Rumor has it that the Austins have only one heir in ten generations—Dylan Austin, a workaholic who is practically celibate and, at nearly thirty, remains unmarried and childless. The only stain on his pristine reputation? A single night five years ago—his greatest shame, a secret he refuses to acknowledge. Under family pressure, Dylan is forced into a sudden marriage with Rebecca Thomson, the heiress of the Thomson family. Before the wedding, he presents her with a cold, unfeeling contract: "This is a three-year business arrangement. Our marriage is nothing but formality." Rebecca thinks it’s the perfect deal—no strings attached. She signs without hesitation. But after the wedding, whispers begin to spread: "Mr. Austin, Rebecca’s four sons look just like you… Could they be yours?" Dylan denies it outright. "Impossible. I don’t have heirs." Until the day four miniature versions of himself stand before him. Cornering Rebecca against the wall, his voice is dangerously low. "That night… Was it you?" "Just a business marriage. Formality only…" she tries to deflect, but his arms lock around her, leaving no escape. They agreed to a marriage in name only—so why does she wake up aching every morning?

Chapter 1Zion, Platinum Hotel.“So hot… help me…”Rebecca staggered down the hotel hallway, one hand pressed to the wall, sweat dripping down her brow and vanishing instantly in the suffocating heat. She’d just knocked out that disgusting pig who tried to assault her, but now her vision was swimming. Every breath burned; the world spun around her, and she was barely holding herself up.Up ahead, she caught a glimpse of a door slightly ajar. Without thinking, she pushed it open and stumbled inside.All she wanted was to find a bathroom and douse herself with cold water. But as she crossed the threshold, she froze—there was a man lying on the bed.“A… a man?” Her voice was little more than a tremor.Her legs buckled. It felt as if she were burning up from the inside, desperate for relief, for anything that could quench the fever raging through her veins.She barely registered what she was doing as she climbed onto the bed, drawing herself toward the man.His eyes snapped open, dark and bottomless.“You’ve got a death wish or something?” His breath was hot against her cheek, his voice low and cold as steel.In that moment, as their eyes met, something inside Rebecca shattered and surged all at once—a tidal wave crashing in her chest.The dim light spilled across the stranger’s face, defining the sharp cut of his jaw and the hard lines of his body. His presence grew clearer, more imposing, even as the room spun around her.Somewhere in the darkness, survival instincts overpowered fear and shame. After a moment’s hesitation, Rebecca leaned down and pressed her lips to his, silencing his protest.Their mouths met in a desperate kiss. Desire flared between them, a wildfire of need and tangled limbs.The man’s self-control snapped. He tried to push her away, but his legs wouldn’t move—paralyzed, powerless.He clenched his jaw, spitting out his words between sharp breaths. “You won’t get away with this.”…Much later, dawn crept through the curtains. Rebecca woke, groggy and sore. She slipped from the bed, fumbling with the torn straps of her dress. In her haste, the red bead bracelet on her wrist slipped to the floor. Quiet as a mouse, she hurried out before the man stirred, vanishing into the hotel corridor.Yesterday had been her engagement party with Alan Brown.But at the celebration, her sister—Katherine Foster—had set her up, leaving Rebecca desperate, poisoned, and with nowhere to turn but the arms of a stranger.She barely made it out the hotel doors before she ran right into Katherine, who’d brought along their parents, Hogan and Jane Foster.“Mom, Dad, I saw Rebecca go into the hotel with a strange man last night,” Katherine announced, her voice loud and triumphant as the four of them crossed paths.Katherine’s voice rang out, sharp and clear. “Look, there she is—”Rebecca froze, clutching her flimsy dress around her. It was all too obvious—Katherine had orchestrated everything.Before Rebecca could utter a word, Hogan’s expression darkened as he caught sight of the marks on her neck and arms—evidence she couldn’t hide.His anger erupted. “Rebecca, have you no shame? Running around dressed like that—you’ve disgraced the Foster family!”“Everyone in Zion knows you’re engaged to the Browns, and yet you sneak off to a hotel with some stranger? Have you lost all sense of decency?”Rebecca shrank back, fingers curling in the cold morning air as her father’s accusations crashed over her.Not long ago, it had come out that Rebecca wasn’t related to the Fosters by blood. She was the imposter, the switched-at-birth mistake. The family had thrown themselves into finding their real daughter.The moment Katherine was found and welcomed back as the true Foster heiress, Rebecca’s world collapsed. No one wanted to hear her side of the story or care about how she felt. She was invisible now—an outsider.And in this moment, there was nothing she could say to defend herself.At that moment, Jane grabbed Hogan’s arm, her words sugarcoated but each one cutting into Rebecca like a knife. “Darling, calm down. It’s all my fault—I didn’t keep a close enough eye on her. She fell in with the wrong crowd, and now look what’s happened. She’s not even married and already getting involved with men.”Jane was Rebecca’s adoptive mother. Ever since their biological daughter had been found, Jane had sided with Katherine and grown increasingly hostile toward Rebecca. Every hardship Katherine had endured after being switched at birth, Jane blamed squarely on Rebecca’s shoulders.Hogan prided himself on his family’s reputation. Hearing Jane’s words only stoked his anger further. He leaned in and snarled under his breath, “Is this how we raised you? You ignore everything good and learn nothing but bad habits, making a spectacle of yourself. I’m honestly ashamed of you.”A fleeting smirk crossed Rebecca’s lips, but she felt nothing. Calmly, she lifted her chin and said, “You can save your disappointment. After all, I’m not really your daughter—not a member of the Foster family.”With that, Rebecca stepped past them and walked away without looking back.“You—! You’re completely out of control!” Hogan was so furious he could barely find the words. He watched her retreating figure, his eyes filled with utter disappointment.Rebecca had always been rebellious, and now she was grown, her defiance only stronger. No wonder she’d never felt like a true part of their family—she wasn’t really theirs by blood.Jane sighed in Hogan’s ear. “If only we’d never taken in this girl. Our real daughter suffered so much out there, while Rebecca just runs wild with no sense of decency, dragging our family name through the mud. It’s just like they say—a rotten seed never changes, no matter how you raise her.”Katherine slipped her arm through Hogan’s and spoke gently, “Dad, I’m sorry. I know we shouldn’t air family scandals, but this is just too serious. I already told Alan the truth. He deserves to know—he’s a good guy and shouldn’t be deceived.”Hogan patted Katherine’s hand reassuringly, his double standards clear as day. “You did the right thing. Someone like her doesn’t deserve Alan.”Rebecca paused, startled, and turned back for a moment. In that instant, she caught a flash of smug satisfaction in Katherine’s eyes—so quick it was almost invisible.Suddenly, a phone rang.Katherine glanced at the caller ID and said, “Mom, Dad, you two go ahead to the car. I need to take this.”She hurried off to one side, answering the call as soon as she was out of earshot.“Did you get the video?” she asked, her voice low and eager.But the middle-aged man on the other end sounded apologetic. “Sorry, Ms. Foster. I just woke up. She knocked me out last night and ran off—I have no idea where she went.”What?Rebecca hadn’t spent the night with the man Katherine had arranged?…Two months later.Rebecca sat at the dining table, staring at the plate in front of her, piled high with rich, fatty roast pork. Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her. She clamped a hand over her mouth, barely able to swallow back the urge to vomit, then hurriedly pushed back her chair and rushed to the bathroom.Her abrupt movement caught Jane’s attention. Jane had seen enough to know the signs—one glance and suspicion flashed in her eyes.She frowned. “Honey, do you think she might be pregnant?”The effect was instantaneous—a single stone tossed into a pond, sending ripples everywhere.Hogan slammed his fork onto the table and, face darkening, strode toward the bathroom, with Jane and Katherine right behind him.When Hogan pushed open the bathroom door, the scene before him made his heart sink: Rebecca was bent over the sink, retching uncontrollably.Hogan’s voice boomed through the house. “Call the doctor—now!”The Foster family’s private physician arrived in a rush, his coat flapping as he hurried inside.Rebecca’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him preparing to examine her. She could guess why he was there, and anxiety tightened her chest.No way… Could it really happen from just that one time?She instinctively placed a protective hand over her stomach, but she didn’t resist the doctor’s examination.When he finished, the doctor addressed everyone gathered in the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Foster, your daughter is pregnant. And there are four heartbeats—I believe she’s expecting quadruplets.”The news struck like a bolt of lightning, every bit as shocking as when Rebecca’s true parentage had been exposed months earlier. The revelation rippled through the Foster family, leaving stunned silence in its wake.Everyone was speechless, but none more so than Hogan. His face turned red with fury.He dismissed the doctor with an impatient wave, then rounded on Rebecca. His glare was full of rage, as if he could set her alight just by looking at her. “You’ve already disgraced the Foster family once. And now this—you’re pregnant on top of it all.”Jane couldn’t restrain herself either. Her voice was sharp and shrill. “Absolutely shameless! You’re a young woman and have no self-respect. After what happened, you didn’t even bother to protect yourself…”Rebecca stood by silently, lips pressed in a thin line.The whole situation blindsided her. She was only nineteen, and after a single accident, she was pregnant by a man she didn’t even know.Katherine, meanwhile, watched with barely concealed glee. She never expected that one night would leave Rebecca with a child—let alone four. An illegitimate litter, what a delicious bit of drama.Once Hogan had calmed down a little, his voice turned icy. “I’m arranging for the procedure today. The babies will be taken care of.”Rebecca protectively wrapped her arms around her abdomen, her tone unwavering. “They’re my children. You have no right to decide for me.”Hogan’s anger reignited. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, voice thunderous. “I’m your father. Of course I have the right! Either you terminate this pregnancy, or you get out of my house. The Foster family won’t keep a daughter like you!”Rebecca’s eyes grew cold, her expression calm as she replied, “Fine. I’ll leave.”She thought to herself that this day was bound to come.She was never truly a Foster. Sooner or later, she would have to go. Hogan just happened to say it first, and this was as good a moment as any to cut ties.Without another word, she turned and walked upstairs.Hogan’s face twisted with disappointment. “Fine! You’re so stubborn! You’d rather leave the Foster family than get rid of that bastard child. Let’s see how you manage on your own!”Jane’s voice followed Rebecca up the stairs, shrill with anger. “Having a child out of wedlock—just you wait and see if any decent man would want you. We’re trying to help you, but you won’t listen. You’re nothing but an ungrateful brat.”Rebecca’s slender figure disappeared around the corner of the staircase. She tuned out their endless tirade behind her.But Katherine wasn’t about to let her get off so easily. After a moment’s thought, she turned to Hogan and said, “Dad, even if Rebecca made a mistake, she’s still family. And she’s carrying four babies. If we just send her out on her own, how’s she supposed to survive?”Putting on a show of concern, Katherine continued, “Why don’t we find someone for her to marry?”Hogan scoffed. “Who would want her now? Not a man in this whole city would take her.”Katherine hesitated, then suggested, “There’s a guy from the village where I grew up—Jerry. He’s never married, but he’s a good man. Works hard, kind-hearted. He’d probably be willing to marry Rebecca. Life out there is tough, though…”Jane chimed in. “So life’s tough. Good! She’s been spoiled her whole life—never had to work for anything. Let her see what it’s like in the countryside. Four babies at once, even a sow couldn’t match her. She’s lucky if any man will have her at all.”Hogan thought it over for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Let her try a hard life for a change. Maybe then she’ll appreciate what she had here.”Katherine barely concealed her satisfaction. “I’ll call Jerry now and see if he’s willing to marry her.”She was the one who’d grown up in poverty, switched at birth, and she hated Rebecca from the depths of her heart. Now she’d make Rebecca taste the hardship she’d endured.Upstairs, Rebecca was quietly packing her things, unaware that her fate was being decided by the family downstairs—and that they were about to marry her off to a poor cattle farmer in the middle of nowhere.Suddenly, Katherine burst into the room, brimming with excitement. “Rebecca, you don’t have to leave after all! Mom and Dad talked it over—they won’t force you to get rid of the babies. You can stay, with your children!”Chapter 2Zion, Platinum Hotel.“So hot… help me…”Rebecca staggered down the hotel hallway, one hand pressed to the wall, sweat dripping down her brow and vanishing instantly in the suffocating heat. She’d just knocked out that disgusting pig who tried to assault her, but now her vision was swimming. Every breath burned; the world spun around her, and she was barely holding herself up.Up ahead, she caught a glimpse of a door slightly ajar. Without thinking, she pushed it open and stumbled inside.All she wanted was to find a bathroom and douse herself with cold water. But as she crossed the threshold, she froze—there was a man lying on the bed.“A… a man?” Her voice was little more than a tremor.Her legs buckled. It felt as if she were burning up from the inside, desperate for relief, for anything that could quench the fever raging through her veins.She barely registered what she was doing as she climbed onto the bed, drawing herself toward the man.His eyes snapped open, dark and bottomless.“You’ve got a death wish or something?” His breath was hot against her cheek, his voice low and cold as steel.In that moment, as their eyes met, something inside Rebecca shattered and surged all at once—a tidal wave crashing in her chest.The dim light spilled across the stranger’s face, defining the sharp cut of his jaw and the hard lines of his body. His presence grew clearer, more imposing, even as the room spun around her.Somewhere in the darkness, survival instincts overpowered fear and shame. After a moment’s hesitation, Rebecca leaned down and pressed her lips to his, silencing his protest.Their mouths met in a desperate kiss. Desire flared between them, a wildfire of need and tangled limbs.The man’s self-control snapped. He tried to push her away, but his legs wouldn’t move—paralyzed, powerless.He clenched his jaw, spitting out his words between sharp breaths. “You won’t get away with this.”…Much later, dawn crept through the curtains. Rebecca woke, groggy and sore. She slipped from the bed, fumbling with the torn straps of her dress. In her haste, the red bead bracelet on her wrist slipped to the floor. Quiet as a mouse, she hurried out before the man stirred, vanishing into the hotel corridor.Yesterday had been her engagement party with Alan Brown.But at the celebration, her sister—Katherine Foster—had set her up, leaving Rebecca desperate, poisoned, and with nowhere to turn but the arms of a stranger.She barely made it out the hotel doors before she ran right into Katherine, who’d brought along their parents, Hogan and Jane Foster.“Mom, Dad, I saw Rebecca go into the hotel with a strange man last night,” Katherine announced, her voice loud and triumphant as the four of them crossed paths.Katherine’s voice rang out, sharp and clear. “Look, there she is—”Rebecca froze, clutching her flimsy dress around her. It was all too obvious—Katherine had orchestrated everything.Before Rebecca could utter a word, Hogan’s expression darkened as he caught sight of the marks on her neck and arms—evidence she couldn’t hide.His anger erupted. “Rebecca, have you no shame? Running around dressed like that—you’ve disgraced the Foster family!”“Everyone in Zion knows you’re engaged to the Browns, and yet you sneak off to a hotel with some stranger? Have you lost all sense of decency?”Rebecca shrank back, fingers curling in the cold morning air as her father’s accusations crashed over her.Not long ago, it had come out that Rebecca wasn’t related to the Fosters by blood. She was the imposter, the switched-at-birth mistake. The family had thrown themselves into finding their real daughter.The moment Katherine was found and welcomed back as the true Foster heiress, Rebecca’s world collapsed. No one wanted to hear her side of the story or care about how she felt. She was invisible now—an outsider.And in this moment, there was nothing she could say to defend herself.At that moment, Jane grabbed Hogan’s arm, her words sugarcoated but each one cutting into Rebecca like a knife. “Darling, calm down. It’s all my fault—I didn’t keep a close enough eye on her. She fell in with the wrong crowd, and now look what’s happened. She’s not even married and already getting involved with men.”Jane was Rebecca’s adoptive mother. Ever since their biological daughter had been found, Jane had sided with Katherine and grown increasingly hostile toward Rebecca. Every hardship Katherine had endured after being switched at birth, Jane blamed squarely on Rebecca’s shoulders.Hogan prided himself on his family’s reputation. Hearing Jane’s words only stoked his anger further. He leaned in and snarled under his breath, “Is this how we raised you? You ignore everything good and learn nothing but bad habits, making a spectacle of yourself. I’m honestly ashamed of you.”A fleeting smirk crossed Rebecca’s lips, but she felt nothing. Calmly, she lifted her chin and said, “You can save your disappointment. After all, I’m not really your daughter—not a member of the Foster family.”With that, Rebecca stepped past them and walked away without looking back.“You—! You’re completely out of control!” Hogan was so furious he could barely find the words. He watched her retreating figure, his eyes filled with utter disappointment.Rebecca had always been rebellious, and now she was grown, her defiance only stronger. No wonder she’d never felt like a true part of their family—she wasn’t really theirs by blood.Jane sighed in Hogan’s ear. “If only we’d never taken in this girl. Our real daughter suffered so much out there, while Rebecca just runs wild with no sense of decency, dragging our family name through the mud. It’s just like they say—a rotten seed never changes, no matter how you raise her.”Katherine slipped her arm through Hogan’s and spoke gently, “Dad, I’m sorry. I know we shouldn’t air family scandals, but this is just too serious. I already told Alan the truth. He deserves to know—he’s a good guy and shouldn’t be deceived.”Hogan patted Katherine’s hand reassuringly, his double standards clear as day. “You did the right thing. Someone like her doesn’t deserve Alan.”Rebecca paused, startled, and turned back for a moment. In that instant, she caught a flash of smug satisfaction in Katherine’s eyes—so quick it was almost invisible.Suddenly, a phone rang.Katherine glanced at the caller ID and said, “Mom, Dad, you two go ahead to the car. I need to take this.”She hurried off to one side, answering the call as soon as she was out of earshot.“Did you get the video?” she asked, her voice low and eager.But the middle-aged man on the other end sounded apologetic. “Sorry, Ms. Foster. I just woke up. She knocked me out last night and ran off—I have no idea where she went.”What?Rebecca hadn’t spent the night with the man Katherine had arranged?…Two months later.Rebecca sat at the dining table, staring at the plate in front of her, piled high with rich, fatty roast pork. Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her. She clamped a hand over her mouth, barely able to swallow back the urge to vomit, then hurriedly pushed back her chair and rushed to the bathroom.Her abrupt movement caught Jane’s attention. Jane had seen enough to know the signs—one glance and suspicion flashed in her eyes.She frowned. “Honey, do you think she might be pregnant?”The effect was instantaneous—a single stone tossed into a pond, sending ripples everywhere.Hogan slammed his fork onto the table and, face darkening, strode toward the bathroom, with Jane and Katherine right behind him.When Hogan pushed open the bathroom door, the scene before him made his heart sink: Rebecca was bent over the sink, retching uncontrollably.Hogan’s voice boomed through the house. “Call the doctor—now!”The Foster family’s private physician arrived in a rush, his coat flapping as he hurried inside.Rebecca’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him preparing to examine her. She could guess why he was there, and anxiety tightened her chest.No way… Could it really happen from just that one time?She instinctively placed a protective hand over her stomach, but she didn’t resist the doctor’s examination.When he finished, the doctor addressed everyone gathered in the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Foster, your daughter is pregnant. And there are four heartbeats—I believe she’s expecting quadruplets.”The news struck like a bolt of lightning, every bit as shocking as when Rebecca’s true parentage had been exposed months earlier. The revelation rippled through the Foster family, leaving stunned silence in its wake.Everyone was speechless, but none more so than Hogan. His face turned red with fury.He dismissed the doctor with an impatient wave, then rounded on Rebecca. His glare was full of rage, as if he could set her alight just by looking at her. “You’ve already disgraced the Foster family once. And now this—you’re pregnant on top of it all.”Jane couldn’t restrain herself either. Her voice was sharp and shrill. “Absolutely shameless! You’re a young woman and have no self-respect. After what happened, you didn’t even bother to protect yourself…”Rebecca stood by silently, lips pressed in a thin line.The whole situation blindsided her. She was only nineteen, and after a single accident, she was pregnant by a man she didn’t even know.Katherine, meanwhile, watched with barely concealed glee. She never expected that one night would leave Rebecca with a child—let alone four. An illegitimate litter, what a delicious bit of drama.Once Hogan had calmed down a little, his voice turned icy. “I’m arranging for the procedure today. The babies will be taken care of.”Rebecca protectively wrapped her arms around her abdomen, her tone unwavering. “They’re my children. You have no right to decide for me.”Hogan’s anger reignited. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, voice thunderous. “I’m your father. Of course I have the right! Either you terminate this pregnancy, or you get out of my house. The Foster family won’t keep a daughter like you!”Rebecca’s eyes grew cold, her expression calm as she replied, “Fine. I’ll leave.”She thought to herself that this day was bound to come.She was never truly a Foster. Sooner or later, she would have to go. Hogan just happened to say it first, and this was as good a moment as any to cut ties.Without another word, she turned and walked upstairs.Hogan’s face twisted with disappointment. “Fine! You’re so stubborn! You’d rather leave the Foster family than get rid of that bastard child. Let’s see how you manage on your own!”Jane’s voice followed Rebecca up the stairs, shrill with anger. “Having a child out of wedlock—just you wait and see if any decent man would want you. We’re trying to help you, but you won’t listen. You’re nothing but an ungrateful brat.”Rebecca’s slender figure disappeared around the corner of the staircase. She tuned out their endless tirade behind her.But Katherine wasn’t about to let her get off so easily. After a moment’s thought, she turned to Hogan and said, “Dad, even if Rebecca made a mistake, she’s still family. And she’s carrying four babies. If we just send her out on her own, how’s she supposed to survive?”Putting on a show of concern, Katherine continued, “Why don’t we find someone for her to marry?”Hogan scoffed. “Who would want her now? Not a man in this whole city would take her.”Katherine hesitated, then suggested, “There’s a guy from the village where I grew up—Jerry. He’s never married, but he’s a good man. Works hard, kind-hearted. He’d probably be willing to marry Rebecca. Life out there is tough, though…”Jane chimed in. “So life’s tough. Good! She’s been spoiled her whole life—never had to work for anything. Let her see what it’s like in the countryside. Four babies at once, even a sow couldn’t match her. She’s lucky if any man will have her at all.”Hogan thought it over for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Let her try a hard life for a change. Maybe then she’ll appreciate what she had here.”Katherine barely concealed her satisfaction. “I’ll call Jerry now and see if he’s willing to marry her.”She was the one who’d grown up in poverty, switched at birth, and she hated Rebecca from the depths of her heart. Now she’d make Rebecca taste the hardship she’d endured.Upstairs, Rebecca was quietly packing her things, unaware that her fate was being decided by the family downstairs—and that they were about to marry her off to a poor cattle farmer in the middle of nowhere.Suddenly, Katherine burst into the room, brimming with excitement. “Rebecca, you don’t have to leave after all! Mom and Dad talked it over—they won’t force you to get rid of the babies. You can stay, with your children!”Chapter 3Zion, Platinum Hotel.“So hot… help me…”Rebecca staggered down the hotel hallway, one hand pressed to the wall, sweat dripping down her brow and vanishing instantly in the suffocating heat. She’d just knocked out that disgusting pig who tried to assault her, but now her vision was swimming. Every breath burned; the world spun around her, and she was barely holding herself up.Up ahead, she caught a glimpse of a door slightly ajar. Without thinking, she pushed it open and stumbled inside.All she wanted was to find a bathroom and douse herself with cold water. But as she crossed the threshold, she froze—there was a man lying on the bed.“A… a man?” Her voice was little more than a tremor.Her legs buckled. It felt as if she were burning up from the inside, desperate for relief, for anything that could quench the fever raging through her veins.She barely registered what she was doing as she climbed onto the bed, drawing herself toward the man.His eyes snapped open, dark and bottomless.“You’ve got a death wish or something?” His breath was hot against her cheek, his voice low and cold as steel.In that moment, as their eyes met, something inside Rebecca shattered and surged all at once—a tidal wave crashing in her chest.The dim light spilled across the stranger’s face, defining the sharp cut of his jaw and the hard lines of his body. His presence grew clearer, more imposing, even as the room spun around her.Somewhere in the darkness, survival instincts overpowered fear and shame. After a moment’s hesitation, Rebecca leaned down and pressed her lips to his, silencing his protest.Their mouths met in a desperate kiss. Desire flared between them, a wildfire of need and tangled limbs.The man’s self-control snapped. He tried to push her away, but his legs wouldn’t move—paralyzed, powerless.He clenched his jaw, spitting out his words between sharp breaths. “You won’t get away with this.”…Much later, dawn crept through the curtains. Rebecca woke, groggy and sore. She slipped from the bed, fumbling with the torn straps of her dress. In her haste, the red bead bracelet on her wrist slipped to the floor. Quiet as a mouse, she hurried out before the man stirred, vanishing into the hotel corridor.Yesterday had been her engagement party with Alan Brown.But at the celebration, her sister—Katherine Foster—had set her up, leaving Rebecca desperate, poisoned, and with nowhere to turn but the arms of a stranger.She barely made it out the hotel doors before she ran right into Katherine, who’d brought along their parents, Hogan and Jane Foster.“Mom, Dad, I saw Rebecca go into the hotel with a strange man last night,” Katherine announced, her voice loud and triumphant as the four of them crossed paths.Katherine’s voice rang out, sharp and clear. “Look, there she is—”Rebecca froze, clutching her flimsy dress around her. It was all too obvious—Katherine had orchestrated everything.Before Rebecca could utter a word, Hogan’s expression darkened as he caught sight of the marks on her neck and arms—evidence she couldn’t hide.His anger erupted. “Rebecca, have you no shame? Running around dressed like that—you’ve disgraced the Foster family!”“Everyone in Zion knows you’re engaged to the Browns, and yet you sneak off to a hotel with some stranger? Have you lost all sense of decency?”Rebecca shrank back, fingers curling in the cold morning air as her father’s accusations crashed over her.Not long ago, it had come out that Rebecca wasn’t related to the Fosters by blood. She was the imposter, the switched-at-birth mistake. The family had thrown themselves into finding their real daughter.The moment Katherine was found and welcomed back as the true Foster heiress, Rebecca’s world collapsed. No one wanted to hear her side of the story or care about how she felt. She was invisible now—an outsider.And in this moment, there was nothing she could say to defend herself.At that moment, Jane grabbed Hogan’s arm, her words sugarcoated but each one cutting into Rebecca like a knife. “Darling, calm down. It’s all my fault—I didn’t keep a close enough eye on her. She fell in with the wrong crowd, and now look what’s happened. She’s not even married and already getting involved with men.”Jane was Rebecca’s adoptive mother. Ever since their biological daughter had been found, Jane had sided with Katherine and grown increasingly hostile toward Rebecca. Every hardship Katherine had endured after being switched at birth, Jane blamed squarely on Rebecca’s shoulders.Hogan prided himself on his family’s reputation. Hearing Jane’s words only stoked his anger further. He leaned in and snarled under his breath, “Is this how we raised you? You ignore everything good and learn nothing but bad habits, making a spectacle of yourself. I’m honestly ashamed of you.”A fleeting smirk crossed Rebecca’s lips, but she felt nothing. Calmly, she lifted her chin and said, “You can save your disappointment. After all, I’m not really your daughter—not a member of the Foster family.”With that, Rebecca stepped past them and walked away without looking back.“You—! You’re completely out of control!” Hogan was so furious he could barely find the words. He watched her retreating figure, his eyes filled with utter disappointment.Rebecca had always been rebellious, and now she was grown, her defiance only stronger. No wonder she’d never felt like a true part of their family—she wasn’t really theirs by blood.Jane sighed in Hogan’s ear. “If only we’d never taken in this girl. Our real daughter suffered so much out there, while Rebecca just runs wild with no sense of decency, dragging our family name through the mud. It’s just like they say—a rotten seed never changes, no matter how you raise her.”Katherine slipped her arm through Hogan’s and spoke gently, “Dad, I’m sorry. I know we shouldn’t air family scandals, but this is just too serious. I already told Alan the truth. He deserves to know—he’s a good guy and shouldn’t be deceived.”Hogan patted Katherine’s hand reassuringly, his double standards clear as day. “You did the right thing. Someone like her doesn’t deserve Alan.”Rebecca paused, startled, and turned back for a moment. In that instant, she caught a flash of smug satisfaction in Katherine’s eyes—so quick it was almost invisible.Suddenly, a phone rang.Katherine glanced at the caller ID and said, “Mom, Dad, you two go ahead to the car. I need to take this.”She hurried off to one side, answering the call as soon as she was out of earshot.“Did you get the video?” she asked, her voice low and eager.But the middle-aged man on the other end sounded apologetic. “Sorry, Ms. Foster. I just woke up. She knocked me out last night and ran off—I have no idea where she went.”What?Rebecca hadn’t spent the night with the man Katherine had arranged?…Two months later.Rebecca sat at the dining table, staring at the plate in front of her, piled high with rich, fatty roast pork. Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her. She clamped a hand over her mouth, barely able to swallow back the urge to vomit, then hurriedly pushed back her chair and rushed to the bathroom.Her abrupt movement caught Jane’s attention. Jane had seen enough to know the signs—one glance and suspicion flashed in her eyes.She frowned. “Honey, do you think she might be pregnant?”The effect was instantaneous—a single stone tossed into a pond, sending ripples everywhere.Hogan slammed his fork onto the table and, face darkening, strode toward the bathroom, with Jane and Katherine right behind him.When Hogan pushed open the bathroom door, the scene before him made his heart sink: Rebecca was bent over the sink, retching uncontrollably.Hogan’s voice boomed through the house. “Call the doctor—now!”The Foster family’s private physician arrived in a rush, his coat flapping as he hurried inside.Rebecca’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him preparing to examine her. She could guess why he was there, and anxiety tightened her chest.No way… Could it really happen from just that one time?She instinctively placed a protective hand over her stomach, but she didn’t resist the doctor’s examination.When he finished, the doctor addressed everyone gathered in the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Foster, your daughter is pregnant. And there are four heartbeats—I believe she’s expecting quadruplets.”The news struck like a bolt of lightning, every bit as shocking as when Rebecca’s true parentage had been exposed months earlier. The revelation rippled through the Foster family, leaving stunned silence in its wake.Everyone was speechless, but none more so than Hogan. His face turned red with fury.He dismissed the doctor with an impatient wave, then rounded on Rebecca. His glare was full of rage, as if he could set her alight just by looking at her. “You’ve already disgraced the Foster family once. And now this—you’re pregnant on top of it all.”Jane couldn’t restrain herself either. Her voice was sharp and shrill. “Absolutely shameless! You’re a young woman and have no self-respect. After what happened, you didn’t even bother to protect yourself…”Rebecca stood by silently, lips pressed in a thin line.The whole situation blindsided her. She was only nineteen, and after a single accident, she was pregnant by a man she didn’t even know.Katherine, meanwhile, watched with barely concealed glee. She never expected that one night would leave Rebecca with a child—let alone four. An illegitimate litter, what a delicious bit of drama.Once Hogan had calmed down a little, his voice turned icy. “I’m arranging for the procedure today. The babies will be taken care of.”Rebecca protectively wrapped her arms around her abdomen, her tone unwavering. “They’re my children. You have no right to decide for me.”Hogan’s anger reignited. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, voice thunderous. “I’m your father. Of course I have the right! Either you terminate this pregnancy, or you get out of my house. The Foster family won’t keep a daughter like you!”Rebecca’s eyes grew cold, her expression calm as she replied, “Fine. I’ll leave.”She thought to herself that this day was bound to come.She was never truly a Foster. Sooner or later, she would have to go. Hogan just happened to say it first, and this was as good a moment as any to cut ties.Without another word, she turned and walked upstairs.Hogan’s face twisted with disappointment. “Fine! You’re so stubborn! You’d rather leave the Foster family than get rid of that bastard child. Let’s see how you manage on your own!”Jane’s voice followed Rebecca up the stairs, shrill with anger. “Having a child out of wedlock—just you wait and see if any decent man would want you. We’re trying to help you, but you won’t listen. You’re nothing but an ungrateful brat.”Rebecca’s slender figure disappeared around the corner of the staircase. She tuned out their endless tirade behind her.But Katherine wasn’t about to let her get off so easily. After a moment’s thought, she turned to Hogan and said, “Dad, even if Rebecca made a mistake, she’s still family. And she’s carrying four babies. If we just send her out on her own, how’s she supposed to survive?”Putting on a show of concern, Katherine continued, “Why don’t we find someone for her to marry?”Hogan scoffed. “Who would want her now? Not a man in this whole city would take her.”Katherine hesitated, then suggested, “There’s a guy from the village where I grew up—Jerry. He’s never married, but he’s a good man. Works hard, kind-hearted. He’d probably be willing to marry Rebecca. Life out there is tough, though…”Jane chimed in. “So life’s tough. Good! She’s been spoiled her whole life—never had to work for anything. Let her see what it’s like in the countryside. Four babies at once, even a sow couldn’t match her. She’s lucky if any man will have her at all.”Hogan thought it over for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Let her try a hard life for a change. Maybe then she’ll appreciate what she had here.”Katherine barely concealed her satisfaction. “I’ll call Jerry now and see if he’s willing to marry her.”She was the one who’d grown up in poverty, switched at birth, and she hated Rebecca from the depths of her heart. Now she’d make Rebecca taste the hardship she’d endured.Upstairs, Rebecca was quietly packing her things, unaware that her fate was being decided by the family downstairs—and that they were about to marry her off to a poor cattle farmer in the middle of nowhere.Suddenly, Katherine burst into the room, brimming with excitement. “Rebecca, you don’t have to leave after all! Mom and Dad talked it over—they won’t force you to get rid of the babies. You can stay, with your children!”