Inside that bottle were the pills William had been giving me every day.

I snapped a photo of it and slipped one pill into a sealed bag.

Back in the bedroom, a small drop of liquid William had failed to wipe clean still stained the desk.

Beside his computer stood Sophia’s photo.

William and I were both twenty-five, while Sophia was a few years older. In a few months, she’d turn thirty.

I loved William deeply.

Even though I knew Sophia held a special place in his heart, they had never been together despite knowing each other for so many years.

When William and I first met, he pursued me passionately.

We had been married for three years now and were preparing for a child.

I believed William truly loved me.

With that thought, I quietly wiped the desk with a tissue.

As I tossed the tissue into the trash, I noticed a sheet of paper on the floor—covered in Spanish writing.

William and Sophia had once studied abroad in Spain.

Lately, handwritten Spanish notes kept appearing around the house.

When I asked about them, he simply said they were part of his studio’s research project.

I picked up the page and neatly placed it back on his desk.

After my shower, William came home, having soothed Sophia to sleep.

He held me tenderly.

“How did I get so lucky to marry such a caring wife?”

As he spoke, his hands began to wander.

I frowned.

“But it isn’t even my ovulation period today.”

He muttered something about not caring, then carried me to bed.

That night was unusually intense.

The next morning, my body ached. William had seemed especially spirited, unusually satisfied.

I wanted to ask him about the pills, but he was still asleep.

So I got up, washed, and went to work.

I worked in the sales department of a pharmaceutical company. I handed that pill to a colleague in the testing lab, asking her to check its ingredients.

She took it and said,

“Come back in three days for the results.”

Embarrassed, I smiled:

“No need for heavy equipment. It’s just a supplement my husband bought for me, probably full of nutrients.”

She gave me a knowing look and teased:

“Your husband is really thoughtful. Any child born into your family will be blessed. He’s sure to be a great father. Come back tomorrow—I’ll have the results ready.”

I thanked her and left.

The next day, I ran into her at the time clock. Her face was grim.

“Anna, did your husband really give you that pill?”

Puzzled, I nodded.

“Of course. Why? What is it—some rare herb worth a fortune?”

She hesitated, then said,

“The composition is complicated. Maybe you should come back in a week for the final report.”

“Your… your husband…”

I thanked her again, brushing off her tone.

“My husband is really generous. I’ll treat you to dinner when the results come out.”

That evening, William called:

“Honey, Sophia is holding her birthday party earlier this year. I’ll pick you up after work.”

Although I was reluctant, all his old friends would be there.

As his wife, not showing up would look bad.

I replied:

“Alright, I just got off work. Come pick me up now.”

By the time we arrived, everyone else was already seated.

Seeing me, Sophia stood warmly and said:

“Anna’s here—come sit next to me.”

She pulled me down beside her, though every instinct in my body resisted her touch.

Dinner stretched on, drinks flowing.

Sophia grew tipsy, raising her glass of wine again and again, urging me to drink.

I waved her off.

“I’d better not. William and I are trying for a baby, you know that.”

But William, who usually forbade me from touching alcohol, spoke up:

“It’s her birthday. Just have one drink. You’re not ovulating for a while anyway.”

Had he already forgotten what we did just a few nights ago?

Before I could reply, others chimed in:

“Come on, Anna, Sophia never urges anyone to drink—she must really like you!”

“She’s showing you respect by toasting you!”

Feeling cornered, I opened my mouth and swallowed a sip.

But Sophia forced the entire glass to my lips, making me drink it all.

I choked, coughing, and clutched the table.

Sophia, meanwhile, grew more jubilant, raising her glass to everyone:

“Thank you all for coming to celebrate. My real thirtieth birthday isn’t for a few months yet.”

“But tonight, I want to celebrate something else.”

“The most important event of my life—my research project is about to succeed!”

Applause and cheers filled the room.

She then looked straight at William and me.

“The people I’m most grateful to are William and his wife, Anna Collins!”

Murmurs of confusion spread among the guests.

The smile on William’s face froze instantly.

Leaning close, he whispered to me:

“She’s drunk. I’ll take her home and come back for you.”

Dizzy from the wine, I nodded.

But I waited and waited.

The guests left. The restaurant closed.

Still, he never returned.

Groggy, I hailed a cab home.

When I entered, William wasn’t back yet. His Spanish notes were scattered across the floor.

I was too irritable from the alcohol to tidy them. Instead, I kicked them aside.

Dirty shoe prints smudged the papers.

When William finally came home and saw the mess, he snapped:

“Anna Collins, what are you doing? Do you have any idea how important these are to me?”

Still tipsy, I burst into tears.

“William, why are you yelling at me? You didn’t put them away yourself! I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Seeing my tears, his tone softened.

“I… Just don’t touch my things again.”

I collapsed into sleep on the floor.

When I woke, William had already left. His weekends were always busier than weekdays.

The notes had been carefully flattened and laid back out on the desk.

Curiosity gnawed at me.

What was so important about them?

I pulled out my phone’s translation app and scanned one page.

His handwriting was messy; the translation came out fragmented.

But a few words stood out: “pregnant women,” “deformity,” “drug effects,” “IQ.”

I scanned more pages, though most of the terms were too technical.

I saved screenshots of the translations, planning to show them to my lab colleague when I collected the test results.

Four days later, we met as arranged.

She handed me the report, her eyes filled with pity.

“This drug contains nothing beneficial for pregnant women at all.”

“In fact, some of the ingredients are newly developed compounds that are banned or not approved for sale.”

“If you keep taking this medication while trying to conceive, the chance of the baby being deformed is… nearly one hundred percent.”

Her words struck me like lightning. I clutched her hand, my lips trembling.

“Are you sure? There’s no mistake?”

She couldn’t bear to look at me and turned her head.

“No mistake. And women who take this drug for long periods, after conceiving a deformed child, will likely never be able to get pregnant again.”

I collapsed to the floor. She helped me into the break room and tried to comfort me:

“It’s a blessing you found out early. I don’t know where your husband got this from… but you should really plan to leave him as soon as possible.”

I couldn’t stop retching, my body shaking uncontrollably.

The man I loved and trusted with my life was trying to destroy me—

And our unborn child.

William Harris was a monster.

I had no idea how I managed to walk home.

William wasn’t there, but Sophia Reed stepped out of the master bedroom.

She tried to put on an act, but I spoke with pale lips:

“I know everything. You, William, the pills, the baby.”

She sneered.

“Well, you’re smarter than William said you were. Not as dumb as I thought.”

“I knew things wouldn’t go so smoothly. But I have something else to show you.”

She raised her phone and played a video.

On the screen, William and Sophia were locked in a passionate kiss.

His fingers roamed over her again and again.

The video lasted more than half an hour, but they never went all the way.

Sophia walked closer, smirking:

“Do you know why? Because I can’t lose my virginity before I turn thirty. Otherwise, my great achievements won’t succeed.”

“Even though William loves me, he can control himself. And he can trick you, the fool, into being my test subject.”

“My experiments abroad already have results. I don’t need to pretend with you anymore.”

Each word cut into me like a knife.

Numb, I cried silently, unable to say a word.

She turned away.

“Do you know why I forced you to drink that night? Because alcohol speeds up the drug’s effects.”

“Too bad you won’t have the honor of being my final research outcome.”

She grabbed her bag and dusted off her hands.

“Alright, I have nothing more to say. I’ve already told William—he’ll be back soon to divorce you.”

Before leaving, she deliberately stomped on my hand.

“Oh, and by the way—William showed me your time together in bed. Seems he really isn’t interested in you. With me, just a little touch from my finger and his reaction is ten times stronger than with you.”

The night sky was full of stars, a rare sight in the city, but I had no heart to appreciate it.

I flipped through the stack of Spanish notes.

I laughed bitterly at myself.

William had been writing down the plan to hurt me right under my nose.

And I had trusted him so completely, never suspecting a thing.

Laughing turned into tears.

When William walked in and saw me sitting on the floor, hair disheveled, eyes vacant, he panicked.

“Anna, why are you on the floor? Get up—it’s cold.”

But no matter how he tried to pull me up, I wouldn’t move.

I looked at him with grief in my eyes.

“William, how could you do such unethical experiments?”

“How could you use me without my permission?”