I was wheeled into the operating room. The anesthesia kicked in fast and I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

In the coma, I saw myself back in my university days. Simon and I were the most envied couple at that time. We would watch movies together, stroll in the park, travel around the wood and dream about each other's future.

Then the scene shifted. I was now seated in the backseat of a luxury Maybach. Outside, rain poured down in torrents as Simon knelt on the pavement, his voice hoarse and cracking as he begged me not to leave him. However, I merely cast him a cold smile before driving away, leaving him drenched and heartbroken.

The scene changed again. Simon was wrapping his arm tenderly around Kelly. His gaze looked at me coldly, as if I were nothing more than a stranger to him.

I jolted awake. The doctor told me off in a serious tone, "You were so lucky. You nearly died from severe bleeding. You just had an abortion, then fell into a pool during a fashion show. All that stress and trauma … your body can't take this much. Where are your family members? No one's come to see you."

My voice came out dry and cracked. "I don’t have any family."

The doctor gave me a sympathetic glance. He probably assumed I was a widow. After reminding me to rest and follow post-op care instructions, he stepped out.

A nurse came in not long after. She tried to chat. “You know, another girl was admitted after nearly drowning. Rumor has it she’s the Payton Family heir’s fiancée. People say Simon treats her like a treasure.”

She continued, "I used to think wealthy families were so fickle. So, I never thought the young master of the Payton Family was so romantic. He reserved an entire floor just for her treatment and even sat by her side while she got an IV. Barely left her alone for a second."

My expression did not change as I said, "Really? She must be very lucky then."

Just then the door swung open and Simon walked in. “You’re awake, Honey! Guess what I brought you?”

I looked up. He was holding a box of tea pastries and it was my favorite cakes. The same ones he used to buy whenever he tried to apologize after a fight.

He considerately adjusted my hospital bed so I could sit up, then opened the still-warm box and held a piece near my lips.

I stared at it blankly. The pastries had lost their appeal.

It was clear he held deep grudges against me, but on his face, he could still show deep love.

I felt like a puppet trapped in a cruel performance, my suffering just part of the show. Even if I died, I would just be another prop left on stage until someone decided to kick me aside.

Beneath the covers, my hands clenched into tight fists as the misery almost strangled my breath.

Simon gently touched my face while smiling at me. “You’re not mad about me saving Kelly first, are you? She can’t swim like you can, so I had to go for her. Come on, don’t be mad, okay?”

I just nodded expressionlessly.

Trying to change my mood, he softened his voice even more. “Let’s not talk about that anymore. Let’s talk about us. Have you thought about where you want to hold the wedding? What kind of dress you want? What shape of diamond you want for your ring?”

He added, "We have to plan it soon. Once your belly shows, you won’t look good in a wedding gown.”

There would be no wedding. No baby. Not anymore.

“We’ll talk about it later,” I said softly. “I’m tired. I just want to sleep.”

Simon didn’t argue. He tugged the blanket gently around my body, kissed the corner of my mouth and quietly left.

When I looked at his back as he left, my heart was as calm as a puddle of stagnant water.

How long is he planning to keep up this act? I wondered.

He had talked about marriage before, too. However, it was all just talk. I knew he was not going to marry me. Since I knew the truth, I would not stay. We had become two parallel lines that could never meet again.

For the past few days, Simon had conveniently found excuses not to visit and I was done pretending.

Today was my birthday. In the past, Simon would have planned an entire day filled with surprises. He would have showed up with gifts, dinner reservations, little romantic gestures.

However, today, my phone buzzed endlessly, not with birthday wishes, but with messages from the chat group where Simon and his buddies discussed plans for throwing a celebration, not for me though. It was for Kelly. They wanted to congratulate her on landing a spot in the Victoria runway show.

Not wanting to see any more of it, I simply turned off my phone.

After a few days of rest, I finally had enough strength to start packing. I gathered all the luxury items Simon had ever given me and stuffed them neatly into the wardrobe. As for my personal belongings, I fit them into a single, modest suitcase.

Once everything was ready, I planned to text Simon and officially break up with him. After that, I would stay in a hotel until my visa came through.

As I was dragging my suitcase downstairs, I ran straight into the last people I wanted to see … Simon’s drinking buddies. They were helping him back home, dead drunk.

“Well, well,” one of them smirked. “Where are you off to with that suitcase, Miss Luxton? Don’t tell me you’re finally leaving?”

I ignored him and focused on Simon, who was slumped between them. “What happened to him?”

They dumped him unceremoniously onto the couch, then turned to me. “Take care of him, will you? He’s your man, after all.”

The way they treated me like his nanny made my blood boil. Before, I would swallow their insults, thinking I deserved their disdain. Well, not anymore.

I said coldly, "I'm not his nanny. So don’t speak to me like I am."

"You …!"

One of them took a threatening step forward, clearly provoked, but the others held him back. I pointed to the door. “Get out.”

Once they were gone, Simon stirred awake. He bent down, trying to kiss me.

I turned my head away, shoved him off and stood up. Straightening my torn clothes, I said in a flat tone, “Not tonight. I don't want to. Besides, it's not safe to have this in the first trimester.”

Seeing my serious expression, Simon tried to coax me, softening his tone. “Why are you avoiding me? Are you still upset about the fashion show? I’m sorry, okay? How about I buy you Chanel’s new couture line? Come on, baby, forgive me.”

In the past, I would have fallen for his sweet words and puppy eyes. However, I would not fall into the same mistakes anymore.

“I’m not upset. I just don’t want to,” I replied flatly.

His face darkened and the alcohol fueled his frustration. He pressed me down again, his voice slurred but his words cutting me like a knife. “Then what do you want? Money? Bags? Show access? I can give you everything now. Just say the word. That’s what you want, right?”

His accusation hit me like a slap. I took a sharp intake of breath, my nails digging into my palm.

“There’s nothing you could give me that would make me want you again,” I said quietly.

I shoved him away with all the strength I had. He sneered, his voice dripping with venom. “No? Even if I throw money at you? You went crawling to someone else for money before, didn’t you?”

Crack!

Without hesitation, I slapped him hard across the face.

The sting of my slap seemed to sober him instantly. He scrambled to speak, but I cut him off gently, “You’re drunk. Go rest.”

Without another glance, I walked upstairs, locked the bedroom door and tuned out the apologies and sweet-talking he spouted from the hallway.

I grabbed my phone to shut it off for the night, but a string of messages in the group chat caught my eye.

I was about to ignore them until one particular comment stopped me cold.

"Did you notice? All the luxury stuff on Jane is gone. I think she finally realized they were knock-offs, huh?"

I remembered a colleague at the fashion show once whispering about how my Go-go bag did not look quite right. Back then, I had defended Simon without hesitation.

Now, it all made sense. I had been nothing but a fool. A clown.

By the time I woke up the next day, Simon had already gone.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by Kelly’s smug face.

The second she saw me, her eyes filled with disdain. “Why are you still here? Didn’t you say you were leaving? You already know Simon loves me now. Why are you still clinging on like some pathetic parasite?”

I had not slept well the night before and so I did not have the energy to argue with her. Instead, I turned away and started making breakfast, while ignoring her completely.

She lifted her hand to show off a massive diamond ring. “This was custom-made in Roman by Simon just for me. It’s worth several million dollars. Have you ever seen something this nice? Oh, wait ... you probably don’t know, huh? All those luxury goods Simon gave you were fake. Every last one of them. Then again, fake goods are perfect for trash like you.”

“I’m officially the Payton Family’s daughter-in-law now. If you had even a shred of sense, you’d get down on your knees and beg for my forgiveness. Maybe if I’m feeling generous, I’ll let you off the hook.”

Her words grew nastier and nastier and finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I snapped, “Are you done? Then get the hell out!”

Thinking she was about to become the young mistress of the Payton Family, Kelly was so full of herself that she couldn’t tolerate the insult. She raised her hand to slap me, but I blocked it. She stumbled back a few steps and fell hard to the floor.

“Do you think you’ve won, Jane?” she hissed as she rose from the floor, venom flashing in her eyes. “Let me tell you something... you won’t be smiling for long. When that thing in your belly is born, it’s going to call me mommy. And if you don’t start kissing up to me now, I swear I’ll make sure that bastard child suffers!”

At those words, cold fury flashed through me. Without hesitation, I slapped her hard across the face.

Kelly stared at me in disbelief, clutching her cheek. Then, in a fit of rage, she charged at me.

Caught off guard, I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs from the entryway. My head slammed against the ground and pain exploded instantly.

At that moment, Simon’s furious voice rang out from the doorway. “Janey! Are you okay?” He turned sharply to Kelly. “Are you insane? How dare you push her down the stairs?”

He rushed over, scooping me into his arms without giving Kelly another glance and carried me outside.

Behind us, Kelly’s voice rang out, full of disbelief. “Simon! How could you yell at me for that cheap woman? She hit me first! I was just—”

“Enough!” Simon cut her off coldly. “She’s pregnant. No matter what happened, you should never have laid a hand on her.”

Without another word, he rushed me to the hospital.

As soon as the doctor finished the initial check-up, Simon anxiously asked, “Doctor, is the baby okay?”

The doctor hesitated, clearly puzzled, but before he could speak, I quickly interrupted, “I’m fine. The baby’s fine too. There’s no need for further examination.”

I couldn’t let Simon know I had already terminated the pregnancy. If he found out, there was no telling how mad he would get—and escaping from him would be so much harder.

Simon still looked worried, but I sounded so certain that he didn’t press the doctor further. Instead, he insisted I stay for a few days for observation. Since I didn’t have the strength to argue, I just agreed.

He gently kissed my forehead and brushed my hair back tenderly. “You really scared me just now. Just stay here for a few days, okay? Listen to the doctors, get some good rest. Be good, alright?”

I nodded faintly, a hint of irony flashing across my face.

Simon stayed beside me until late into the night. I eventually drifted off to sleep from sheer exhaustion.

However, sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up thirsty. As I got up to drink some water, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Simon and Kelly on the hallway.

“Baby, none of it’s real. I’m only pretending to be nice so she’ll keep the baby. I don’t actually care about her at all. You have to believe me—after all, you’re the real lady of the Payton Family.”

Quietly, I finished drinking my water without making a sound and slipped back into bed.

Simon’s voice remained gentle as he kept coaxing Kelly. “As soon as she gives birth, I promise she’ll disappear from your life forever. Don’t be mad, okay?”

Kelly’s voice came through sweet and coy. “I knew you loved me the most. That cheap woman could never take you away from me.”

I lay back down on the hospital bed before Simon returned, my eyes wide open.

I did not sleep a wink the rest of the night.