When I saw my heels, all bloodied and raw, I let out a self-mocking laugh. What a perfect wedding ceremony this had been.

Lost in my thoughts, I finally got cell reception, and over a dozen messages from Dominic popped up.

"Are you intent on making my life miserable, Evelyn? I've told you long ago that Irene is just like a younger sister to me. Why did you have to insist on getting jealous at the wedding ceremony?"

On and on his messages went, every single word an accusation. He didn't show even a shred of concern for me, nor did he say a word of apology.

Not wanting to entertain him, I was just about to put my phone away when I got a call from an unfamiliar number. When the call connected, Irene's voice rang out.

"Dom, Evelyn will be upset that you abandoned her like that. Either way, she's pregnant with your child…"

However, Dominic simply replied gently, "You're too kind-hearted, Irene. She only got pregnant to force my family to throw her a wedding ceremony. How can she or the baby compare to you?"

The phone slipped from my hand and hit the ground with a dull thud.

But of course, how could I possibly compare to Irene?

Two months ago, when I had gone downstairs at night to get a drink of water, I slipped by accident and ended up breaking my tailbone. As the blood pooled beneath me, I was so terrified that I hurriedly shouted for Dominic, who was getting ready to go out.

But he simply reprimanded me icily, "Don't you have hands and feet, Evelyn? Do you not know how to call for an ambulance yourself? Stop bothering me. I've got an urgent matter to deal with."

By the time the ambulance arrived, I had already fainted and nearly suffered from a miscarriage.

I was hospitalized for an entire month after that, and not once did Dominic show up.

It was not until yesterday that I found out he had gone off in a rush because Irene said she was scared of lightning, and he needed to keep her company.

As I recalled that incident, my hands clenched around my gown, snapping the manicure I had gotten done specially for the wedding ceremony. Nevertheless, the physical pain couldn't hold a candle to the agony in my heart.

Finally, I reached the bottom of the hill. I had just called for a cab when Dominic called.

"Evelyn, you gave Irene such a fright that she's getting a panic attack. Get your ass over here and apologize to her at once!"

Gripping the umbrella that was being whipped around by the roaring wind, I informed him that I was still on the outskirts of the city.

Just then, hail began falling from the sky, thumping loudly as the pieces of ice hit the ground.

Dominic heard the sounds, and his voice became a little anxious. "Has it started to hail? Didn't you stay back at the villa? I'll come over now and—"

Before he could finish, I heard Irene crying in the background.

"This is all my fault, Dom. I shouldn't have come back… If I'd known this would happen, I should've just died on the streets somewhere…"

Dominic immediately put his phone down and comforted her softly. By the time he started talking to me again, his voice resumed its previous indifference.

"Evelyn, I'm giving you half an hour. Get to the hospital now and apologize!"

The icy hostility in his voice made me shudder, but it also made the last of my love for him disappear.

"I'm not the one who needs to apologize, Dominic. Let's get a divorce."

Dominic's breath hitched, but he soon responded mockingly, "Everyone in Amberton knows that I've knocked you up. If you leave me, who would want to be with a pregnant woman like you?"

At last, the umbrella buckled under the storm and fell to the side.

As I stood there with the wind whipping around me and the hail crashing onto me, my mind slowly cleared.

I dropped the call just as the cab I called for arrived.

After stroking my tiny belly bump, I wiped my tears and said to the cab driver, "Take me to the hospital, please."

…

As I lay on the operating table, I suddenly felt like I could hear the baby's pulse inside of me. He seemed to be telling me not to cast him aside.

I deliberated for a long time, but in the end, I called Dominic.

"I'm at the hospital, Dominic. You—"

Dominic cut me off with a snort, commanding, "If you're already at the hospital, hurry up and get over here then! This time, you'd better apologize to Irene. Or else, don't even think about getting me to forgive you."

I swallowed back the words on the tip of my tongue, ended the call, and informed the doctor he could proceed with the procedure.

"Are you sure about this?" the doctor asked softly. "The baby's perfectly healthy. Maybe you should talk to the father first?"

"That won't be necessary. He doesn't care."

…

After leaving the hospital, I went back to the house and packed my things. The house was filled with wedding favors and wedding gifts, reminders of the wedding ceremony that was supposed to have taken place.

Clearly, Dominic hadn't come home at all in the last few days. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let these things remain in the house, sullying his eyes.

Halfway through packing, Mom called me. "Eve, have you managed to appease Dominic yet? Has he forgiven you?"

Her voice was full of anxiety and hopeful anticipation, but not a hint of concern for me.

I told her I was divorcing Dominic.

After a brief silence, I was hit with a torrent of tearful reprimands. Mom told me not to be willful—that I should endure all the humiliation for the sake of being Dominic's wife.

I swiped at my tear-covered phone screen and ended the call.

Once I managed to compose myself, I went to work and submitted my resignation letter.

Dominic showed up at the end of the workday. In the ten years we had been together, it was the first time he had waited for me after work.

I wanted to walk away, but he grabbed me and hauled me into the car.

"It's just a wedding ceremony. Must you kick up such a huge fuss over it? You're not a young woman in your early 20s anymore, Evelyn. Why are you still using the threat of divorce to gain attention?"

Dominic reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a velvet jewelry box before tossing it to me. When I opened it, I saw a pair of rings inside.

"What are these?"

Dominic, who had started driving, responded matter-of-factly, "Irene didn't like the old pair of wedding rings, so she tossed them for me and chose a new pair for you."

Then, with an expression that made it seem like I had hit the jackpot with this, he added, "This pair is a lot more expensive than the other one. That should be enough to satisfy you, right?"

Scoffing, I tossed the box back at him and retorted, "Save it. You should give something this expensive to Irene instead. I wouldn't dream of having it."

Dominic's expression darkened. "Don't push your luck, Evelyn! If not for the baby you're carrying, do you think my family would've publicly acknowledged you as my wife so easily?"

He was right. Even though we were legally married, our marriage was never made public. The wedding ceremony was only a pitiful act of charity by the Moores, solely because I got pregnant.

There was no point in stubbornly holding on and allowing them to trample on my feelings like that.

Resisting the urge to cry, I turned my head to the side and said, "You're right. I'm not meant to get so lucky, so when you're free, let's file the divorce paperwork."

Dominic slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a stop.

"Evelyn, you're the one who groveled at my parents' feet, begging them to agree to let you marry me. Who do you think you're fooling with this phony act of yours, huh?"

In the past, I would have tearfully apologized at once if I saw him this angry. Now, however, I didn't even feel the slightest inclination to clarify matters.

It was a call from Irene that broke the tension in the car. "I have a splitting headache, Dom. Can you come over?"

"Let me off at that intersection over there," I said.

Taken aback, Dominic looked at me in disbelief. "You're not angry?"

I shook my head, my expression calm.

When I used to be in love with him, this certainly would have made me angry. Now that I didn't love him anymore, I wasn't going to waste my energy on being upset.

Once the car came to a stop, I tried to get out, but the doors were locked.

With mixed emotions in his eyes, Dominic grabbed my hand and said, "I'll be right back after checking on her. Wait for me here. I'll come and pick you up."

Flashing a polite smile at him, I yanked my hand out of his grasp and said, "Don't bother. I can hail a cab just fine."

Swallowing, Dominic remained silent for a while before unlocking the doors. "You're pregnant. Forget about the cab. I'll come back for you."

Shaking my head once more, I declined his offer.

"Must you insist on acting like this, Evelyn?"

It amused me that in Dominic's eyes, I was the one who was somehow betraying our relationship.

"Yeah, I insist," I replied.

Dominic stared fixedly at me, his gaze dark. "Just you wait, Evelyn."

…

As soon as I got back to the hotel where I had been staying recently, I received a call from Dad. He said Mom got into a fight with someone at the mall and asked me to come over at once.

I immediately got a cab to the location he gave me, only to find that it was a bridal boutique.

"What took you so long, Eve? Dominic's been waiting ages for you," Mom chided before dragging me into the boutique with a smile.

Once again, my own parents had set me up.

"Dominic, you truly are a gracious man for forgiving Eve despite all the fuss she's been making. I'm so proud of you," Dad said fawningly after he got a cup of coffee for Dominic.

Dominic lounged on the couch, his expression scornful and smug. "It's just a wedding ceremony. We can always have another one."

Just as I was about to speak, Irene emerged from the dressing room in a wedding gown with a radiant smile. "This gown is so pretty, Dom! I love it so much."

"If you like it, just buy it. I'll get you anything you want," Dominic said before finally looking at me.

Staring back at him, I said calmly, "Congratulations. You two make a perfect couple."

Dominic didn't expect me to react this way. Instantly, his expression turned stormy, and he declared, "Evelyn, Irene is willing to let bygones be bygones and has decided to be your bridesmaid. Your parents have agreed to it as well."

Smiling, Irene sat on Dominic's lap and said sweetly, "Don't worry, Evelyn. I won't let Dom do anything reckless again."

Hearing that, Mom and Dad nodded happily, seemingly satisfied with Irene's words.

Sneering, I was just about to speak, but Dominic beat me to it.

"When the time comes, you'll apologize to all the guests and admit that you were in the wrong the last time. Once you do that, I'll put everything behind us."

Before I could reject his demand, Mom readily agreed to it on my behalf. "Yes, of course. It's only right for her to do that."

The rip in my fingernail started bleeding again as I stared at Mom incredulously.

"Have you lost your mind, Mom? Am I your daughter or not? How can you agree to let someone else stomp all over my dignity and humiliate me?"

Mom's smile stiffened as she slapped me across the face without hesitation.

"Evelyn! Do you still think you're a young woman in your early 20s? You're 30 now! No other man will want you!

"Dominic doesn't mind that you're an old woman and is willing to marry you despite your willful behavior. You should be thanking him for that!

"How dare you cause a scene now? If I'd known you'd be such a burden to me, I should've drowned you the moment you were born!"

Then, she turned back to Dominic with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry you had to see this, Dominic. It's all my fault for not teaching her properly. Please don't be mad at her. I'll make sure she apologizes to both you and Ms. Cobb right away."

My cheek was stinging with pain, and I was filled with despair like never before.

However, to my shock, Dominic snarled coldly, "Evelyn's my wife, and she's carrying my child. Who gave you the audacity to hit her?"

Mom was thunderstruck. She didn't expect him to be this furious about it.

Dominic shoved Irene off his lap. Ignoring her unhappy expression, he asked me in concern, "Are you okay? Does your belly hurt? I'll take you to the hospital."

Snorting, I eyed him as though he were a piece of trash and retorted, "Drop the act. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

Stung by the look in my eye, the proud Dominic stood frozen, looking a little helpless. "Evelyn, I'm not—"

Flinging his hand off me, I said calmly but clearly, "Listen up carefully, Dominic. I've aborted the baby."