My husband, Zachary Larson, and I are holding a welcome dinner for my sister, Julia Scott. When someone asks what Julia's greatest regret is, she raises her glass and looks at Zachary dreamily. "It's probably the time I wasn't brave enough to keep his child."

Everyone starts to whisper amongst themselves. I tighten my grip on the pregnancy check-up report I'm about to reveal to them.

My stomach twists with the emotions swirling in my head.

Julia suddenly returns to her senses and chuckles.

"I was just kidding. We were only friends with benefits, so don't take it to heart, Queenie. He married you, so you're the one he loves."

All eyes were on Zachary Larson and me, but Zachary was looking at Julia Scott with eyes filled with pity. He didn't notice my pale face and trembling hands.

As if she was unaware of the tension in the air, Julia took a sip out of her glass and said affectionately, "Come to think of it, Zachary used to have an awful temper. I was the one who turned him into the caring gentleman he is now—perfect for my beloved sister."

She blinked teasingly. "Queenie, does he still try to sleep with you when you're on your period or insist that you wear the condom on for him with your mouth?"

Zachary remained silent. He didn't object, so he must have agreed.

He chuckled helplessly and pushed a plate of steak to Julia. "Eat well. Since you're going to be my sister-in-law, listen to me and take good care of your body."

It was as if he was blind to how upset I was. The suffocating tension around us didn't let up with Zachary's words and actions.

Julia's best friend, Layla Anderson, seemed oblivious to everything and chimed in.

"He's right, Julia. You're too picky with your food. You only eat what Zachary cooks for you.

"Back then, Zachary was so busy with work and frequently went on business trips. It made you so upset that you kept skipping meals. Your body couldn't handle it, so you lost your child."

I stared blankly at the food in front of me. I finally realized why Zachary insisted on cooking.

We had been married for three years. If it weren't for Julia, I wouldn't have even known that the man I shared a bed with could cook, though.

After taking the time to admire the pale look on my face, Julia suddenly apologized with feigned innocence, "I'm sorry, everyone. After not seeing them for three years, I ended up drinking so much. I also couldn't hold my tongue. I'll excuse myself and go freshen up."

She wobbled as she stood up and accidentally spilled wine on her dress.

Zachary immediately rose to his full height. He moved with practiced ease and said, "I'll take you to your room so you can change."

Enduring the pain in my stomach, I stood up and said, "Let me help—"

He pushed my hand away with a frown. "Don't. You'll just make things worse."

My hand froze in midair. It brought me back to the time when I wanted to change the curtains in the living room after we got married.

Zachary rejected the idea back then, saying, "It's too troublesome. Besides, didn't Julia say that this color's nice?"

In the end, we never changed them. Every corner of this home had another woman's touch.

They went into the guest room. After a while, she walked out of the room wearing his old dress shirt. The shirt highlighted her small frame and made her seem fragile.

She purposely rolled the sleeves up to show off an eye-catching men's watch on her wrist. It was the watch Zachary usually wore.

I had gifted him the watch on our first wedding anniversary.

She shook her wrist and smiled at me. "This watch looked pretty good, so I put it on to match this shirt. You don't mind it, do you, Queenie?"

Zachary looked at her with a soft smile. Then, he turned to me and said, "It looks good on her."

The pain in my stomach became excruciating. I dug my nails into my palms and swallowed the scream that almost escaped my mouth. The way they acted like they were the only ones in the room broke my heart.

I slowly sat back down and secretly scrunched up the pregnancy check-up report in my pocket. As I exhaled, the look in my eyes turned cold. I decided to talk to Zachary tonight.

The dinner finally came to an end.

Julia massaged her temples and said in a weak voice, "Zachary, I think I caught a cold from drinking. I don't feel well. Can I…"

Zachary immediately replied, "Just stay in the guest room. No need to push yourself to leave when it's already this late."

He spoke as if it were only natural.

I clenched my fists and remained silent.

…

The master bedroom felt cold and empty late at night as he had never returned.

Feeling increasingly unsettled, I got up to search for him. The door to the guest room was left ajar, allowing light and voices to slip out. I could hear Julia's tearful voice coming from inside the room.

"I was the one you cared about the most back then! There was a time when we fought, and you waited outside my dorm for an entire night!"

"Let's not mention the past. At least you're back now." I had never heard Zachary's deep voice speak in such a soft tone.

"Zach, I'm still the person in your heart, aren't I? You only married Queenie to get back at me for losing your child, didn't you?"

I slammed the door open. Julia was lying in Zachary's arms, her eyes red and swollen. Zachary was affectionately rubbing circles on her back.

He frowned upon seeing me and asked in an annoyed tone, "Why haven't you gone to bed?"

She hid behind him, clinging to his sleeve. She poked her head out just far enough to shoot me a taunting smirk.

My voice started to tremble. "It's getting late, Zachary."

Zachary became even more impatient. "Julia isn't feeling well, so I'm staying with her. Can't you be the bigger person here and stop acting out?"

Julia added in a sickly, coquettish voice, "Zachary, don't blame Queenie. It's my fault for getting drunk and running my mouth. No wonder she's upset…"

His heart ached. Immediately turning to me, he said, "Julia has a weak body. If you're not going to sleep, stop standing around and make her some soup."

I smiled despite my anger. "I'm your wife, not her nanny."

Zachary's expression darkened. "Queenie Scott, why do you have to be so petty? Julia's your sister, for goodness' sake.

"It's one thing if you don't care about her, but do you have to get so worked up over me caring for my sister-in-law?"

"Your sister-in-law?" I felt a pang in my heart. "It sure doesn't look like you only see her as your sister-in-law to me!"

Then, I left and returned to the master bedroom.

After a while, Zachary came after me and apologized gently, "I'm sorry, Queenie. Don't be angry. Julia lost a child because of me, after all." He hugged me, kissed my forehead, and tried to comfort me with his words.

The tension in my body didn't leave. I wanted to ask him about Julia and him, but I was too tired to argue.

Thinking that I had calmed down, he left to do something else for a long time. Still uneasy, I secretly went after him, following the noises he was making.

Zachary walked into the study and made a call. He said as quietly as he could, "Allocate our funds for the project in Synclaria City to Julia's new studio instead. She just came back, so she needs our support."

I was shocked. Our team pulled so many all-nighters to win that project! It was one of our core projects!

The person on the other end of the line asked a question. Zachary chuckled. His tone was extremely gentle as he replied, "It's fine. She's worth the loss we'll suffer… What about Ms. Scott? Don't worry about it. She's my wife. She won't go against my decision."

I leaned against the cold wall. My limbs felt cold as my tears fell onto the floor.

Not only did he have Julia in his heart, but he even served the product of our hard work to her on a silver platter. I couldn't sleep all night, so my legs were unsteady when I walked out of the bedroom the next morning.

Julia was already sitting in the dining room, drinking coffee. She looked up at me and smiled.

Her fingers subtly traced along the base of her neck, where a shiny diamond necklace sat.

My breathing hitched. I had seen that necklace before.

Three years ago, Zachary saved up three months' worth of salary to buy a bracelet. That necklace belonged to the same set as the bracelet.

Back then, he said with me in his arms, "Queenie, when we get rich, I'll buy the entire 'My One and Only' jewelry set for you."

Caressing the pendant, Julia asked sweetly, "Queenie, do you think this necklace is pretty? Zach said this one's named 'My One and Only'. He said it's a welcome gift for me and insisted I try it on this morning."

She tilted her head and smirked with feigned innocence. "It seems to belong to the same set as your bracelet. How wonderful! It's so kind of him to give us a matching set!"

My stomach churned and started to ache. Black spots filled my vision.

I could feel warm liquid seeping through my nightgown. The liquid cooled and stuck to my skin. When I looked down, I saw red everywhere.

I immediately broke out into a cold sweat. Trembling, I held onto Zachary as he passed by with all my strength. "Zach… My stomach hurts…"

As Zachary stared down at me, I saw no sense of urgency in his eyes, only impatience and suspicion. He shook my hand off and asked, "Are you seriously playing sick right after Julia started to feel better? I already gave you so much jewelry. Why are you so hung up on that specific necklace?"

The words he tearfully said when he proposed to me echoed in my mind. "I'll trust and protect you forever," were the exact words.

Now, they felt like knives cutting into my body. The hope in my eyes slowly faded away.

Perhaps because of my pale complexion and the huge amount of blood, Zachary seemed to return to his senses and calm down. Then, he frowned and leaned in to carry me.

Suddenly, Julia groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. She wobbled as if she were about to faint. "Zach… I feel dizzy…"

He immediately made his choice. He turned and steadied Julia. Then, he asked in a panicked tone, "What's wrong?"

Julia leaned into his arms and weakly pointed at the kitchen counter. Someone had placed what looked like a bag of blood there at some point. It was punctured and dripping red liquid.

"I accidentally spotted it when I went to fetch Queenie a glass of water…" She panted and cried crocodile tears.

"Queenie, you're still angry at me, aren't you? That's why you purposely…" She clung to Zachary's sleeve and sobbed.

"It's all my fault. Zachary, leave me be and check up on Queenie! She must have been so angry that she planned this to get your attention. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me…"

Zachary's face turned ashen. Anger instantly drowned out the worry he felt for me.

He turned to glare at me and scolded, "Do you have to make a fuss now? If anything happens to Julia, I'll make you pay!"

Since I managed to pull three all-nighters in a row with him when we worked on a project together, he was sure I was not as weak as Julia, who had lost his child because of her frail body.

Scooping Julia up into a bridal carry, he rushed out the door, leaving me curled up on the floor in a puddle of my own blood.

I heard him close his car door with a slam. Then, he started the engine and sped away.

The world fell silent. My heart shattered into pieces.