The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 1: What’s the Child’s Gender?

Chapter 1: What’s the Baby’s Gender?

At twenty-five weeks pregnant, Rachel Royce ran into her husband at the hospital while he was cheating on her.

The tall, handsome man in the black overcoat was protectively holding a delicate, beautiful girl. The girl wore a white fox-fur coat, her cheeks rosy. Her small face was bundled in a soft wool scarf, and her features were as exquisite as a doll’s.

Rachel clutched her prenatal checkup report, her knuckles turning white. A cold wind scraped across her face, but the ache in her heart was colder still.

Tristan Sterling saw her from a distance. His expression was indifferent, showing no shame at being caught in the act. He personally opened the car door for the girl, his demeanor gentle.

So the cold, aloof man at the top of the world had a tender, caring side after all.

The girl seemed to notice Rachel. She paused, glanced at Rachel with a puzzled look, and then turned to Tristan Sterling. "Tristan, why is that auntie staring at you? Do you know her?"

The cold wind howled in her ears.

Rachel couldn’t hear what the girl said to Tristan Sterling.

But she could read the word "auntie" from her lips.

’Auntie?’

’She must be talking about me.’

Rachel gave a bitter, silent laugh.

She was only twenty-four years old.

But with her slightly heavy build and plain looks, bundled in a black down jacket and a black wool hat, her body was swollen and clumsy in the late stages of pregnancy. Add to that her haggard face, and she really did look like a woman in her thirties or forties. How could she possibly compare to a beautiful young girl?

Tristan Sterling helped the girl into the car.

Rachel stood frozen to the spot, watching the car’s shadow as it drove away.

She and Tristan Sterling had a shotgun wedding. For a man like Tristan, born with a silver spoon, this forced marriage was a stain on his life. The child in her womb was nothing but the tool she had used to coerce him.

He loathed her.

And she had been secretly in love with him for eight years. But Rachel knew she was never good enough for him. Her only choice was to study relentlessly, treating him as her life’s goal and following in his footsteps.

Eventually, she got her wish and became his assistant, able to stand by his side.

That one night hadn’t just destroyed Tristan Sterling; it had mercilessly shredded every last bit of her pride and dignity in front of him.

She would never forget the look of disgust in his eyes afterward, as if he had touched something foul and disgusting.

’So only a beautiful girl like that is worthy of him.’

A hot tear slid from the corner of her eye, followed by a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She quickly clutched her belly with one hand and braced herself against a nearby stone pillar with the other.

A passing nurse saw her, hurried over to help, and took her to an examination room.

It was just a uterine contraction caused by emotional distress.

Once she had recovered, Rachel left the hospital, dragging her exhausted body and mind back to Silvermist Bay alone.

This was Tristan Sterling’s villa.

Madam Sterling had arranged for experienced nannies from the Sterling family’s main residence to take care of her.

At that moment, the two nannies assigned to her were sitting in the well-heated living room, enjoying food and chatting as if they were the masters of the house.

The nannies heard a noise.

They looked toward the door.

Seeing Rachel return, one of them stood up, walked over, and asked, "How were the results of your checkup?"

Her tone was arrogant and contemptuous.

They were supposed to be her nannies, but they acted more like her wardens, lording it over her.

Rachel just gave the nanny a cold glance and ignored her, heading straight for the stairs.

The nanny frowned in displeasure.

"I asked you a question."

Rachel still ignored her.

Watching Rachel’s retreating back, the nanny spat. "Fat as a pig. Does she really think she’s the young mistress of the Sterling Family? What a phony."

Rachel went back to her bedroom and sat on the bed, feeling empty and lost.

Neither Tristan Sterling nor the rest of the Sterling Family approved of her as a daughter-in-law.

Madam Sterling had been the one to insist they get their marriage license.

But that was only because Master Sterling was gravely ill. Rachel had shown up pregnant at just the right time, so Madam Sterling arranged the wedding to bring good fortune to the old master—a double blessing, so to speak.

Whether by coincidence or because of the supposed good fortune, Master Sterling’s condition gradually improved.

Only then did Madam Sterling’s attitude toward her soften slightly.

But the rest of the Sterling Family still treated her with disdain.

Her hospital visit today had also been to determine the baby’s gender. It was a girl.

Mrs. Sterling had probably already been notified by the hospital.

Just then, her phone began to vibrate.

Rachel pulled herself out of her thoughts.

She took her phone out of her bag. Seeing the caller ID, she froze for a second. It was her former professor.

She answered.

"Professor Jennings."

"There’s an opening to go to Stanford University for a doctoral program. Do you want to give it a shot?"

Hearing Julian Jennings’s words, Rachel was stunned speechless for a long moment.

When she didn’t respond, Julian said, "If you don’t need—" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I’ll go."

Rachel snapped back to reality and replied without a moment’s hesitation.

It was Julian Jennings’s turn to fall silent.

He knew better than anyone how hard Rachel had worked just to feel worthy of standing by Tristan Sterling’s side.

Now that she had finally gotten her wish—married and pregnant—how could she leave so easily?

He had only asked her about the last remaining spot on a whim, just to see.

"Professor Jennings."

Rachel said his name.

Julian replied, "In that case, come to my office at ten tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

Julian Jennings said nothing more and hung up.

Putting down her phone, Rachel let out a long breath, a sudden sense of relief washing over her, as if the clouds had finally parted to reveal the moon.

’It’s time for me to wake up.’

A man who doesn’t love you won’t be tied down by the child you bear him, nor will he ever turn back to give you a second glance.

She then received a call from Madam Sterling, asking her to come to the Sterling family’s main residence. Rachel agreed, guessing it was about the baby.

She felt a renewed sense of energy.

First, she went to the bathroom for a long, hot shower.

Sitting at her vanity, Rachel looked at her reflection in the mirror: a puffy, round face, dark circles, bags under her eyes, sunken eye sockets, and cheeks covered in blemishes.

’Anyone would be disgusted by such an ugly sight, right?’

’How could someone like me ever be worthy of standing next to a man like Tristan Sterling, who has everything?’

She put on some makeup, changed into a pink down jacket, and put on a white cloche hat. The whole look made her appear much more vibrant.

She had originally planned to drive to the main residence herself.

But just as she was leaving, she got a call from Tristan Sterling. The man’s indifferent voice came through the phone. "Come out."

Rachel was startled.

’Madam Sterling must have told him to come back to the main residence, too.’

She replied, "Okay."

She walked out of the villa.

The man’s Rolls-Royce was parked at the gate. Two hours ago, this same car had been used to chauffeur another woman.

She took a deep breath, walked forward, pulled open the door, and got in.

The moment she got in, she smelled a faint perfume—the sweet scent of a young girl. A small pink teddy bear sat inside the car, the kind of stuffed toy a young girl would love.

Lifting her gaze, she noticed the hair tie on the man’s wrist.

It was a girl’s way of claiming her territory.

’Tristan Sterling must really like that girl.’

Rachel suppressed the sour feeling in her heart, sat down, and fastened her seatbelt.

The driver started the car and slowly pulled away.

Rachel stared out the window in silence.

Before, whenever she had a moment alone with him, she would have cherished it, trying to get closer to him. Even if he treated her with disdain, she would have tirelessly tried to start conversations.

It was all because she naively fantasized that since they were husband and wife, since they had a child, and since they had a long life ahead of them, if she just acted as a proper wife and a good mother, maybe one day Tristan Sterling would finally turn around and look at her.

But in the end, she had only been deceiving herself.

The man, oblivious to her mood, was as cold as ever. He simply asked, "What’s the baby’s gender?"

Rachel replied, "A girl."

Hearing this, Tristan Sterling’s handsome, chiseled face showed no change in expression. He just said coolly, "After the child is born, we’ll get a divorce."

As his words fell, Rachel’s fingers clenched.

It felt as if a hand were squeezing her heart, making it hard to breathe.

This marriage was never meant to last. She had always known that, but hearing him say it himself still hurt so much.

She bit her lip and replied, "Okay."

Tristan Sterling turned his head to glance at her, seeming somewhat surprised that she had agreed so readily.