Cherry sat there with her round belly, glowing like a queen. Every inch of her life screamed money and protection. Lewis had his arm wrapped around her waist, guiding her gently like she was made of glass.

She pouted softly. “Babe, my belly feels so heavy. The babies keep kicking me… I don’t even know who they take after. They’ve been giving me so much trouble.”

Lewis crouched in front of her like some doting husband and pressed a kiss against her stomach.

“Little ones, don’t give your mother such a hard time. I’ll deal with you myself when you’re out.”

Cherry laughed lightly. “You’re not really gonna punish your twins are you?”

Lewis held her hand and kissed it, “Cherry, do you know how much it killed me when you came to me five years ago, crying? You were just a girl who made one mistake at work, but my wife wanted you destroyed. To protect you, I had to hide you in that villa for so long. And even then, you were brave enough to carry my children.” He pressed his forehead to hers, “I swear… nobody will ever matter more than you. I’ll love you, I’ll protect you, until the day I die.”

Cherry’s eyes filled with tears. She brushed his cheek, trembling. “As long as Addison forgives me one day, I don’t care what I go through. I can endure anything. I grew up alone, no parents, no one cared. I can take it. I just don’t want my babies to suffer because of me.”

Lewis’s jaw tightened like her words cut into him.

“No. You will never suffer because of her. My children will inherit everything I have…”

“Don’t… If Addison finds out, she’ll hate me even more.”

“She’ll never know. The Coleman family gave me everything. I can only repay them by playing my part. For now. But when your confinement ends, I’ll give you a wedding of your own. The one you deserve.”

My whole body shook as I bit into my wrist to keep from making a sound. His words echoed in my skull. My parents’ lives… to him, that was just a mistake Cherry made. My suffering, my family’s destruction… it was nothing compared to his love for her.

I stumbled out of there like a dying leaf caught in the wind.

Back in the car, I placed the urn carefully in the seat beside me. My tears blurred everything, but I managed to dial the funeral home.

“I want to arrange a sea burial… one month from now. The name is Addison Coleman. The location… Point Reyes National Seashore.”

The place where Lewis once knelt and asked me to marry him.

If fate is kind, it will also be the place where my life ends.

***

After I put Grandpa’s ashes to rest, I just wandered around, not really knowing where I was going. Before I realized it, I’d ended up at the old community center, the sports club where I’d spent so many awkward afternoons.

I stopped at the entrance and looked through the glass doors. Empty now, echoes of the past clung to the walls. I saw myself there, over ten years ago. Skinny, weak, always trailing behind Lewis in oversized gym clothes, trying not to be noticed. Not too close, not too far… just following.

He was the star back then—captain of every team, always first in every ranking, everyone noticed him. Under that tall, flawless exterior, there was a coldness that kept everyone at a distance. And me… I had a crush like every other girl. I watched him from afar, memorizing everything about him, never daring to get close. He never noticed me.

We didn’t get married because of love, at least not at first. It was arranged. Our families—his and mine—had decided we were the perfect match. Their reasons were always practical, always about legacy, power, and alliances. Love, desire, chemistry… that was supposed to come later, if it came at all.

Then, out of nowhere, the old snack counter lady appeared, carrying a tray of drinks.

“Well, look who it is! Haven’t seen you in years! Come, have mint ice cream just like old times.”

She recognized me instantly. “And that handsome boy you saved and always followed around… how are you two doing?”

I lowered my head and scoop some icecream. It tasted the same as it did back then, but I couldn’t swallow it.

“Wait a minute… What's today? Are you here for a reunion?” the snack lady called out. “Oh talking about that handsome guy, here he is.”

I looked up. Lewis walked in carefully, holding Cherry’s hand. Lewis didn’t notice me at all. I stepped back and lost in the crowd. He was all about Cherry, helping her sit down, whispering softly, asking what drink she wanted.

The snack lady shook her head and was amazed. “Wow… I wished to find love like them. She’s clingier than any of the kids I ever served. She's lucky, kid.”

Cherry leaned into him shyly, and he smiled, gentle and calm, taking care of her like she was the only person in the world.

And me? I just stayed hidden, watching, remembering.

I’m such a coward. Even though I didn’t do anything wrong, the moment they walked in, I stepped back. Like a scared little girl.

I remembered after we got married, I once asked Lewis to come back to the sports center with me. Just a little visit, maybe a bowl of icecream. He frowned and shook his head.

“Addy, I’ve got work. Just ask your auntie to get it for you. What’s there to remember about that old shit sports center? It’s the past. Let it go.”

Now I understand. He never kept me in his memories. Of course, he had no interest in going back.

Inside the shop, I could see him daydreaming. Cherry handed him a spoonful of mint ice cream, smiling.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

Lewis shook his head, his eyes distant, and then pointed toward the alley beside the old elm.

“You remember this place?”

I shivered at the memory. When he was younger, he had that reckless streak—always running too fast, trusting the wrong timing. One afternoon, as he raced home, a car lost control at the corner of that alley. Tires screeched. He froze, and before he could react, I lunged forward, pushing him out of the way just in time. The impact scraped my arms raw, the sound of the crash echoing in my ears.

I stayed with him until the ambulance arrived, holding his hand, whispering reassurances. But that same day, my grandmother fell gravely ill, and I had no choice but to leave the hospital to help her.

When I returned hours later, hoping to check on him, I froze outside the hospital room. Inside, Cherry’s voice floated through the door.

“I was the one who saved you,” she said, smiling at Lewis as he blinked in gratitude.

My stomach dropped. My courage faltered. I couldn’t argue, couldn’t reveal the truth. I had no choice but to turn away, to go home, swallowed by a hollow ache.

Lewis’s eyes softened, the memory of that day forever misattributed, and I… I became invisible. The girl who had risked herself to save him… erased, while Cherry smiled as if it had been her all along.

***

I came back home in silence, pretending I didn’t know anything.

Over the next week, I threw myself into work. I donated all my assets to start a charity foundation. I helped set up the team, attended every public event, made speeches, smiled for the cameras. But my body was falling apart. One day I even fainted on the office floor.

Lewis wanted to rush me to the hospital, but I stopped him. The doctor said it was normal given my condition. I’d be fine after the heart surgery at the end of the month.

He held my hand like I was fragile glass. “Addy, I’ve been too busy lately. After your surgery, I’ll quit everything and take care of you. Tomorrow, at the foundation ceremony, I’ll be there early.”

I looked at him, the long hair that wasn’t mine brushing his collar, the white shirt tucked perfectly. I nodded slightly. Inside, I told myself it didn’t matter anymore.

The next day, I dragged my swollen, tired body into my dress for the last time. I stood on the stage, ribbon ready, while applause roared around me. Then a sharp cry cut through the air.

People parted. A pregnant woman was sitting on the floor, clutching her belly. She lifted her head. Cherry.

I froze. My scalp tingled like electricity. She had dodged me for years, hiding like a shadow, but now she was here, kneeling with her forehead bloody.

“I’m sorry, Addison… I never meant to disappear back then. They… they threatened me. Told me I’d be killed if I testified. I’ve lived in guilt every day for five years. If it wasn’t for Mr. Hamilton protecting me, I… I don’t know if I’d even be alive after your parents died. I know I’m wrong. I’m not asking for forgiveness… just a chance to make things right.”

Reporters swarmed, cameras flashing. When they saw Lewis, they handed him a mic.

“Mr. Hamilton, she said you protected her… what does that mean? Is that your child?”

Lewis’s eyes went cold. He didn’t answer. He turned to his bodyguards and told them to clear the hall. Minutes later, it was just Cherry and me in the wide, empty room.

Lewis bent toward her instinctively, like he wanted to help her up, but then he stopped, pulled his hand back. When he looked at me, the blame in his gaze was sharp.

“Addy, why let her kneel?”

I looked down at Cherry, my voice calm. “If you’ve been hiding for five years, why are you here now?”

Cherry froze. Her voice shook. “I heard you started a foundation, and everyone was looking for me. I’ve been hiding for five years, I’m barely holding on… Please, Addison, spare the children in my belly. Let them live. They're already pitiful without a father. I’ll work off my sins however you want… like a servant, a slave… anything.”

I swallowed hard, looking at her, at the babies she carried, at everything that had gone wrong in my life. All the lies, all the betrayals, the man I married, the life I lost. And I had to decide what I would do next.

I sank low in the back seat, letting my body slump against the leather. Every part of me ached. My chest burned, my limbs felt like lead, but I had to keep some control. I couldn’t let anyone see me break.

Lewis’s voice still echoed in my head from earlier.

“Addy, I looked into it. None of it was her fault. Cherry was just a kid getting used, she’s been living with guilt for five years. Stop holding onto all this anger and move on.”

Move on? How could I move on when it was Cherry who indirectly destroyed my parents, who slept with my husband behind my back, who ruined the foundation I spent all my energy building, and now, who kneels in front of me demanding forgiveness?

I clenched my hands so tight and straightened my back and turned toward the door. I left the banquet hall alone.

It wasn’t until the car door shut that I let myself collapse. Eyes closed, tears sliding down my cheeks. But in my mind I still saw him. Lewis bent down to wipe Cherry’s forehead, helping her like I didn’t even exist in the room.

My phone rang. I answered on reflex. The voice on the other end shredded me.

“You liar! Pretending to do good with your filthy money. Your parents deserved to die! You let a pregnant woman kneel to you? You’ll pay for this! Everyone knows what a bully you were since you were a kid. You should die too!”

I hung up, but the notifications didn’t stop. Texts, calls, messages… all screaming accusations. I didn’t even understand until the driver handed me my phone. Headlines screaming that I, Addison, had forced a pregnant woman to kneel at my foundation, that my parents were fraudsters who stole billions, and that I had bullied Cherry through school.

My fingers turned white around the phone. Every message, every photo, every comment tore me apart. Even supposed old classmates confirmed the lies about me.

I tried typing an explanation, shaking so badly my words barely formed. I hit send, and the comment vanished.

The driver’s voice broke through my panic.

“Madam, more than ten cars are on us! They don’t even have plates, and the people are armed with iron bars.”

I turned, and through the rearview mirror, I saw them. Faces hidden, weapons ready, racing closer. My heart thundered. I dialed Lewis frantically, watching the danger closing in.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, he was watching the same chaos online. Lewis frowned as he called his assistant to control the rumors. Cherry pressed into him, tears soaking his hand, and he gripped her shoulder with that dangerous calm of his.

“Tell me, is any of that online stuff true?” His voice was low, cutting.

Cherry buried herself against him.

“Lewis, please don’t think about it. The past is past. Don’t blame Addison. She didn’t do it on purpose. She’s the reason I’m alive. If she asked me to die today, I couldn’t refuse.”

He hugged her tighter.

Then BANG!

A crash came out of nowhere. The car flipped hard, metal screeching, and I was thrown against the seat. Before I could even catch my breath, the door ripped open. Strong hands yanked me out, and I hit the ground hard.

I tried to push myself up and felt a foot press into my back.

“Ever think about what it’s like to get crushed when you’ve hurt others?” one of them sneered. “Your life’s been lucky so far, but today you’re going to feel real pain.”

“I… I didn’t…” I barely managed to say, but a hard slap cut the words off. Blood ran from my mouth, and my head spun.

They tied my wrists to the back of the car. The engine roared, and suddenly I was dragged across the road. Gravel tore through my clothes, my skin, my already weak body. I screamed, but my voice was raw, hoarse, useless. My arms burned where the rope pulled, my knees scraped, my heart pounding with fear and helplessness. The people in the car laughed, filming everything like it was some twisted show.

I don’t know how long it lasted. My body was shredded, my consciousness slipping, pain barely registering. When the car finally stopped, they untied me and left me crumpled on the ground.

When I woke up, the world was quiet.

Moonlight glinted off countless gravestones. I should have been terrified, but there was no one dead more frightening than the living. I got up, unsteady, and made my way to the main road.

By the time dawn came, my last bit of strength gave out and I collapsed completely at the roadside.

“Are you awake? Any pain anywhere?”

I groaned and opened my eyes to a nurse adjusting my IV. Every movement felt like needles stabbing through me.

“You were brought in for emergency care. I can’t reach your family. We have to do the hospitalization procedures, pay the fees, and monitor your condition…”

“I know,” I whispered, cutting her off. I pulled the patient gown over my scars, hiding the damage.

She offered a wheelchair, but I refused. Every step outside the ward was agony, like walking over broken glass. I didn’t go back all night. Lewis never asked.

I remembered when I was first diagnosed with heart disease, sitting alone at my parent’s grave, lost for two hours. The world had erupted online with my supposed disappearance, black-and-white headlines screaming my failures. When Lewis found me back then, his tears fell on my shoulders as he held me. Was any of that real?

Now, his eyes were full of Cherry. Whether I lived or died, it didn’t matter.

I stood quietly at the hospital payment line. A voice made me freeze.

“Lewis babe, I’m fine now. You don’t have to worry so much,” Cherry said, playful but soft.

I stiffened and didn’t look back. Of all places, she was here.

Lewis’s voice cut through, gentle but sharp.

“The doctor says you’re showing signs of a miscarriage. You have to be careful.”

Cherry interrupted. “I’m used to it. I understand, Addison. Yesterday… It was my fault. I was reckless.”

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles ached. I turned to leave and saw Lewis staring at me, shock in his eyes.

“Addison?”

Shock turned to anger quickly. Cherry crouched behind him, trembling.

“Please, Addison. I didn’t do anything wrong online. Don’t scare me anymore. I’m in late-stage pregnancy. The doctor said I can’t be upset like this.”

“After I give birth, you can punish me however you want. I’ll accept it.”

Lewis planted himself between us. Cold. “I’m here to make her pay for what she did. She nearly lost the baby yesterday because of your recklessness.”

I opened my mouth, wanting to scream, to show him my scars, my pain, my nearly broken body. But the disgust in his eyes stopped me. My voice caught, gone.

Cherry bent over, pale. “Lewis, my stomach… it hurts so much.”

He didn’t hesitate. He scooped her up and ran toward the doctor’s department. His shoulder slammed into me. I fell, my elbow hitting the marble hard. He didn’t even look back.

I stayed on the floor for a long time, watching them disappear. People stared. I pushed myself up slowly, numb, and shuffled back into the line. Every step burned, but I couldn’t stop. I had nowhere to go, no one to notice me.

When it was my turn, I just signed the discharge papers without a word. The nurse looked at my medical records and frowned.

"If you leave now, you could die any moment," she said softly. "Honestly… three days at most. Your condition’s gotten worse.”