’We probably would have gotten married, right? Since I was already using her as a stand-in—and she, the stand-in, was even more outstanding than the original—why couldn’t she just keep being the stand-in for a lifetime?’

He suddenly recalled the first time he met Mia Kane. She was scantily clad and trembling, like a lamb to the slaughter, with no idea which butcher she would end up with.

He was stunned by her beauty at first sight—not just because she bore such a striking resemblance to Vivian Lynch, but also because she was genuinely gorgeous. She was even more beautiful than Vivian, with an exquisite bone structure and flawless features.

His heart ached for her, and he was moved by compassion.

At first, he had no other intentions. She was truly just a stand-in, a way to soothe the pain of his longing.

But as time went on, Mia Kane was wonderful. She was considerate, sensible, and kind, never giving him any cause for concern.

Her presence gradually healed the wounds from his breakup with Vivian Lynch.

In truth, years had passed since his breakup with Vivian Lynch, and he had spent some of them as a playboy. Meeting Mia Kane brought him a sense of peace, making him want to find a harbor and settle down.

But then, Vivian Lynch’s marriage turned out to be unhappy. Her husband was abusive, and she attempted suicide.

One phone call from her, right before her suicide attempt, her voice choked with sobs, was enough to stir up a flood of old memories.

He began flying abroad to see her, and slowly, he remembered his original reason for getting together with Mia Kane—he was only using her as a stand-in for Vivian Lynch.

’Now that the real thing was in his arms, what did a stand-in matter?’

He began to neglect Mia Kane, lost in the illicit thrill of his affair with Vivian Lynch.

Then, Vivian Lynch’s husband died suddenly, and she became single again. The two of them started seeing each other even more often.

And so, things slowly developed into the current situation.

He knew he had wronged Mia Kane, but he also felt that he hadn’t treated her unfairly during their three years together.

He knew he was in the wrong, but men are often fickle. It’s just how they are, and he was just an ordinary man.

He stood alone in the wind for a long time. It wasn’t until he yawned that he finally returned to Lockwood Manor.

The moment he stepped inside, he was hit by a heavy, coppery smell. He didn’t know what the kitchen was making, but the disgusting odor filled every corner of the massive manor.

"What is the kitchen making?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

he asked, his face grim.

"It’s... it’s a placenta," a servant answered, not daring to lie.

Vivian Lynch’s recovery from her miscarriage wasn’t going well. Since it had been a stillbirth and wasn’t dealt with promptly, she was now suffering from numerous complications.

She had heard that placenta was nutritious, but since hers was from a stillbirth, she wasn’t sure if it was edible. So, she had gotten a fresh one from someone else at the hospital.

It was said to restore one’s fundamental energy and be good for beauty and complexion.

When Chase Lockwood heard this, his pupils constricted, and his stomach churned.

He knew that the placenta was used in traditional medicine, but it had to be processed to be effective. You didn’t just take a fresh one from someone else and stew it!

"Chase, you’re back?"

Just then, Vivian Lynch came down from upstairs, and she too smelled the coppery odor permeating the house.

She had only ordered it to be cooked because Chase Lockwood originally said he had a lot to do at the office and would be back very late.

"Get rid of it, quickly! Open all the windows and air the place out."

She ordered.

"Chase, let’s go upstairs. It’s better up there."

Chase Lockwood had actually come home early to see Vivian. He’d been imagining what life would be like if he hadn’t broken up with Mia Kane, and it made him feel guilty toward Vivian, so he had pushed his work aside to come see her.

But now, the coppery stench filling the house made him feel sick.

But he also knew how desperate Vivian Lynch was to recover, so he didn’t say much, only claiming he had come back to grab something before leaving again.

Seeing Chase Lockwood head upstairs, Vivian Lynch went into the kitchen.

It was already stewed. She had to eat it while it was hot for it to be effective.

As Chase Lockwood came back down, he saw from the staircase Vivian Lynch impatiently carrying out a small soup bowl. She blew on a piece of whitish meat to cool it before placing it in her mouth.

His stomach did a backflip. ’It smells so vile, and she only added a little salt for flavor,’ he thought. ’How can she possibly stomach such a heavy, coppery taste?’

But Vivian Lynch ate with gusto. For a second, Chase Lockwood had the horrifying illusion that she wasn’t eating a placenta, but her own child.

He waited for her to finish before coming all the way down, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing.

"I have to go."

"Chase, wait..."

Vivian Lynch stopped him.

"What is it?"

"This incident... are we just letting it go? If Mia Kane hadn’t started a fight with me, if we hadn’t been pushing and shoving, the accident wouldn’t have happened. Even if she wasn’t the mastermind, she has to bear some responsibility. She’s an accomplice in our child’s death, Chase... Are you really not going to get justice for our baby?"

Vivian Lynch squeezed out a few tears, her crying completely convincing.

When it came to crying, she had never been outdone; the tears came at her beck and call.

Chase Lockwood frowned. "So, tell me, did Mia Kane actually push you or not?"

He asked gravely.

"She... I think so... She was pushing, too..."

Her answer was vague.

Hearing this, Chase Lockwood grabbed her wrist and began to drag her toward the door.

"Just say it. Say that she pushed you. I don’t care how hard. If she pushed you, I’ll go to the police right now and have them reopen the case. We’ll have all the witness testimonies and physical evidence re-examined. I will make sure Mia Kane rots in prison for the rest of her life."

Vivian Lynch panicked. She knew perfectly well that the case couldn’t withstand another investigation. Who knew what kind of incriminating evidence Adrian Preston might dig up on her this time?

Besides, she knew better than anyone how she had really lost the baby.

She couldn’t let this blow up, but she couldn’t just swallow her anger, either. She wanted Chase Lockwood to retaliate against Mia Kane privately.

’She has to suffer for this,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, she’s getting off way too easy.’

"So, I’ll ask again. Did she, or did she not, push you?"

Chase Lockwood stared at her, his gaze searing. The daggers in his eyes were almost too much for her to withstand.

"I... I..."

"Vivian, did she push you, or did you lose your balance and fall on your own?"

Chase Lockwood stepped forward, pressing her again.

Vivian Lynch opened her mouth. ’Am I really supposed to admit that I just fell?’

Her lips trembled as she put on a wronged expression, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"Chase, why are you being so aggressive? You’re scaring me..."

It was a classic woman’s trick. When you can no longer justify the lie, you start attacking the other person’s attitude. You can always find some right or wrong in that.

"But she was still in the wrong! She knew I was pregnant, so why was she pushing and shoving with me?"

"Right. Mia Kane has always tried to avoid getting entangled with us. What exactly did you say to provoke her? And besides, she was already walking away when you grabbed her. Did you forget you were pregnant? Why would you instigate a physical altercation?"

His words made the color drain from Vivian Lynch’s face.

The security footage did indeed show her grabbing Mia Kane first.

Vivian Lynch couldn’t understand. ’How did this all become my fault?’

Just before, Chase Lockwood had clearly pitied her, his heart aching for the loss of her child and the damage to her body.

"Did Mia Kane say something to you?"

A sudden thought struck her.

’Did Mia Kane run to him to explain everything? Did she tell him she didn’t do anything and that I was colluding with Rosalyn Shield?’

’Mia Kane must have been bad-mouthing me!’

"Is she using the death of my child as an opportunity to make trouble for me and turn you against me? Chase, it’s all her scheme! You can’t let her fool you."

"She didn’t say anything about you."

"How is that possible...? Wait. You two actually met?"

Vivian Lynch immediately seized on the key implication.

’So they really did meet!’