Mother to Three, Nanny to Him Chapter 2

During my college years, I met Julian, who was giving a guest lecture at our university.

He fell in love with me at first sight, pursuing me relentlessly.

Designer jewelry, expensive bags, luxurious accessories.

Everything I'd once only dreamed of was suddenly showered upon me.

Everyone said our backgrounds were worlds apart, that Julian was just playing games.

But he proved his love with every little action.

He'd light up the entire city with fireworks just because I said I liked them. He'd climb thirty flights of stairs to bring me late-night snacks just because I mumbled I was hungry.

He was so meticulous, so thoughtful, planning every detail for me. From big life decisions to the smallest thing, like what I ate and drank.

I completely succumbed to his charm.

Our passion burned fiercely, and soon, we were expecting our first child.

Unlike the playboys who would simply vanish, he carefully chose a premier maternity clinic for me and began planning our wedding.

Everything was set until the wedding day, when he suddenly stopped me.

"Amelia, I'm already married."

Before the shock could settle, Julian laid a marriage certificate before me.

His voice was gentle, yet it left no room for argument.

"The title you want, I cannot give you. But I will cover all your mother's medical expenses."

Julian explained that as the sole heir to the formidable Campbell legacy, he had long been married. His wife, Charlotte, came from a family of equal standing-a fragile beauty with a chronic condition. While she could not produce an heir for the Campbells, her family brought indispensable business alliances. Divorce was not an option.

"Charlotte understands the rules of our world. She will not interfere with our...arrangement."

"I need you to bear healthy children for the Campbell family, for us."

"Beyond that, you two will live entirely separate lives, never crossing paths."

As he spoke, Julian placed a platinum card in front of me.

He analyzed everything about me as if I were a commodity.

"I've checked your background. You're from the West Coast, no hereditary family illnesses."

"Your height, weight, education, appearance-all meet my requirements."

"Your mother's in the hospital after a car accident; you desperately need money."

"This is a shrewd bargain for you."

"Of course, you can refuse."

"But understand this: in this city, no one dares cross the Campbells. Leave me, and you'll find no job, no partner, no one to pay your mother's medical bills."

His words abruptly jolted me awake from my dream.

It was then I realized Julian's feelings for me were never love.

He cared for my every need, planned my future. In countless nights, he intimately 'measured' my body-all just to pick the perfect vessel for himself, for Charlotte.

He blocked every escape route, forcing me to make that humiliating choice.

That night, I cried myself almost unconscious.

In the end, I signed my name on that contract, which felt more like a bill of sale.

My love for my mother became my reason to compromise. It also became the cage that trapped me.

From that day on, I became Julian's mistress, the woman he kept hidden away.

A nameless, unrecognized tool for bearing children.