Ever since my older brother's unexpected death three months ago, I was the only son left in our family. My father had poured all his hopes of continuing the family line onto me, even laying down a stern ultimatum: "If you can't give me a grandchild, I'll donate every last penny of the family fortune to charity." Skylar Reid and I had been married for five years. We'd both been checked out at the clinic; there was nothing physically wrong with either of us, yet for some reason, she'd never gotten pregnant. One evening, as I carried the ancestral remedy my mother had carefully brewed, on my way to give it to Skylar, I overheard her conversation with Jake Hayes. "I got you this gardening job at the Stone estate precisely so we could spend more time together. And I'm still on birth control, so there's no way I'm having Caleb's baby." "Once I get that family formula from Caleb, the one that can fix your... condition, we'll disappear. My child's father can only be you." The truth hit me like a physical blow, my heart clenching in a sharp, twisting pain. I called my father, my voice steady despite the tremor in my soul. "Dad, I've made up my decision. The greatest failure is to let the family line die out. Since Skylar can't give us a child, I'll divorce her and marry someone else." My father sounded relieved, but his relief quickly turned to concern when I told him who I planned to marry. "Elara Quinn might be the sole heiress to Quinn Industries, but she's... plain-looking, and she's been frail since childhood. Last year, doctors even gave her only three years to live. Are you really sure about this?" 1 "Dad, I'm sure," I said, a confident edge to my voice. "Quinn Industries is a powerful name. A powerhouse alliance like ours could truly be formidable." "But if you marry an invalid, how can you guarantee a healthy grandchild? And I don't want my grandchild to grow up without a mother; that would leave a profound mark." My father's voice, a rising tide of worry, washed over me from the other end of the line. Suddenly, I remembered the two ancient formulas my grandfather had left behind. One was for fertility, and the other, a true marvel, could supposedly bring someone back from the brink. To ease my father's fears, I couldn't help but remind him. "Dad, you remember Grandpa was a renowned herbalist. He left us two formulas. We could use one of them to help Elara." My father said nothing, simply hanging up the phone. I knew he hadn't been in good spirits lately, not after just enduring the agonizing loss of his son. That's why I hadn't wanted to tell him about Skylar's deceit; I wanted to spare him further heartache. As a man, I’d shared a bed with Skylar maybe once a month, and each time felt like an act of pleading on my part. She’d always seemed so exasperated. "Is that all you ever think about? Don't you feel disgusting?" Now, I understood. Her heart belonged to someone else, and that's why she'd looked at me with such disdain. When I got home, Skylar was lounging on the sofa, one leg casually draped over the other, engrossed in the TV. Her sister, Summer, was beside her. Summer shot me a resentful glare, her stance a clear defense of Skylar. "What took you so long? My sister's been waiting forever!" In the past, I would have apologized immediately, then instinctively retreated to the couch for the night. But this time, I ignored them both, walking straight to the bedroom, ready to wash up and sleep. Seeing that I hadn't acknowledged her, Skylar stormed into the bedroom, her face alight with fury. "My sister was talking to you! Didn't you hear her? Summer is the only family I have left in this world. Disrespecting her is crossing my line!" I didn't answer. Instead, I headed to the bathroom for a shower, feeling utterly drained. When I emerged, both Skylar and Summer were sitting on the bed, staring at me as if I were a criminal under interrogation. "You and my sister have been together for years without a child. It must be you, you're not even a man. If my sister wasn't so kind-hearted, what woman would ever marry you?" Summer finished, her eyes raking over me, stripping away the last shred of my male dignity. I stared at Skylar. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes. If she hadn't been on birth control all these years, I wouldn't have been childless for five. "Summer, please, go to your room. You have your finals soon, you need your rest. Your brother-in-law and I will sort things out." Skylar ushered her sister out. As the door was about to close, Summer pointed at my nose. "If you ever disrespect my sister again, I'll tell Jake to finish what you started and make you a real eunuch!" Skylar pushed her out, and the moment the door clicked shut, I demanded, "Why did she call Jake her brother-in-law?" "Caleb, Summer's still young. She was just calling Jake 'brother-in-law' for fun. You know, kids say the darndest things." She tried to sound calm, but her inability to meet my gaze betrayed her. That night, as we lay in bed, she surprisingly nudged me with her foot—an unmistakable invitation. But it had been so long since she’d done that, not since Jake came into the picture. I ignored her. She couldn’t hold back any longer. "Caleb, please, just give me that family formula." So that was it. She wasn’t interested in me at all. She was just using her charm to help Jake get his hands on the formula. I wouldn't be fooled again. I simply said, my voice flat, "Let's get a divorce." She didn't believe me, letting out a dismissive snort. "You think threatening me with divorce will scare me?" She swung her legs off the bed, clicked on the lamp, and stood before me, hands on her hips, looking down. "Let me tell you, if you don't give me that formula, I won't let this go." I couldn't stand her overbearing manner. I picked up my pillow and silently went to sleep on the sofa. On the sofa, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. My mind kept replaying fragments of how Skylar and I had met. I was in my rebellious phase then, yearning to pursue art, but my father was adamant that I work in the family business. In a fit of anger, I ran away, to a place no one would find me. I'd left in such a hurry, without a dime. As night fell, I was alone under an underpass, cold and hungry. Skylar and her sister were there. She handed me a steaming cup of instant ramen, and it felt like she saved my life. Later, against my parents' wishes, I married her, solely to repay her kindness. After Skylar married me, I treated her well. I wouldn't let her lift a finger, and I ensured her sister had the best education money could buy. But even with all that, she remained ungrateful, giving all her affection to that gardener, Jake Hayes. First thing the next morning, a frantic pounding on the door jolted me awake. I opened it to find Jake. Before I could speak, he fell to his knees, clutching my leg, muttering endless apologies. Skylar and Summer were also woken by the commotion. Summer rushed forward to help Jake up. Skylar hurried to my side, her eyes blazing red. "Caleb Stone, why are you doing this to Jake? Whatever it is, come at me!" Jake, feigning remorse, said, "I was pruning the trees, and I accidentally ruined the shape of that century-old pine near the entrance." Skylar let out a sigh of relief, bending down to gently cup Jake's face. "I thought it was something serious! It's just a stupid tree, right? I'll buy another one and have it planted later." Anger surged. I stepped forward and grabbed his collar. "Didn't I tell you not to touch that tree? Why would you deliberately ruin it for me?" Summer seized my wrist, biting down hard. A sharp pain shot through me, and I bit back a hiss, forced to release him. Skylar pushed me back. "Don't you know Jake saved Summer's life? If it weren't for him in that car accident, Summer would be crippled right now, do you understand?" I touched the faintly aching scar on the back of my head. Both sisters looked at me with pure hatred. Clearly, Skylar had no idea I was the one who had saved her sister all those years ago. At the time, I'd received the call that my grandmother had passed away, so I'd simply asked a passerby to take Summer to the hospital. That passerby was Jake Hayes. Summer had been so terrified she'd blacked out. And I'd rushed in so fast, in her extreme fear, she must not have realized it was me who saved her. I looked at Skylar's face, my brows furrowed. "That tree was blessed by a master when Grandma was alive. It represents the Stone family's lineage. If it's damaged, our family line will be broken." I looked at Skylar, hoping she would finally stand with me. But I was wrong. Her eyes were filled with impatience. "You're just looking for an excuse to get rid of Jake. I'm not falling for it." At that moment, a triumphant smirk played on Jake's lips. Then I noticed it—the protective charm I'd lost, hanging around his neck. My hands balled into fists, knuckles white, as I stared at Skylar. "Why is my charm on him?" My brother and I had gotten that charm from a monastery. He was always good to me, and we were inseparable, sharing everything. We'd even swapped charms. It had to be because of that my brother... had gotten hurt. Skylar casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Jake said it looked nice on you. He liked it, so I gave it to him." Rage bubbled up inside me at the sight of Skylar. Before, whenever I'd asked about the charm, she'd always said she hadn't seen it. "That was my brother's charm. You killed him!" I lunged forward, grabbing Jake. Surprisingly, he didn't resist. Instead, he played the victim. "Mr. Stone, I'm already... crippled in that way. I'm not a real man anymore. If you kill me, you'd just be doing me a favor." "Caleb Stone, what do you want? Jake's already so pathetic, working here under your watchful eye."
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