My Perfect Marriage Was His Perfect Crime novel Chapter 3

Sterling's face lit up with surprise and joy as he held me close, making a solemn vow. "I'll be good to you for the rest of my life, Nina."

"When the child grows up, we'll travel the world together. Haven't you always wanted to go back and visit the place where you grew up?"

He rambled on about the beautiful future ahead, unaware that this perfect new life would never begin. Because I was leaving.

Sterling couldn't wait. Barely two or three days later, he brought Luna and the child back to the U.S. for a family gathering.

"I figured our parents should at least know, and you probably miss them too," he said carefully, watching my face, afraid I'd be upset.

Inside Clarkson Mansion, my parents played with Oliver, their faces glowing with the joy of first-time grandparents.

Luna sat beside them, still like a little girl.

As my mother doted on her grandson, she lovingly stroked Luna's hair.

"Luna, you must have suffered so much out there. Don't worry, this child belongs to the Clarkson family."

A sharp pain pricked my eyes, but I forced a smile and stepped forward to greet them.

My parents' expressions instantly turned cold.

"Why the long face? Trying to ruin our mood? Look at Luna—so much more sensible than you."

"I really don't understand you. You were about to give birth, yet you still ate recklessly. And now, look what happened. You lost the child, and Luna has to clean up your mess."

"You knew your parents-in-law would be here today, yet you dressed in mourning clothes. Who are you trying to displease? You've never once brought honor to this family. We never should have brought you back in the first place. Because of you, Luna spent all these years away from home, suffering."

I had always known my parents looked down on me. I wasn't someone they could be proud of, unworthy of being a Clarkson daughter in their eyes.

But Luna, the daughter they cherished so much, wasn't even their biological child.

Only when Luna chose to leave the country, and the Blackwood family insisted on me, did they reluctantly accept me—but with even greater resentment.

At my wedding, my father refused to walk me down the aisle, and my mother sat at the table, sulking through the ceremony.

In the past, Sterling would have stood up for me.

But now, his eyes were glued to Luna, filled with endless tenderness.

He had completely forgotten that the reason I lost my child was because he had poisoned my food with aborticide while I trusted him.

Luna approached, holding the baby in her arms. She looked at me with an earnest smile.

"Nina, look at Oliver. Isn't he adorable?"

He was.

His features mirrored Luna's, but his lips and jaw were a perfect replica of Sterling's.

I brushed my fingers over his soft cheeks, my heart swelling with searing hatred.

Why should he get to live in wealth and comfort while my child was poisoned to death before even seeing this world?

"Oliver?"

Bitterness coated my tongue as I forced a smile. "Nice name."

Noticing something odd in the child's expression, I reached for his neck—