Using Me as a Substitute? Did You Know Your Best Friend Calls Me Wife?

Chase Lockwood furiously walked up to the doctor and grabbed him by the collar.

"What did you say? Say that again!"

The doctor trembled in fear.

"Mrs. Lockwood can no longer have children... I’m sorry, we were just trying to save her life..."

Given the circumstances, it was the only option. Otherwise... her life would have been in jeopardy.

Chase Lockwood’s hand balled into a fist, and he wanted nothing more than to smash it into the doctor’s face.

But his fist stopped mid-air. He clenched it tighter and tighter, yet it never fell.

Finally, his hand dropped limply to his side.

"Get out."

After the doctor left, Chase Lockwood walked over to Vivian Lynch, his steps heavy. The look he gave her was extraordinarily complex.

He had imagined spending his whole life with Vivian Lynch, raising a family with her.

But now, his child was gone, and Vivian Lynch could no longer have children. Who would be his heir?

’He needs a child!’

He wanted to kill Mia Kane right now, but what was done was done. There was no changing it.

’My poor Vivian, and that poor, ill-fated child!’

Time ticked by. Vivian Lynch weakly awoke, and upon seeing Chase Lockwood, her eyes welled up with tears.

"Chase..."

Chase Lockwood squeezed her hand tightly. "I’m here."

"Where is she... where is the murderer!"

Vivian Lynch said through gritted teeth, her eyes bloodshot.

"She’s been taken to the police station. Don’t worry. Even with Adrian Preston involved, I won’t let her get away with this!"

"Chase..." Vivian Lynch sobbed, breathless. It took her a long moment to compose herself. "A shame... it’s such a shame about our five-month-old baby. Don’t worry, once I’m better, I’ll have another one for you."

"We will have a child of our own, I’m sure of it!"

Chase Lockwood opened his mouth, wanting to tell Vivian Lynch the truth. But she had just woken up and was already grieving the loss of their child. He couldn’t imagine how devastated she would be if she also learned that her uterus had been removed, that she would never be able to have children again.

"Just focus on recovering for now. We don’t need to rush things with the baby. The most important thing is for you to get your health back."

"Oh, Chase, you’re so good to me. I know you’ll get justice for me!"

Vivian Lynch said, her voice choked with sobs.

Chase Lockwood tucked the blanket around her and waited until she fell asleep before leaving the room.

He instructed the hospital staff that no one was to tell Vivian Lynch the truth. They had to wait until she had recovered.

He asked his secretary about what was happening at the police station.

"Has she confessed?"

Chase Lockwood’s voice was ice-cold.

"Their statements don’t match, but based on the surveillance footage, Rosalyn Shield’s testimony is more persuasive. Rosalyn has been with Mia Kane for three years. There’s no reason for her to turn on Mia, which can only mean Mia Kane really did it." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"So, it was Mia Kane. Vivian and I gave her every chance, but she was cruel enough to harm a child. I want her to rot in prison. No lawyer in all of Argent will be allowed to defend her. Anyone who does will be an enemy of mine."

"President Lockwood..."

The secretary hesitated.

"What is it?"

"President Preston has already dispatched the Preston Group’s legal team. They’re trying to have the incident classified as an accident."

"Adrian Preston!"

Chase Lockwood’s expression turned ugly. ’Is he going to shield Mia Kane unconditionally, even when the evidence is irrefutable?’

’Wasn’t he a cop before? Has he completely abandoned his principles now?’

Chase Lockwood was about to go confront Adrian Preston, but Adrian beat him to it.

"Got a minute? Let’s sit and talk."

"Adrian Preston, it was my son who died! I’m not going to let this rest."

"If you don’t want your son to have died in vain, then sit down and talk."

"Fine. Let’s hear what kind of nonsense you’re going to spew!"

The two found a coffee shop downstairs. Adrian Preston handed him a file.

Six months ago, Vivian Lynch approached Rosalyn Shield with the goal of poaching her.

Back then, Mia Kane’s studio was barely staying afloat. The few employees she had were all poached, but Rosalyn Shield remained, fiercely loyal.

Logically, Rosalyn Shield and Vivian Lynch should have had no reason to interact after that, but they communicated several more times.

"What are you trying to say with just a few call logs?"

"Just yesterday, Vivian Lynch contacted Rosalyn Shield. The content of their communication was deleted, and the tech department needs a few days to recover it. But if you’re willing to wait, I will give you an answer you’ll be satisfied with."

Chase Lockwood’s brow furrowed. He slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, furious. "Are you saying that Vivian Lynch framed Mia Kane by sacrificing her own child? That she got Rosalyn Shield to bear false witness? What good would that do Vivian?! With this child, her position as Mrs. Lockwood would have been secure! Besides, we already knew it was a boy!"

"My firstborn son, destined to inherit the Lockwood Family fortune. Why would Vivian sacrifice her own future to frame Mia Kane? The cons far outweigh the pros for her! Adrian Preston, don’t you dare try to fool me with this nonsense!"

"I’m telling you, I want Mia Kane to rot in there for the rest of her life. You can’t stop me. If you try, I’m willing to fight you to the bitter end!"

With that, Chase Lockwood turned to leave, but Adrian Preston called out to him.

"Like I said, it will only take a few days. I will decrypt the communications on Rosalyn Shield’s phone. I imagine it would be easy for you to get your hands on Vivian Lynch’s phone. Why don’t you have your own tech team decrypt its contents?"

"I might be fabricating this to fool you, but Vivian Lynch’s phone won’t lie."

"I trust Vivian. I’m not going to investigate her!"

"Do you trust her, or are you just afraid you can’t handle the consequences if it turns out Vivian Lynch isn’t the person you think she is?"

At these words, a deathly silence fell over the coffee shop.

Adrian Preston could practically hear the man’s ragged breathing.

In the end, Chase Lockwood said nothing and turned to leave.

Just then, Theo Thorne came rushing over.

"What’s wrong?"

Adrian Preston noted his frantic demeanor.

"I was watching the hospital, and I found out the baby has been cremated."

"Isn’t cremation the hospital’s standard procedure?"

"Usually, but the hospital is supposed to notify the family first. If the family doesn’t claim the body, then the hospital has the right to handle it. But this time... they didn’t inform Chase Lockwood. The hospital disposed of the body on its own initiative."

The implication dawned on Adrian Preston. "Did you see the body?"

"No, it was already gone by the time I got there. But I overheard the person who handled the body mutter something about a strange smell, that it didn’t seem like a fresh corpse."

Adrian Preston’s brow furrowed.

’Not a fresh corpse?’

’If the baby had already died in the womb, Vivian Lynch would have known it could no longer benefit her. But she wouldn’t have been willing to let the miscarriage happen for nothing, so...’

’...everything that followed would make perfect sense.’

’If it was a stillbirth, how would Vivian Lynch have known? By noticing a lack of fetal movement?’

’If she judged it herself, that would be a problem. There’d be no evidence.’

’But the chances of that were slim. After all, Vivian Lynch wanted this child too. She would have needed confirmation from a professional before daring to stage a miscarriage by taking a blow to her stomach.’

"Investigate where Vivian Lynch has been and who she’s met over the past few days. Pay special attention to any time she was alone, with no witnesses or surveillance."

"Understood."

Theo Thorne immediately left to carry out the orders. Adrian Preston was confident that the truth would soon be revealed, and Mia Kane would get the justice she deserved.