On the day I found out I was pregnant, my husband's god-sister, Elara, posted a picture of her pregnant belly on social media.

“As long as you're loved, you can still be a beautiful girl even when you're pregnant!”

In the photo, she was wearing only lace lingerie, leaning against a man while taking a selfie.

The man's distinct hand rested on her smooth pregnant belly. On his ring finger was a ring identical to the one on my hand. I commented. “Congratulations.”

The next second, Elara called in a panic, apologizing and saying she posted the picture to provoke her boyfriend after a fight.

Adrian took his phone and scolded me coldly. "You can't have a child yourself and now you're breaking down because someone else is pregnant? With jealousy this strong, no wonder you can't get pregnant."

Five minutes later, Elara updated her status again.

“From now on, I'll have two strong men to protect me, one big and one small!”

Adrian immediately liked her post.

I took off my wedding ring, threw it into the roadside bushes and went back to the hospital to schedule an abortion.

——

Adrian unusually came home before nine.

Noticing the unopened medicinal box in the trash can, his brow furrowed slightly. "Nothing better to do? Throwing a tantrum over something so small?"

I calmly replied, "I'm not angry."

He sneered, "You threw away the fertility medicine and you call that not angry? Do whatever you want. After all, you're the one desperate about not getting pregnant, not me."

I was just about to take out the pregnancy report, but he handed me a dark-colored shoebox first.

"Elara sent this for you. This little girl hasn't been through much. Seeing you upset, she got so scared that she even mentioned something as foolish as abortion. She insisted on sending you something to apologize."

He opened the box. Inside was a pair of YSL high heels. However, they were clearly worn, with scuffed soles and chipped paint on the outside of the heel.

"Take them, these shoes aren't cheap. Elara barely wore them a few times. She just started working and can't afford much. Giving you these shoes is already a big sacrifice."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Just half an hour before Adrian got home, Elara had posted on social media, proudly showing off her new Chanel slippers.

“The best brother in the world! Thank you for your blatant favoritism, it gives me the confidence to flaunt it so openly!”

When I refused to accept the shoes, Adrian became annoyed, "Kieran, what's wrong with you again? You're almost thirty, is it really necessary to make things hard for a young innocent girl?

He tossed the box at me and it hit me squarely on the head.

I let out a muffled groan, clutching my forehead as tears welled up in the corners of my eyes.

Adrian's expression turned panicked. "I didn’t mean to… let me take a look."

I pulled away from his hand as he tried to touch me, speaking softly, "I’m fine."

He forcefully pried open my fingers from where I was holding my forehead and saw the swelling. His face darkened. "You call this fine? Wait here. I'll go get an ice pack."

Before I could stop him, his phone suddenly rang. The screen lit up, displaying the contact name. "Little Troublemaker."

"Adrian!"

Hearing Elara's sobbing voice, Adrian immediately tensed up. "Elara, don’t worry, take your time and tell me what’s wrong."

Elara was sobbing on the other end.

"My stomach hurts. I want to go to the hospital, but I got on the wrong subway and now I don’t even know where I am…"

Adrian frowned. "Why didn’t you call me when you were heading to the hospital? Didn't we agree I’d drive you there?"

Elara hesitated, her voice faltering. "I… I was dumb again today and upset Kieran, so I didn’t want to bother you two..."

Adrian, with a serious expression, told her, "Elara, you're my only sister. No one's business is more important than yours. Send me your location on WhatsApp, I'll come pick you up."

"No! Adrian, I can find the hospital on my own, really!" she protested. “Don’t forget, today is Kieran’s ovulation day. Stay with her and maybe she’ll give me a sweet little niece soon!"

Adrian chuckled softly. "Silly girl, it’s not like doing it once more will guarantee pregnancy. Your situation is more urgent. Send me your location now!"

After hanging up the phone, he shot a reproachful glance at me. "Did you hear that? Elara cares about you so much, yet you're always so suspicious! I'll take her to the hospital and bring back an ice pack for you."

He grabbed the car keys and hurried out the door.

"Adrian, wait a second," I called after him.

He snapped, unable to hold back any longer, "Kieran, when will you be done? This is a matter of two lives! Don’t let your jealousy go too far!"

I didn’t defend myself. Instead, I went to the closet and pulled out a card from the coat he wore a few days ago. "Elara’s insurance card. Don’t forget it."

Elara couldn’t register on her own, so her insurance card was with Adrian. He looked at me, clearly surprised.

After a moment, he finally reached out to take it. "Thank you."

He seemed to want to say more, but I interrupted him. "Take care."

I raised my hand and adjusted his collar, just like I always did when sending him off. I knew this would be the last time.

He looked at my face as if a flicker of emotion passed through him. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close to his chest. "Kieran, I’ll be back soon. Wait for me."

I didn’t wait for him. After sending a message to a familiar lawyer to inquire about divorce, I went to bed early.

The sound of a WhatsApp notification woke me in the middle of the night. I checked the time; it was already 1 AM.

Sure enough, the space beside me was empty.

I opened my phone and saw that Elara had sent me several messages. [My big brother is so handsome! I want to eat him up while he’s sleeping…]

Attached was a photo of Adrian sleeping peacefully.

Adrian was resting on her pink cartoon pillow, his messy hair falling over his forehead, eyes tightly closed and his thin lips slightly pursed.

Seeing that the chat box indicated "The other party is typing," Elara quickly deleted her messages.

She sent me a cute kitten meme pleading for mercy.

[I meant to send it to my best friend, but accidentally sent it to you. Adrian is asleep; I was just playing around and took a sneak photo. Don’t blame him, okay?]

She probably thought I would immediately call Adrian to confront him like I used to. But this time, I chose to block her and went back to sleep.

Whether she was just joking or being serious, I didn't care anymore.

The next day, Adrian and Elara came to the office together. Elara was cautiously protecting her belly but still stumbled, her face turning pale with fright.

Adrian simply picked her up and carried her into the office. Elara blushed, wrapping her arms around his neck and shot a triumphant glance in my direction.

Colleagues nearby leaned in, whispering gossip:

"Elara can't even tell a copier from a shredder, yet she’s been the boss's assistant for half a year. Do you think Mr. Whitlock really has feelings for her?"

I was busy chatting with my lawyer and casually nodded in agreement. "Maybe."

Just as I finished speaking, a familiar voice called out. "Kieran, come here."

I turned around and saw Adrian standing behind me, looking at me coldly.

No one in the company knew that Adrian and I were married.

He forbade office romances, so on the surface, I was just an elder in the company. To avoid suspicion, he always treated me indifferently at work.

There was one time I had a high fever of 40 degrees Celsius and could barely walk. In a daze, I found Adrian and asked him to take me to the hospital. But, he was afraid of what his subordinates would say, so he quickly shook off my hand and told me to ask HR for leave.

Yet whenever Elara complained of a stomach ache, Adrian would skip meetings and immediately take her to the hospital for an examination.

I followed Adrian into the office.

Elara was arranged by him to rest in the partition. With no one around, Adrian came over and held my hand, saying in a deep voice, "Are you still angry?"

I pulled my hand away, my tone distant. "I told you, I'm not angry."

He rested his hand on my shoulder, his gaze intense. "Still being stubborn? You didn't call me at all last night; not a single message and yet you dare say you’re not angry?"

I was taken aback, replying, "But Elara was there, she’s your assistant, so of course she would take good care of you."

Anger flared in his eyes as he tightened his grip on my shoulder. I winced in pain, trying to break free from his hold, but in my struggle, he threw me onto the sofa.

As I pushed myself up, I felt something. I instinctively pulled at it and extracted a pink lace bra from the sofa’s crevice.

Adrian's anger vanished in an instant when he saw it. “This is…”

I had no interest in hearing his explanation. I tossed the bra back onto the sofa and said lightly, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now, Mr. Whitlock.”

After work, I was getting ready to meet a client when Adrian's car slowly came to a stop in front of me.

"Get in," he said. "I’ll take Elara home first and then take you to the seafood buffet on Maple Road."

Elara poked her head out from the passenger seat, her bright smile greeting me. "Sorry, Kieran, I'm here to hitch a ride again!"

I was busy hailing a cab and casually replied, "You guys go ahead; I'm allergic to seafood."

Adrian's face instantly darkened. He certainly knew that I had never been allergic to seafood. That seafood buffet was actually one of my favorites.

With a gloomy expression on his face, he was about to say something, but I didn’t look at him again. I sidestepped his car and got into a taxi on the other side of the road.

I didn't expect Adrian to chase after me to the restaurant with Elara. The client hadn’t arrived yet and they took a seat across from me.

Feeling perplexed, I bluntly asked them to leave. "I have an appointment with Mr. Everhart from Inova Technology."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Has Mr. Everhart ever said he doesn't want to see me?"

I fell silent and didn’t push them out any further. After all, Adrian was still my boss.

During the meal, Mr. Everhart instructed his assistant to open a bottle of good wine.

I frowned, recalling the day I scheduled the abortion. The doctor had repeatedly confirmed with me. "After your miscarriage from the car accident, your uterus was already damaged. It’s a miracle you can get pregnant again this time. If you have another miscarriage, you might never have the chance to get pregnant again.”

I pressed my lips together, about to politely decline the drink when Elara suddenly spoke up with a bright smile. “I’ve heard others say that Kieran has a particularly strong tolerance for alcohol. Today, I finally get to see it!”

Her eyes sparkled with admiration, her expression innocent and carefree.

I coldly replied, “Who told you that?”

Elara's smile froze and she looked nervously at Adrian. “Did I say something wrong again...?”

Adrian ruffled her hair, then turned to me, his tone cold as he ordered, “Kieran, it’s just a glass of wine. You’re not a little girl anymore, so stop being so shy.”

A chill swept through my heart. Meeting his cold gaze, I forced a smile and said, word for word, "Mr. Whitlock, I can't drink because I'm pregnant."

Everyone in the room froze.

Elara was the first to react; she quickly masked the surprise in her eyes and stood up to toast me. "Congratulations, Kieran!"

Just as she was about to sip her drink, Adrian quickly stopped her. "Elara, you’re pregnant. You can’t drink!"

For once, Elara didn’t obediently listen to him. "No, I want to drink! Ever since I came to Duskmire, I’ve unintentionally made you unhappy. This glass of wine is my apology to you, Kieran!”

She became increasingly excited and tilted her head back, gulping the wine down. Immediately afterward, her brow furrowed as she started to cough violently, her cheeks flushing and tears welling in her eyes.

Adrian watched with concern, his heart aching for her. He suddenly stood up, pointing an angry finger at me. “Are you satisfied now? Only someone as innocent as Elara would believe your words! If anything happens to the baby in her belly, I will never forgive you!”

I lazily lifted my eyelids and replied indifferently, “Do as you please.”

I said an apology to Mr. Everhart and turned to leave.

Adrian's voice rang sharply behind me. “Kieran, I’ve tolerated you for a long time! In your eyes, everything Elara does is wrong! If you truly can't accept her, then why not just get a divorce?”

I was somewhat surprised but quickly felt relieved. After five years of marriage, he had never publicly acknowledged our relationship. Now, to force me to back down in front of Elara, he had taken the initiative to admit it.

I gazed at his handsome face twisted in anger and nodded slowly. “Fine, let’s get a divorce.”

With that, I walked out of the private room without looking back.

After leaving the restaurant, I called the divorce lawyer. During the conversation, a sudden bright light flashed into my eyes. A car came charging toward me with unstoppable force.

A wave of immense fear engulfed me; my legs went weak and I fell backward. Just as the car was about to hit me, the driver slammed on the brakes, swiftly swerving away and speeding off, leaving me sitting on the ground.

A girl passing by came over to help me. The moment her hand touched my waist, she screamed, "Oh my God! Why are you bleeding so much?"

I looked down in confusion and saw a large pool of blood beneath me. In the hospital, the doctor urged me to contact my family.

I gripped my phone tightly, my gaze lingering on Adrian's number before dialing the lawyer.

I vividly remembered that the car that had charged at me had the same license plate number as Adrian's. It was the one we had chosen together.