“Zoe, you’ve misunderstood! I’m here with Jeremy to help him with his illness.”

“His condition has worsened lately. Attacks are more frequent, and relying on me alone isn’t enough. He came to the hospital to consult specialists and find a cure for this strange illness. Everything he's doing is for you!"

“By the way, Zoe, what are you doing here? You weren’t following us, were you?”

Molly’s words hit their mark. Jeremy’s gaze darkened. Disappointment flashed across his face as he looked at me.

“Zoe, you were following me? We’ve been married five years, and you don’t even trust me this much?”

“How can you doubt my sincerity after everything I’ve done for you?”

I almost laughed.

When I was in danger, he did not care. When I lost our child, he was with Molly at her prenatal checkup, celebrating that she was pregnant. This was the sincerity he claimed?

I let out a cold laugh. While Molly was still stunned, I snatched the prenatal report from her hands and flung it straight at Jeremy’s face.

“You claim you’re sincere and that everything you do is for me. You’ve already had a child with Molly! Is this your idea of doing things for me?”

“And tell me, do you actually have this so-called strange disease, or is it just an excuse to play around and satisfy your desires? You know the truth in your heart!”

Jeremy froze for a moment as his face paled.

“How did you know Molly is pregnant?”

Molly seized the moment to stir the fire.

“Jeremy, Zoe must have seen my post on social media about my pregnancy.”

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have celebrated online, but it was my first time being a mom. I was just too happy to control myself. I didn't think Zoe would see it."

“Zoe, please don’t be mad. If this child really bothers you, I can abort it right now…”

By the time she finished her sentence, her eyes were already red and brimming with tears.

Jeremy’s heart softened, and instinctively, he moved to shield her behind him.

“Zoe, don’t take your anger out on her, or her child!”

“This was supposed to be a simple accident. I thought about asking her to abort the child after I knew she was pregnant. But the doctor said her body is special. This will be her only chance at motherhood. I can’t take that away from her.”

“Zoe, I told you, no one can shake your place as Mrs. Lane. You’ve already had so much. Let Molly be this time. Give her and her child a chance.”

Was Jeremy not fighting for me in the same way at one point in the past?

However, the one he defended was Molly now.

My eyes burned red thinking of the child I had lost because of him. I grabbed the induction report from my bag and slammed it onto his face.

“Jeremy! You claim I shouldn’t take away Molly’s right to be a mother. But why are you so cruel to me? Why did you take away my right to be a mother?”

“Do you realize why I called you so many times? Because the billboard fell on me! And because you didn’t answer, our child is gone! That was the one I’d been waiting for five years!”

Jeremy’s eyes widened in shock at those words. His hand, holding the report, trembled uncontrollably.

“What did you say? The child’s gone?”

“No, that’s impossible. How could this happen? You and the baby were fine this morning…”

Molly’s eyes flickered with a brief thrill as she glanced at the report, but when she caught Jeremy’s expression faltering, her excitement instantly vanished, replaced by cold calculation.

Her eyes rolled around wildly, and then, as though she had come up with something, she pointed at me with a pitiful expression.

“Zoe, I know you’re angry that I posted that update. You’re mad that I’m carrying Jeremy's child, but there’s no reason for you to curse your own baby or use a fake termination report to lie!”

“If you’d really had a miscarriage, your lower belly would be flat. How could it still look so full? Misfortune shouldn’t touch innocent children. As a mother, I am deeply ashamed of you using a child to compete for affection!”

I was wearing loose hospital clothes, and my belly was wrapped in thick bandages. It did look slightly rounded, almost like I was still pregnant.

“Jeremy, don’t listen to Molly’s nonsense. The child has already…”

Before I could finish, his hand slammed across my face. The burning pain shot through me.

I looked up and met his eyes, filled with rage.

“Zoe, you’re utterly unreasonable! You’ve thrown away all sense of principle just to compete for attention! You would even curse your own child to win favor!”

“As a mother, why can’t you show even a little empathy for Molly? Must you destroy her and her unborn child to satisfy yourself?”

“How could I have not noticed how cruel you are before? Zoe, you’ve disappointed me beyond words!”

Ha! The one who should be disappointed is me.

Jeremy constantly claimed he loved me, yet a few words of Molly were enough to make him question my character.

He said I did not trust him. When had he ever truly trusted me? He knew how precious my unborn child was to me. There was no way I would joke about the baby!

“Jeremy, the child is already gone. My belly looks swollen because of the bandages on my injury…”

I was about to lift my shirt to prove it.

At that moment, Molly clutched her stomach, pretending to be weak, and leaned helplessly into Jeremy’s arms.

“Jeremy, my stomach hurts so much…”

Jeremy, usually so composed and self-assured, was thrown completely off balance. He scooped Molly up in his arms, gave me a cold, dismissive glance, muttered “unreasonable,” and carried her off to see the doctor.

Once again, I was left behind.

At that moment, my heart completely broke.

I wiped away my tears and went to the crematorium to lay my child to rest.

‘My baby, Mommy could not protect you. Go peacefully, and if fate allows, I hope one day you’ll return to me and choose me as your mother…’

After leaving the crematorium, I went to a law office to have a divorce agreement drafted. I brought the papers home, ready to get Jeremy to sign.

The moment I stepped inside, I saw Molly lounging lazily on the sofa. There was Jeremy, the man with a notorious obsession with cleanliness, sitting beside her, peeling grapes with meticulous care, and feeding them to her one by one.

Back then, seeing this would have made me furious. Yet I felt nothing now. My only thought was getting him to sign the divorce papers.

Jeremy spoke when he saw me come in.

“You’re just in time. I need to tell you something. You and Molly are both pregnant. Both carrying my children. I can’t favor one over the other, so I’ve decided to let Molly stay at home, where she can rest and take care of herself.”

Molly leaned against his shoulder, shooting me a look full of smug provocation.

“Zoe, living together isn’t just convenient for me to take care of my pregnancy. It also makes it easier for me to help Jeremy with his illness. You don’t mind, do you?”

I met her provocation with a cold smile.

“I don’t mind.”

Jeremy had been bracing himself, expecting me to resist. He had prepared a hundred excuses in his mind. He nodded with satisfaction when he saw how obedient and compliant I was.

“Good. That’s exactly how I hoped you’d think…”

Before he could enjoy that satisfaction, I threw the divorce papers onto the table and said, “Jeremy, sign this. We’re getting a divorce.”

…

“Zoe! Do you know what you’re saying?!”

He shouted in utter shock.

I had always been gentle, easy to handle.

A white lie from him and a few crocodile tears, and I would have forgiven anything.

This time, I was handing him divorce papers. He frowned, realizing this situation was slipping out of his control.

Molly’s eyes lit up when she saw the papers, but she forced a show of innocence.

“Zoe, are you mad just because I’m moving in? You didn’t have to storm off and get a divorce over it!”

“You don’t want me here? Fine, I won’t stay. I’m leaving…”

She began to cry and make her way to the door.

Jeremy rushed to stop her, massaging his throbbing temples, looking at me with a hint of complaint.

“Zoe, have you had enough? Do you really want our child to grow up without a father?”

The mention of the child made my vision red with fury.

“Jeremy! You have no right to speak of our child. You killed them with your own hands!”

His brows drew tight and his expression turned dark and stormy.

“Zoe, shut up! I won’t let you curse my child!”

“Calm down all you want, but I’m not leaving this marriage. Molly will live here whether you like it or not!”

Then, Jeremy stormed back into the room.

He slammed the door with deliberate force, expecting me to chase after him as I always had.

This time, I did not move. I handed the divorce papers directly to Molly.

“Molly, I know you’ve always wanted to push me out. As long as you get Jeremy to sign this divorce, I’ll step aside and let you have everything.”

She looked at me suspiciously and pretended to be reluctant.

“Zoe, you misunderstand me. I don’t have those intentions. My pregnancy was an accident…”

I cut her off coldly.

“There’s no need to put a show in front of me.”

A calculating coldness flashed in Molly’s eyes.

“Zoe, the position of Mrs. Lane is yours to give up. Good luck trying to take it back later!”

She took the divorce papers, swaying her hips as she walked into the room.

Not long after, she came back out, tossing the signed papers at me.

“They’re signed. Now it’s time for you to pack up and leave.”

I wanted to go immediately, but my body would not allow it after surgery.

“I’ll leave… but I’ll spend one more night here. I’ll be gone for good tomorrow morning.”

Molly smirked. It was as though she thought I was backtracking, giving me a meaningful glance.

I ignored her and went back to the room to pack my things.

Halfway through packing, Jeremy burst into my room, eyes bloodshot, slamming the door and gripping a letter tightly in his hand.

“Tell me, where did you hide Molly?!”