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Samantha Chalmers sat on her bed, wrapped in a blanket, her face struck by the impact of a divorce agreement.

As her eyes caught the attention-grabbing words, her heart clenched.

Instinctively, she tightened her grip on the blanket.

At this moment, Derek Stratton, who was standing at the foot of the bed, had a dark face and dressed neatly. He felt disgusted at the woman on the bed at a glance and did not care that she was the woman he had been with last night.

"Derek, I didn't scheme against you during last night's drinks. I didn't plot anything," Samantha's voice was resolute, tears welled in her eyes, her voice trembling with emotion as she tried to explain.

"Whether you plotted or not, your objective has been accomplished," Derek said as he slipped on his final suit jacket, his eyes narrowing as he regarded her. "But Samantha, don't delude yourself into thinking that our relationship means we won't divorce."

Samantha was aware.

The fact that she and Derek had been married for two years was merely the result of a marriage contract orchestrated by their mothers.

Over the past two years, they had appeared affectionate in public, yet their intimacy was perhaps less than that of strangers behind closed doors.

Samantha endured it all. After her mother's passing, the Chalmers family's tolerance for her had diminished, leaving her dependent on the Stratton family to maintain even a sliver of her position within the Chalmers clan. Derek's presence was inconsequential.

This was the life she had envisioned.

However, she never anticipated the return of the woman Derek loved the most.

Now she found herself facing divorce-a source of mockery throughout their social circle.

Expressionless, Derek pronounced, "Sign it obediently, and ensure that none of your belongings remain in my house by sundown. If you persist in your futile pursuit, I'll make you regret it."

With his last cruel words, he ruthlessly turned around and left without any hesitation.

Forced to sign and then ejected from the house.

An hour later, at the Chalmers residence.

Not only did she fail to enter the room smoothly, she was even thrown out, and even her luggage was ruthlessly thrown out.

Before the door stood her stepmother, the current Madam of the House, Mrs. Olivia Chalmers, arms crossed. She looked at Samantha in disdain as she picked up her scattered clothes from the ground. "Samantha, do not blame my heartless ways as a stepmother. It is your own fault for being abandoned by Dreke and turning our family into a laughingstock throughout the entire city. Your father is now hospitalized because of this."

Samantha's heart raced upon hearing the news. "Papa is in the hospital? What hospital is he in?"

"Do you think he wants to see you now? He hoped you'd provide support to the Chalmers family by becoming Mrs. Stratton. Yet, you've proven yourself utterly useless," Mrs. Chalmers taunted.

Samantha clenched her lips, her heart tumultuous.

"The entire capital knows that Derek abandoned you for another woman, Samantha. They're all aware. You see, the best way to secure a man is by bearing his child. Just look at your empty belly. It's no wonder Derek treated you this way!"

Was this what she wanted?

She longed to bring a child into the world, but Derek had denied her that chance.

Facing her mocking stepmother, Samantha held her composure and began picking up her belongings, determined to carry them back inside.