On Christmas Day, I held a pregnancy report in my hand, full of excitement, as I hurried to share the good news with my boyfriend, Steven Jones.

But what I didn’t expect was to overhear his conversation with two of his friends. “Steven, you’re not seriously planning to marry Cherry, are you?”

“The eldest daughter of the Cooper family has her eyes on you! If you marry Giselle, you’ll have everything!”

“Exactly, Steven, this is your one and only chance!”

I stared at Steven nervously, waiting for his response. After some time, he spoke, “I will break up with Cherry.”

At that moment, my heart shattered into pieces.

——

I couldn't remember how I made it back home. Sitting alone in my apartment, Steven’s words kept replaying in my mind like a broken record.

Steven and I were college classmates. In my first year at university, I developed feelings for him. Knowing his family was struggling financially, I pretended to be a poor student too, just to ease his insecurity.

During our college years, though life was tough, we were genuinely happy. At that time, I truly believed I had found the person I’d spend the rest of my life with.

Even after graduation, when my father urged me to return to the family business, I resolutely refused. I wanted to stay with Steven and build a future together.

But in the end, he betrayed me.

It was only then that I realized how foolish I had been.

I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up, Steven had returned. The strong smell of alcohol and faint perfume lingered on him. I didn’t have to ask to know he had been with Giselle.

His eyes were conflicted as he looked at me, but all he said was, “I’m tired,” before heading straight to the bedroom to rest.

I sat in the living room in silence, watching his retreating figure. Then, I made an appointment for an abortion the following day and called my father.

“Dad, I’m coming home,” I said.

My father was overjoyed. After all, he had been hoping for this moment for a long time.

“Will you be bringing your boyfriend home with you this time?” he asked with a laugh.

Hearing his question, I broke down in tears.

I had sacrificed everything for Steven, but the only thing that I got was his betrayal.

My father was alarmed by my sobs, repeatedly asking what had happened and offering to come to me immediately. But I refused.

I assured him I would handle everything before returning home.

After hanging up, I packed my belongings and left a note for Steven.

The next day, I went through with the procedure. The sympathetic gazes from the nurses cut through me like knives, but I forced myself to stay composed.

As I lay on the hospital bed afterward, my phone rang. It was Steven.

“Cherry, where did you go?” His voice was laced with anger. “What does your note mean? Are you breaking up with me?”

I let out a soft laugh. “Steven, isn’t this what you wanted?”

“You chose Giselle long ago, didn’t you?”

My words silenced him on the other end of the line. After a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, “How do you know about Giselle?”

Hearing I didn't answer, Steven anxiously said, “Cherry, it’s not what you think!”

I chuckled coldly, then ended the call. I no longer had the energy to entangle myself with Steven.

I called my father again to confirm my return.

This time, he came to pick me up personally. When he saw me, his eyes were filled with pain and concern.

I could see the pain in my father’s eyes as he brought me back home and urged me to rest. During this time, he took great care of me, and little by little, I began to move on from Steven.

But one day, while scrolling through my social media feed, I stumbled upon a post that stopped me in my tracks. It was a picture of Steven and Giselle at their engagement party.

In the photo, Giselle was heavily pregnant, holding onto Steven’s arm with a triumphant smile.

I stared at her round belly and chuckled bitterly. So this was the truth—Steven and Giselle had been together all along. She was already carrying his child.

To keep me distracted, my father suggested I start working at the company. Since I was new, my workload was light. One day, my secretary informed me about an upcoming business gala that I needed to attend.

I agreed without giving it much thought, never imagining that I would run into Steven there.

He arrived at the event with Giselle on his arm. When his eyes met mine, his expression turned complicated, while Giselle looked at me with unmistakable arrogance.

“You must be Cherry Adams,” she said, her tone condescending.

I nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”

“I didn’t expect your company to send you for this collaboration,” Giselle sneered. “You know, I’m quite close with your company’s CEO. In fact, the eldest daughter of your family is one of my best friends!”

I blinked at her, then smiled politely. Her claim was laughable—this was the first time I’d met her so how could she claimed that we were best friends? Besides, our family’s status was leagues above hers. The Cooper family had begged for this collaboration, and even then, I wasn’t sure if it would go through.

As the wealthiest family in the province, we held all the cards. Giselle’s display of superiority was clearly aimed at humiliating me, but I chose not to react.

Behind me, my assistant seemed ready to speak up, but I motioned for her to stay quiet.

Steven walked over, his expression conflicted. “Cherry, why did you leave without a word?”

I smiled faintly. “I was just making space for you and Giselle.”

My response made his face darken further.

“Cherry, you know I came from the countryside,” he said after a pause. “If I want a better life, I have to hold onto someone like Giselle.”

I nodded. “You’re right. Your choice makes perfect sense.”

My calm acknowledgment seemed to unsettle him even more.

“Cherry, after you left, I went looking for you,” he said bitterly. “I know you went to the hospital...”

“Steven, I’m grateful,” I interrupted him coldly. “I realized back then that you weren’t the right person for me. Walking away was the best decision I could’ve made. Otherwise, I’d probably end up being used by you until there was nothing left of me.”

My words struck a nerve, and his expression turned even uglier.

I handed the rest of the evening’s matters to my secretary and left the venue without another word.

Just being around the two of them soured my mood. It was better to avoid unnecessary contact.

After I left, my secretary reported that Giselle continued her high-handed behavior, even going as far as publicly claiming to be my best friend.

I laughed at the absurdity and instructed my secretary to tolerate her for now. As for the collaboration?

“As long as I’m here, it won’t happen,” I said decisively.

That evening, Steven called me.

“Cherry, let’s meet,” he said.

I rejected him without hesitation.

“Steven, there’s nothing left for us to discuss.”

“Steven, there’s nothing left for us to discuss,” I spoke coldly, my voice devoid of emotion.

But on the other end of the line, Steven responded quickly, “Cherry, you wouldn’t want the collaboration between our families to fall through, would you?”

I laughed at his words. Did he not realize that whether or not our companies collaborated was entirely up to me? Steven had no leverage in this matter.

What I didn’t expect was that after I rejected him, he barged into my office the very next day.

“Mr. Jones,” I said coolly, “isn’t it rather impolite of you to storm into my office uninvited?”

I gestured for my secretary to leave, leaving only the two of us in the room.

Steven’s eyes reddened slightly as he looked at me. “Cherry, when you left, I went looking for you. Did you... did you abort our child?” His voice trembled with anger.

I stared at the fury in his eyes and laughed, incredulous.

“So this is why you’re here?” I said icily. “You want an answer? Fine. I didn’t want my child to grow up without a father. Does that satisfy you?”

My words seemed to drain the color from his face.

“Cherry, you and I both came from nothing. You know how hard it is for people like us to climb up the ladder!” he said. “I agreed to marry Giselle, but I never intended to give you up!”

His declaration was laughable.

“And what’s your point?” I asked, my voice cold and unyielding.

“Cherry, I still love you. I don’t love Giselle!” he said. “If you come back, we can still have a future together—even have our child! My marriage to Giselle is just a stepping stone for us!”

Hearing his shameless justification, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Leave, Steven,” I said, pointing to the door.

At that moment, whatever lingering fantasies or warmth I had for him shattered completely. I had been blind to see his true nature.

He looked at me with desperation. “Cherry, do you even know how close Giselle is to your company’s boss? All it would take is one word from her, and you’d lose your job!”

“Cherry, you’d better listen to me. If she ruins your career, you’ll still have me to rely on!”

His words were so absurd that they were almost comical.

“No need, Steven,” I said firmly. “Rest assured, no matter what happens, I’ll never come to you for help.”

Before I could escort him out, the door to my office slammed open again. This time, it was Giselle.

She stormed in, her eyes blazing with fury. “I knew it! You’re the vixen trying to seduce my husband!”

I looked at her coldly and said, “I have no interest in your husband. Both of you, please leave.”

“Leave?!” she screeched. “We came here for a business collaboration, not so you could seduce my man!”

She continued shouting, “Where’s your boss? I demand to see him right now! I’ll make sure you’re fired!”

Her tantrum was pathetic, and I watched her with icy disdain.

Steven rushed to her side, trying to calm her down. “Giselle, let’s leave. There’s nothing between me and Cherry!”