I headed back to the bedroom. Nolan's presence was everywhere.

In the closet, his dress shirts still hung in a perfectly neat row. On the nightstand sat the business magazines he had to read every night. In the bathroom, his toothbrush was still next to mine.

I lay on the bed and thought about the past three years.

I remembered how Nolan had once stayed up all night fixing the music box I'd smashed. Whenever I woke up hungover, there would always be warm water and anti-hangover tablets by the bed.

Every time he came home from a business dinner, no matter how late it was, he would go to the guest room to shower and wash up first so the smell of alcohol wouldn't bother me.

As my mind drifted, a wave of nausea suddenly hit me. I ran into the bathroom and dry-heaved. When the feeling finally passed, it occurred to me that I'd forgotten to tell Nolan I was pregnant.

The comments turned frenetic again.

[Nolan's true love is here! She's at the villa's gate!]

I walked over to the window. Down by the wrought-iron gates stood a woman in a white dress with flawless makeup.

…

I opened the gates and the door.

The woman gave me a once-over, then smiled knowingly.

"So, you're Nolan's wife?" She paused. "Sorry. Ex-wife now."

I leaned against the doorframe and yawned. "And you are?"

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and started introducing herself.

Her name was Celia Sanders. Between the lines, she made it clear that she and Nolan had grown up together. They were practically childhood sweethearts. She also said that he'd gotten drunk that night three years ago because she'd left the country.

Now that she was back, of course he had to get divorced.

The comments went wild again.

[Celia is so pretty!]

[Lyra West, time to feel insecure!]

[Are you guys blind? Let's be honest here. Lyra is better-looking than Celia.]

[No girl-on-girl hate! Also, why do I feel like they don't look alike at all?]

[Same here. Is Lyra really just Celia's stand-in?]

Celia pulled a photo out of her bag. It was an old picture of her and Nolan back in high school. The two of them were standing side by side. He wasn't smiling, but his eyes were visibly much softer than usual.

Celia's tone was gentle, but there was a sharp edge of mockery in her gaze. "He's never loved you. You're just a replacement."

I stared at the photo for three seconds. "He was a little chubbier back then than he is now. His face was rounder."

Celia froze.

I added, "Thanks for telling me all this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what he looked like in high school. Can I keep the photo? I'd like a souvenir."

The comments started buzzing.

[That's what you took from all this?]

[I'll never understand Lyra's thought process.]

[But why is this weirdly satisfying?]

[Celia just got shut down so hard. I'm screaming!]

Celia's expression darkened, and she said coldly, "You really are something else. But you know what? It doesn't matter since Nolan has already chosen me. Do you know why he left the villa to you? Because he's about to move into my place."

I tilted my head, thinking it over. "Oh, good for him. At least he won't have to sleep at the construction site anymore. Manual labor is exhausting."

My voice was sincere and showed no hint of jealousy.

Celia was utterly speechless. As she turned to leave, she tossed one last line over her shoulder. "People like you deserve to get dumped."

The door swung shut. I leaned back against it and slowly slid down into a squat. It wasn't that I wasn't sad. It was just that my sadness always came half a beat later than others.

I rested a hand on my abdomen, which was still flat. I whispered, "Sweetheart, it looks like your dad's off to be someone else's father now."

I zoned out for a while, then picked up my phone. I wanted to text Nolan to tell him I was pregnant.

I'd just unlocked the screen when the comments suddenly flooded in.

[Oh my God! Mr. Steele really is working at a construction site!]

[He's got blisters on his hands… I actually checked ahead again. Nolan really does end up filthy rich. Can someone explain what's going on?]

[Can't help you. I want to know, too.]

[Celia just called Nolan and asked for his address. She's driving to the construction site right now!]

I stared at the comments flying past before me, completely forgetting what I'd been about to do.

I suddenly felt a little empty inside, so I walked over to the wine cabinet, thinking I would grab a bottle.

The comments floated past.

[Seriously? If Lyra doesn't want Nolan's baby, she can just get an abortion. There's no need to drink on purpose! Damn, she's evil.]

[Right? She's pregnant, and Nolan doesn't even know yet. He doesn't have a kid later in the plot, so this one's definitely not gonna make it.]

My hand froze in mid-air. Silently, I put the bottle back and locked the cabinet. Then, I sat down on the couch and started wondering what I should do about the baby.

My phone suddenly buzzed. It was a message from Nolan.

"Remember to eat dinner. Don't drink on an empty stomach. Don't stare at your phone in the dark, and don't stay up all night."

I stared at the screen for a long time. All of a sudden, I couldn't bear the thought of getting rid of this baby anymore.

…

A week later, I got a text from the bank. Nolan had transferred some money to me and included a note with it. "Half a month's salary. Use it for now."

It wasn't a lot, and the amount was oddly specific. I stared at the message, zoning out for a while.

The comments exploded.

[So he literally only left himself enough for cheap meals every day!]

[His hands are covered in blisters, yet he's still thinking about his ex-wife.]

I dragged myself up from the couch. I touched my still-flat abdomen and said slowly, "Sweetheart, I think your dad is about to starve."

Then, I walked into the kitchen. I'd basically never set foot in here for the past three years.

Before, it had always been Nolan cooking all kinds of fancy dishes for me. I only knew how to make instant mac and cheese, and I still managed to burn it sometimes.

I looked up a recipe. While following it, I almost cut my hand. I also forgot to add salt. But after two full hours of chaos, I finally managed to make a pot of broth.

Then, I went to the pharmacy to buy iodine and band-aids. From the scattered hints in the comments about the "new development zone in the south of the city", I hailed a cab and headed over.

The construction site was full of dust. I stood at the entrance in my lounge dress and slippers while holding a thermal food carrier, standing out like a sore thumb.

The comments started teasing me.

[Why does she actually look kind of cute dressed like this?]

Just as I was craning my neck and looking around, a white sedan pulled up. Celia stepped out, carrying a delicate lunch box.

She saw me, too. Her smile faltered for a second, then smoothed back into elegance. She walked over to me. "Ms. West? What are you doing in a place like this?"

Her gaze dropped to my food carrier, and she chuckled lightly. "Have you brought lunch for Nolan? He has a sensitive stomach and can't handle anything too greasy."

I looked seriously at the broth I'd made. "It's chicken soup, and it isn't greasy. I skimmed the fat."

Celia took a step closer and lowered her voice. "Ms. West, I think there are a few things you're not getting here. Right now is the hardest time in Nolan's life. What he needs is someone who can help him get back on his feet, not some clingy little ornament who can only make broth."

I thought about what to say for three whole seconds. "But he's doing manual labor right now. That takes strength, not making a comeback."

I paused, then added, "And I'm not a clingy ornament. I can make my own money… I just haven't figured it out yet."

The comments were stunned.

[Celia just got roasted into speechlessness.]

[Lyra's logic is always this bizarre, yet it's also somehow impossible to argue with.]

Just as the atmosphere turned awkward and tense, Nolan walked out of the construction site. His work clothes were covered in dust, and there were band-aids all over his hands. He had sweat on his forehead.

When he saw us, he visibly froze.

Celia immediately went up to him. "Nolan, I brought you lunch…"

But Nolan walked straight toward me instead, his brows furrowing. "Why are you here? There's too much dust."

I held up the food carrier and the bag of medical supplies. "I brought you soup and medical supplies."

Something shifted in his eyes. His fingers trembled slightly as he took the things from me.

Celia's face went pale. "Nolan, I came here for you—"

He turned to her, his voice polite but distant as he said, "Ms. Sanders, thank you for your kindness, but I don't need it. Please don't come again."

With that, Nolan murmured to me, "I'll take you home."

He completely ignored Celia, who'd frozen in place.

We sat in silence in the back of a cab. I glanced at the band-aids on his hands and suddenly said, "Your wounds have dust in them. They're going to get infected."

He pulled them back a little. "I'm fine."

Slowly, I said, "Celia said you two are moving in together."

Nolan snapped his head toward me. "She's talking nonsense!"

His voice was sharp and edged with a rare anger. Then, he realized he'd lost his cool and softened his tone, explaining, "There's nothing between her and me. I'm living in the dorms at the construction site."

I let out a hum and didn't say anything else.

Comments floated out in front of me.

[Wait, are we ever going to find out why Nolan gets so rich later?]

[Does any other male lead have it as rough as he does? I'm speechless!]

The cab pulled up to the villa. Before I got out, Nolan suddenly said, "Don't worry about the money. Just use it, and tell me if it's not enough."

His eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was steady.

I nodded, remembering I had a prenatal checkup tomorrow. After taking a couple of steps, I turned back. "Will you be working tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Okay. You can get back to your stuff now."

With that, I headed straight into the villa.

Before bed that night, I got a text from an unknown number. "Leave Nolan. You're not good enough for him."

I stared at it for a moment, then lazily typed back, "Are you Celia? You sent the message to the wrong person. I'm his ex-wife."

Then, I blocked the number, turned off my phone, and went to sleep.

…

Early the next morning, I went to the hospital by myself. I registered, waited in line, and waited to be called.

The morning sickness was worse that day. By the time they drew my blood, my face had gone white. After the ultrasound, the doctor said I was slightly anemic and prescribed iron supplements.

I left the exam room, holding the folder with my results and feeling dizzy. I just wanted to find somewhere to sit down, but when I looked up, I saw a crowd gathered near the emergency room.

I spotted Nolan in the middle of that crowd. He was sitting in a chair in the ER, his left hand wrapped in gauze. Celia stood next to him, bending over as she talked to him.

She was holding a cotton swab, trying to dab at the scrapes on his face, but he turned his head away to avoid her. She wouldn't give up and reached out to grab his shoulder. They were intimate enough that they caught the onlookers' attention.

I stood where I was and watched them.

The comments exploded.

[Holy crap! Drama alert!]

[Nolan got hurt saving a coworker at the construction site!]

[Celia heard about it real quick. See how soon she showed up!]

[Wait, I got it! I know why Nolan ends up rich later!]

I was just about to see what the rest of the comments said when I heard Nolan's voice ring out from in front of me.

"Lyra!"

I looked up and saw him shaking Celia off before striding toward me. She tried to grab him again, but he flung her off. He walked fast, taking only a few strides to get to me.

He lowered his gaze and caught sight of the folder in my hands. Printed on the front in big, clear letters were the words "Obstetrics & Gynecology".

Then, he looked up at me, taking in how pale and weak I looked. His whole body went rigid. As his gaze traveled between the folder and my face, his eyes slowly turned bloodshot.

His Adam's apple bobbed hard. When he finally spoke, his voice was so hoarse it almost wouldn't come out. "Are you… pregnant?"

I blinked, trying to remember if I'd forgotten to tell him. I'd meant to ask him to come with me to that day's prenatal checkup, but he had to go to work.

At my silence, Nolan's lips began to quiver. He lifted his left hand, his fingers shaking badly. He didn't dare touch me, though. His voice was broken and raw with despair as he asked, "…Did you get rid of our baby?"