The Stand-in CEO’s Wife Abandoned Her Husband and Daughter

Chapter 1

My stepdaughter, Grace, presented me with a bowl of abortion pills at my own coming-of-age ceremony.

Everyone around knew about her “prank,” but nobody stopped her. Even my husband just watched coldly.

I gave a wry smile, took the bowl, and drank it down.

A sharp pain immediately shot through my lower abdomen.

My consciousness faded, and I heard Grace’s cruel voice.

“Ha, did you think having a baby would replace my mother?”

“Let me tell you, Dad only married you because I was young and needed a free babysitter!”

“If you dare try to take my mother’s place, get out of the house!”

I clutched my stomach and took a deep breath.

“No need to bother, you’re an adult now, and I’ve fulfilled my responsibility.”

“I’ll leave tomorrow.”

Grace’s expression faltered for a moment, but then she sneered.

“Ha, what are you pretending now?”

“You schemed your way into marrying my dad, I don’t believe you’ll leave!”

“Using a face just like my mother’s, you seduced him less than a hundred days after her death. Shameless!”

Her words were like daggers, her eyes full of contempt and malice.

I didn’t want to argue, and I turned to leave, my face ashen.

The abortion pills burned their way down to my stomach, and intense pain exploded through me.

I felt the warm blood flowing between my legs.

Shaking, I pulled out my phone to call 911.

But the next second, Grace slapped it out of my hand.

“You want to go to the hospital? Dream on!”

“I won’t let someone as low as you taint my family’s bloodline! You’ll never have a child!”

I was drenched in cold sweat from the pain. A maid who was friendly with me spoke up.

“Miss, Ma’am is bleeding, if she doesn’t go to the hospital, she might die.”

“Shut up!”

Grace slapped the maid.

“Who allowed you to call her ‘Ma’am’?! The only Mrs. Thompson in this house is my mother!”

She was the only Thompson child, spoiled rotten. As she grew older, she became increasingly arrogant.

Looking at the child I raised, I felt my heart break.

Seeing my trembling, she raised her voice.

“Don’t look at me with that disgusting look!”

“If you do it again, I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

She was a wild, angry child, a little beast ready to pounce.

I lowered my head, hiding the disappointment and tears in my eyes, and turned away without a word.

The bleeding continued. The most important thing was to get to the hospital.

But the blood loss weakened me, and after a few steps, I collapsed.

Grace watched my helpless form, a triumphant smile curving her lips.

She laughed, then walked upstairs.

Seeing her heartless back, I remembered holding her as a baby.

She was a tiny infant, curled up in her crib, her cries barely audible. Her mother died in childbirth.

I felt an inexplicable pang of sympathy for her.

Mr. Thompson’s mother, seeing my resemblance to her daughter, offered a large sum of money for me to marry Mr. Thompson and care for Grace.

I agreed, truly treating the little girl as my own.

But in the end, over a decade of care and love, didn’t create any affection for me. It only fueled her deep-seated malice.

I laughed to myself, and with the maid’s help, I got to the hospital.

In the sterile smell of antiseptic, I was told I’d lost the baby, and would likely be infertile.

I cried at first, then felt relief.

It’s good, it’s good that no one else will suffer.

On the way home from the hospital, I ran into Mr. Thompson.

Seeing him, I remembered his cold indifference at the ceremony.

He had witnessed everything, yet said nothing. He even turned away and went to his study after I fell.

He was calmly reading the newspaper, not even looking up when he saw me.

“It’s not Grace’s fault.”

“You agreed to marry me and take care of Grace for the money.”

“Her spoiled and tyrannical behavior is your doing.”

He spoke calmly, downplaying Grace’s attempt to kill me.

He even blamed me.

I lowered my gaze, saying nothing.

After a long silence, he finally looked at me.

“Are you feeling better?”

“I lost the baby.”

Mr. Thompson looked at me, stood up, loosened his tie, and walked towards me.

“It’s for the best, things will be easier.”

I understood his meaning and stared at him in shock.

Although his mother made the initial proposal, he was the one who made the decision.

It was all because of my resemblance to his late wife.

He loved that face.

He loved it enough to stay with me every night, even without affection.

He never used protection.

That’s how I got pregnant.

As an orphan, I couldn’t bring myself to abort the baby, so I stayed until today.

But I didn’t expect that on the day I miscarried, he would want to be intimate with me.

It was clear Grace’s cruelty came from him.

I suppressed my disgust and pushed him away.

Seeing his surprise and anger, I said calmly,

“My agreement with your mother is over. Grace… is grown.”

“I’m leaving tomorrow.”

I’d been with them for over a decade, but he never proposed.

They treated me like a disposable babysitter.

But it was good. Leaving would be easier without complications.

His face darkened.

“Eleanor, are you still angry at Grace?”

I wouldn’t speak. He thought he understood.

“Your heart is too small.”

“Grace is still a child. Don’t be angry with her.”

“Besides, you’re an orphan. Where else can you go?”

He thought he had me. His words were condescending and patronizing.

I took off my necklace and put it on the table.

“I’ll go back to the orphanage.”

The day I married Mr. Thompson, I knew he didn’t love me.

He and his wife were a perfect match, wealthy, beautiful, deeply in love.

He married me only because I resembled his wife and could care for Grace.

So, I always had a backup plan.

Once I received the agreed-upon payment, I would leave and return to the orphanage.

That was my home.

But I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t let me go, even though I’d fulfilled my agreement.

“Mr. Thompson, I’ve done what I promised your mother. Grace… is grown.”

“I’ve stayed at the Thompson household long enough. The gossip is unbearable. Staying longer without any status would be disrespectful to your wife.”

The man stared at me for a moment, then smiled.

“Oh, that’s it. Don’t worry. My wife is broad-minded, she won’t mind.”

“You just want to marry me formally. That’s just a formality.”

“Just be a little more obedient, treat Grace well, and I might marry you…”

“No.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to marry you, or get a marriage license.”

The man’s eyes darkened.

Before, I would have trembled and apologized, finding ways to appease him.

But I was tired of that.

“I don’t want to stay in this house.”

“I’m going back to the orphanage, to be with the matron and care for the children.”

“Grace is grown, she doesn’t need me.”

“Just give me the money you promised, and I’ll leave…”

With a loud crash, Mr. Thompson swept everything off the table.

“Shut up!”

“We’ve been too kind to you. You think you can come and go as you please!”

“You can’t leave this house without my permission!”

He turned and left, ordering the servants to lock me in my room.

The heavy door slammed shut. That night, the only thing I received was water.

The servant who locked me up was apologetic, saying Mr. Thompson had ordered them to starve me for a few days to teach me a lesson.

I was shocked by his wickedness. He broke his promise and tortured me.

My body was weak after the miscarriage. I lay in bed, thinking of an escape.

The next day, as sunlight streamed into the room, I heard a commotion outside.

“What? That bitch actually wants to leave? And Father locked her up?”

Grace’s shrill voice rang out. After some futile pleas from the servants, she kicked the door open.

She rushed in and saw me lying weakly in bed.

A cruel smile twisted her lips, she grabbed my hair and pulled me up.

“I heard you fought with Father yesterday?”

“You’re useless, you’ve been here for over a decade and don’t even have a single admirer.”

The pain in my scalp made me wince.

“Grace, let me go!”

“Oh, you dare yell at me? Do you think you’re my mother?”

She pulled harder, then threw me back onto the bed.

My nose hit the bed, stinging, tears welling in my eyes.

Grace laughed louder.

“I heard you didn’t eat last night, so I kindly brought you something.”

She grabbed a food container from a servant and forced it into my mouth.

The sticky texture mixed with blood, I coughed violently.

Grace was amused by my suffering.

“Delicious? People say children are made of their mother’s blood and essence.”

“Since it’s so nutritious, I’ll let you eat the baby you aborted back!”

“This is your punishment for dreaming of replacing my mother!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Disgust and shock filled me. I retched, as if I would vomit my heart out.

With a few heaves, the bloody clumps fell to the floor.

“Does it look familiar? After all, it lived in your body for months!”

Grace laughed cruelly, waiting for a look of terror on my face.

Seeing her cruelty, my heart sank.

She used to be such a sweet girl.

When she was little, she was weak, allergic to many things, and prone to indigestion. I made all her meals.

But I was a novice cook, and toddler food was complicated, leaving my hands constantly cut.

Thinking of this, I tearfully showed my blood-stained hands to Grace.

“I never tried to replace your mother. Everything I did for these ten years was to take good care of you.”

Grace was stunned, a fleeting look of confusion on her face. It was quickly replaced by rage.

“Don’t try to fool me! I asked around, you married into this family for money!”

“Grandma promised you a fortune to take care of me.”

“And you secretly got pregnant, to stay here and enjoy the luxury!”

Looking at her disgust, I looked at her with tears in my eyes.

“Grace, why do you hate me?”

“Have I not been good to you for the past ten years?”

The girl’s confusion was undeniable, she couldn’t speak for a long time.

What could she say?

I devoted all my energy to her.

Her food, clothes, everything, I provided it all.

She was frail, with delicate needs.

I knew her habits and preferences intimately.

When she was five, she had a serious illness and almost died.

I carried her to the hospital, pleading with every god, and brought her back from the brink.

When I made the deal with Mr. Thompson’s mother, I warned myself.

Wealthy families are heartless, never give your heart completely.

But in the end, I fell, and lost everything.

Grace’s face grew red, she almost screamed.

“What does it matter that you were good to me! You did it for the money!”

“If you really cared for me, you wouldn’t have gotten pregnant!”

“You never really cared about me, and I’ll never consider you my mother. I hate you!”

She ran out of the room.

At the stairs, she bumped into a woman.

She raised her head angrily, ready to yell, but froze.

“Mother?!”