how much you wanted this baby, but… No, forget it. Maybe the baby was never meant to be ours."

His voice was tinged with regret as he continued, "Let's adopt a child, okay? Let her keep you company, and I'll feel more at ease too."

He held my hand as if offering me strength. I met his gaze and nodded slowly.

"Kaia has been struggling to raise her daughter alone ever since her husband went to prison three years ago," he said. "I thought maybe we could adopt Clara. We've known Kaia since childhood, so she'd feel assured with us raising her daughter."

The joy in his voice was unmistakable as he beamed at me, but my heart only sank deeper.

"Do as you wish." I closed my eyes, unwilling to look at him any longer.

All it took for him to be this happy was agreeing to adopt Kaia's child. He seemed to have forgotten that we had just lost our baby.

After he left, I contacted my assistant, Harper Laird. I had her investigate all the shares Jacob held in Adkins Group and prepare a divorce agreement as soon as possible.

On the day I was officially discharged, Jacob brought Clara Jennings over.

"Clara, this is Ms. Adkins. You can also call her 'Mom'. Remember, don't ever make her upset, okay?" he ushered the child toward me with a smile.

"Mom…" Clara called out hesitantly.

Staring at her innocent face, I felt a sharp jolt of pain through my chest. If not for Jacob, in three years, my child could've called me "Mom" too.

I forced a smile. "I'm not feeling well. I'll head to my room first."

"Jacob, why isn't my mommy here yet…" I heard Clara's voice echo from downstairs the moment I closed the door.

Though Jacob clasped his hand over her mouth right away, it was too late. I was well aware that Kaia was Clara's mother—not me.

…

At night, Jacob held me in his arms and tried to explain.

"Clara didn't mean it. She's just not used to the new environment yet, so don't take it to heart."

"Kids are always more attached to their birth moms. I completely understand," I replied. "Don't worry. I won't mind."

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Selene, I know you've been feeling down lately. Once I'm done with work, I'll take you on a trip to let you unwind."

"Suit yourself," I said, breaking free from his embrace.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I curled up on the other side of the bed.

Jacob had sensed my indifference toward him these past few days. Nevertheless, he lay down beside me and gently pulled me back into his arms.

Our breaths intertwined, yet our hearts remained worlds apart.