Chapter 1

Eight months pregnant, Jiang Xingluo went to the mall to buy supplies for her hospital bag. Once again, Shen Zhixia attacked her, calling her a mistress.

With her unborn child to protect, she could do nothing to fight back.

Shen Zhixia dragged her by the hair and slapped her several times. She nearly tore her clothes off, too.

When Jiang Xingluo could bear no more, she called the police.

They were both taken to the station, where each claimed to be Fu Tingchen’s wife.

The police had no choice but to call him and check.

On hearing that Fu Tingchen was coming in person, Shen Zhixia immediately took out a mirror to touch up her makeup. She cast Jiang Xingluo a smug glance.

“Jiang Xingluo, do you think Tingchen will say I’m his wife to protect me?”

“I think he will.”

Shen Zhixia had grown up with Fu Tingchen. She had gone abroad some years earlier.

After returning a year ago and discovering that he and Jiang Xingluo had secretly married, she had used her childhood connection with him to torment Jiang Xingluo at every turn.

Jiang Xingluo had cried, protested, and been jealous. But Fu Tingchen said he thought of Shen Zhixia as a little sister. All he ever told Jiang Xingluo to do was put up with her and give way.

Jiang Xingluo stroked her belly without answering. Her eyes stayed on the entrance to the station.

Fu Tingchen arrived quickly. The moment his tall, straight figure appeared in the doorway, everyone’s attention turned to him.

Without so much as a glance at Jiang Xingluo, he walked straight to Shen Zhixia.

“Xiaxia, are you all right?”

Shen Zhixia shot Jiang Xingluo a triumphant glance, then sprang from her chair and threw herself into his arms, looking up at him with injured eyes.

“Tingchen, you’re finally here. I’ve never been brought to a police station before. I was scared to death.”

Fu Tingchen slipped an arm around her waist with practiced ease and soothed her.

“I’m here. Everything’s all right.”

Beside them, an officer said politely,

“So Miss Shen is the real Mrs. Fu. That woman made such a convincing story, standing there with that big belly. Who would have thought she was a fraud!”

Only then did Fu Tingchen look at Jiang Xingluo in the corner.

As though she were a stranger.

His gaze moved away after a single glance. He told the officer,

“I’ll take my wife home, then.”

As he took Shen Zhixia’s hand and turned to leave, Jiang Xingluo spoke, her voice tight with pain.

“Wait.”

She opened her bag, took out their marriage certificate, and held it out to the officer.

“This is my marriage certificate with Fu Tingchen. It has an embossed official seal, and the registration number can be checked.”

“Look it up. You’ll know whether it’s real.”

Shen Zhixia went pale and looked at Fu Tingchen in alarm.

“Tingchen…”

He frowned slightly. Before the officer could reach for the certificate, he snatched it away.

In full view of everyone, without a moment’s hesitation, he tore it to pieces and dropped them on the floor.

“It’s a fake.”

Jiang Xingluo stared blankly at the scraps of paper, then looked up at him in disbelief.

Shen Zhixia recovered at once. Leaning against his chest, she gave a little laugh.

“You don’t know, do you? She’s just some junior employee at the Fu Group who spends all day dreaming of marrying into money!”

“A few months ago, she was fired for constantly sending Tingchen messages, harassing him with declarations of love. Everyone at the company knows.”

“And now she’s getting crazier. She’s even brought a fake certificate.”

The officer frowned at Jiang Xingluo.

“You had a fake certificate made just to impersonate Mr. Fu’s wife? Do you know forging official documents is a crime? He’s the heir to the Fu family. Who do you think you are, trying to force a claim on him?”

Jiang Xingluo kept her stubborn gaze fixed on Fu Tingchen.

“Fu Tingchen, is it really a fake?”

He did not answer. He simply led a smug Shen Zhixia away.

Jiang Xingluo stood where she was, watching their retreating backs in silence.

The tears she had held back while Shen Zhixia bullied her finally broke free.

In consideration of her advanced pregnancy, she was released after three days in detention.

When she walked out of the station, she immediately saw Fu Tingchen’s car parked at the curb.

At the sight of her pale face, he reached out as though to touch her cheek.

Jiang Xingluo turned her face aside, avoiding his hand.

His expression tightened. His explanation sounded like an accusation.

“I told you our marriage is a secret. Keep a low profile. You shouldn’t have dragged this rivalry with Xiaxia to the police station and tried to force me to acknowledge you in public.”

“Besides, she’s frail. I couldn’t leave her in detention. You had to put up with a little injustice.”

“Come on. Let’s go home.”

Jiang Xingluo’s fingers moved unconsciously over her heavily swollen belly.

He could not bear to leave his childhood sweetheart in detention. His wife, eight months pregnant, was another matter.

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, forming a bitter smile.

“Fu Tingchen, let’s get divorced.”