After the surgery, I left the hospital immediately. By the time I came out, Max and Mandy were already gone.

Back home, I placed my hand on my now-flat stomach, and a wave of sadness washed over me.

Just moments ago, there had been a tiny life full of hope inside me. Now, it was gone.

Life is so beautiful, yet so fragile, much like the love between Max and me over the past three years.

Tears welled up again as I fought to hold back the physical and emotional pain, and I posted a message on my social media.

"Thank you for briefly bringing me hope, only to leave in such a hurry. I hope you find a better mother."

The post was accompanied by a picture of my positive pregnancy test and the notification for the painless abortion.

I thought it was just a simple way to express my feelings, but as soon as I posted it, it caused an uproar.

Most of the comments expressed sympathy, but some gossipers started asking why I had the abortion—whether something had happened between Max and me.

Some were more direct, asking if Max had cheated on me, and if that's why I terminated the pregnancy.

I didn't respond to anyone. I tossed my phone aside, not wanting to deal with it.

At that moment, Max's mother, Anna, who was still in the countryside, called me.

The second I answered, a barrage of insults followed.

"Vivian, you wretched woman! How dare you? When Max married you against our wishes, even though you couldn't bear children, we tolerated it for the sake of your father's investment in his company. But now that you could get pregnant, why would you abort the child?!"

"Did you even discuss it with Max before getting rid of the baby? That's the White family bloodline! You can't just do as you please! Wait until I get there, I'll deal with you!"

Before she could finish, my father-in-law, Tom, took the phone from her.

"Vivian, you disgrace! You've destroyed the future of the White family. You want us to be left without descendants, don't you? Divorce! You have to divorce my son. If you don't want to have children, I'll find a woman who will!"

I couldn't hold back any longer and finally spoke up.

"Don't worry. Your son is more eager than you are. He's already found someone else to have his child. That's why I aborted mine. And yes, I plan to divorce him, so you won't have to bother."

"What? My son has someone else? As long as it's a White family baby, what does it matter? But you—you rushed to abort the child. Is it because it was some other man's child, and you were scared my son would find out?"

I didn't want to argue with these relics of outdated traditions any longer, so I hung up and blocked them.

I couldn't understand why this obsession with having a son was so deeply ingrained in rural culture.

I didn't want to comment on the older generation's backward mindset, but Max, a graduate from a prestigious university, still shared their decaying values. No wonder my father was so adamantly against me marrying someone from the countryside. Some things, it seemed, were hard to change at their core.

No sooner had I hung up on my in-laws than Max called, launching into his own furious rant.

The entire White family was the same. But this time, before he could get far, I hung up on him too, blocking his number as well.

I had reached my limit. I just wanted a moment of peace.

However, not long after, Max stormed into the house, slapping me across the face.

"Vivian, who gave you the right to abort my child?!"

I let out a cold laugh.

"It's my body, so it's my decision. Besides, we're getting a divorce. Should I have kept the child to grow up without a father?"

Max's face darkened as he grabbed my arm.

"Do you know how much pressure I endured from my parents because of your infertility when we got married? For three years, no child—how do you think I've held my head up in front of my colleagues, friends, and relatives?"

"Now, after finally getting pregnant by accident, you went ahead and aborted the baby without even telling me. Don't you think you're being incredibly selfish?"

I shook off his grip.

"Selfish? I told you everything before we got married, and you agreed to it. If you couldn't handle the pressure, you shouldn't have agreed in the first place! And you? Do you call yourself selfless? You've been lying to me, using my father, and secretly got another woman pregnant. If I hadn't accidentally found out, would you have had her give birth and then pushed me aside?"

"You don't want to divorce me because you still need my father and his company's support. Max, after three years of marriage, I finally see things clearly. Let's get a divorce!"

Max stood stunned by my outburst, unable to respond for a long time. Finally, he mumbled.

"Well, I... I'm not going to agree to a divorce. But Mandy's child is my only hope. We need to find a solution."

"A solution? Fine. One: Have her abort the baby and cut ties with her, and I'll hold off on the divorce for now. Or two: We get a divorce, and I'll let you two be together. You choose!"

Max looked conflicted.

"No. It's not that simple. Like I said, I'll stay with you. I can promise you that once she gives birth to the baby, I will cut ties with her."

Just as we were in the middle of our argument, Mandy called. Gritting my teeth, I answered.

"Uh, Vivian, there seems to be some misunderstanding. How about we all meet up with Max and talk things over?"

"Do you want to talk? Fine. Let's meet at the Camellia Restaurant, Room 1."

An hour later, the three of us sat together in the private room. Mandy got straight to the point.

"Vivian, you know that Max has always loved me. If you're smart, you'll step aside and let us reunite as a family."

"Sure, I agree. But Max doesn't. Ask him yourself."

Max looked at Mandy, fumbling for words.

"Mandy, it's not as simple as you think. I really can't leave the Smith family's support right now. Can't we stick to what we originally planned?"

"No! I've changed my mind. I'm not going to give birth to a child for you and then hand him over to Vivian. I want to be his legitimate mother, and I want our child to grow up in a complete family!"

I watched them bicker in front of me, bargaining over my future, and couldn't help but laugh.

In the past few days, I'd done some digging into Mandy's life during her time studying in the M Country.

It seemed she thought I knew nothing about her. How bold of her to think she could deceive me.

"Mandy, does your fiancé back in the M Country know what you've been up to?"

Mandy's expression froze, her face instantly turning as white as a sheet.