Oscar stood there with a smug expression, gesturing at the luxury items I had meticulously saved for.

“I bought all these for you. I can give them to whoever I want. Other women work hard to earn their own money, but you? You just sit at home taking care of the baby.”

I felt my stomach churn with anger. He had begged me to quit my job when I found out I was pregnant, promising to take care of both me and the baby. At the time, his words had seemed so sweet, so genuine.

But in just a few months, his actions had erased any trace of sincerity.

“Is this child mine alone? Isn’t it yours too, Oscar?” I snapped, blocking the door to stop him from taking any more of my things.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he shoved me aside without so much as a second thought. The force sent me stumbling backward, and I collapsed to the ground.

Pain rippled through my body, still recovering from the difficult childbirth that had drained me both physically and emotionally. Leaning against the doorframe for support, I felt warmth trickling down my legs.

For a fleeting moment, I saw a trace of concern flash across Oscar’s face. He knelt beside me, his hands gripping my arm as he tried to pull me upright.

“Hurry up! Don’t waste my time,” he muttered impatiently.

Tears pricked my eyes as I glared at him.

“Oscar, why are you like this? Isn’t it enough that I gave up everything for you? You think it’s okay to take my things and call me pitiful?”

He scoffed, brushing off my words like dust. “Stop pretending to be the victim. If you don’t like it, earn your own money. Otherwise, don’t complain.”

As I sat there, struggling to breathe through the pain, Oscar continued rummaging through the room like a thief in his own house. He eventually spotted my designer bag—one I had bought for myself as a reward for a hard-earned work bonus.

“Perfect,” he said with a triumphant smirk.

“Madeline’s going to a party tomorrow, and she needs a bag. Your Chanel will do just fine.”

I froze. That bag wasn’t his to give. I shot to my feet, wobbling slightly as I snatched it out of his hands.

“No! I bought this with my own money. If she needs a bag, she can buy one herself!”

At that moment, Madeline came downstairs, her sweet voice grating on my nerves. She clung to Oscar’s arm, her doe eyes wide with fake innocence.

“Oscar, it’s fine. If Evelyn doesn’t want to share, let’s forget about it,” she cooed, her voice dripping with syrupy manipulation.

Oscar’s face darkened, and he turned on me, his voice rising as he shouted at me, “Don’t be so stingy, Evelyn! You’re just making a big deal out of nothing. I’ll give it back to you after she uses it.”

He grabbed the bag, tugging it hard enough to rip the strap. The sound of tearing leather echoed through the room, and Oscar shot me a look of pure disdain.

“See what you’ve done? Now it’s ruined. Don’t expect me to replace it.”

I stumbled backward, the sharp corner of the table catching my head. Pain exploded in my skull as blood trickled down my face. My vision blurred, and my body trembled as I tried to steady myself.

Oscar’s bravado crumbled in an instant. Panic overtook him as he scooped me up in his arms and rushed out the door, running all the way to the hospital.

“Baby, don’t scare me. Be careful … for the child’s sake,” he pleaded, his voice shaking.

I let out a bitter laugh, my lips trembling.

“Oscar... there is no child. It’s gone. And it’s all your fault.”

His steps faltered, and I felt his body tense beneath me. His face turned ghostly pale as my words sank in.

“The child... is gone?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Tears streamed down my face as I stared up at him and responded, “You didn’t care enough to notice. You were too busy running errands for Madeline to realize I was suffering.”

Oscar’s tone shifted, softening in a way that made my stomach churn with disgust as he spoke, “Evelyn, I didn’t know... Please, forgive me. I’ll change, I swear. I’ll stop helping Madeline. We’ve been together for ten years, haven’t we? Let’s fix this.”

He held my hand tightly, his voice laced with desperation. For a fleeting moment, I saw a glimpse of the man I had once loved. The man who cooked my favorite dishes to cheer me up, who drove hours just to pick me up from work, rain or shine.

“Evelyn, I’ll take care of everything,” he said, his tone almost tender.

“Just like I used to. Please, give me another chance.”

But the memories of his cruelty and betrayal overshadowed his empty promises. The man standing before me wasn’t the caring partner I had fallen in love with. He was a stranger—a selfish, hollow shell of the person I thought I knew.

I pulled my hand away, my heart hardened by the pain he had caused. There was no going back. I couldn’t trust him anymore and no amount of sweet words could erase the damage he had done.

Oscar had two faces. I was finally starting to see them clearly. That truly hurt my heart.

I pulled my hand away from his grasp, refusing to respond to anything he said. He didn’t seem angry. Instead, he started taking care of me during my hospital stay, acting attentive and gentle.

But I couldn’t shake the unease. Something was definitely wrong. Oscar’s sudden kindness didn’t sit right with me. It felt like the calm before a storm.

In the meantime, his parents quickly found out about the loss of the baby. They were devastated, not for me or the child, but for themselves. They called me in tears, lamenting the loss of their grandson and rushed over to see me.

But I could see that their true concern was whether or not I could still get pregnant.

I overheard them talking with Oscar outside my hospital room. Their voices were hushed, but I caught enough to understand the gist of their conversation. Eventually, Oscar came into the room, his expression carefully neutral.

“Baby,” he began, his voice soft but rehearsed. “My mother said the wedding date should be postponed now that... well, now that you’re no longer pregnant. They think we should increase the dowry by 500,000 yuan to make sure we can afford IVF in the future.”

The doctor had specifically told me to avoid stress, but how could I not feel angry after hearing this? I clenched my arm hard, the pain grounding me, helping me keep my composure.

“Talk about marriage now?” I said, my voice trembling with controlled fury. “I’ve already given 500,000 dollars for the wedding. Where am I supposed to get more money?”

At that moment, Oscar’s parents burst into the room. They didn’t come to comfort me or offer support. Instead, they scolded me relentlessly.

They called me a parasite, accusing me of leeching off Oscar. They said I was a cruel woman who couldn’t even protect my own child. They painted me as ungrateful, heartless, and a disgrace for being unable to bear children.

Not once did they mention Oscar’s faults.

They conveniently forgot that I had been the one to help Oscar get his current job by asking a senior from my university to recommend him to a well-known company. Without me, he would still be unemployed. When Oscar’s parents learned this, they didn’t thank me. Instead, they saw it as proof that I was lucky to have Oscar.

Their entitlement knew no bounds. They expected me to support his entire family, even his extended relatives. During New Year’s and other holidays, I was told to prepare fancy gifts for his nephews and nieces.

I swallowed my discomfort back then, convincing myself it was worth it because of their supposed kindness.

But now, Oscar sided with them.

“Baby, my mother is right,” he said, his tone annoyingly calm.

“You should listen and talk it over with your family.”

I stared at him, my heart breaking with every word.

“Let’s break up,” I said.

He didn’t take me seriously.

“Don’t be silly,” he replied with a nervous laugh.

“I’ll stay with you during this time.”

I turned my head away, repeating my words firmly, “Let’s break up.”

Oscar refused to accept it. He looked almost desperate, reminding me of how things used to be.

“Where am I going to find another woman like you?” he asked, as though that should make me change my mind.

“You’re beautiful, you take care of me, and you’ve done so much for me and my family.”

It sounded logical, almost reasonable. But I wasn’t swayed this time. My resolve was set.

I contacted my parents and told them I’d be returning home. Watching the fallen leaves outside the hospital window, I finally felt a sense of peace. Oscar stayed by my side during my hospital stay, acting like a doting partner. But I was no longer fooled.