My car was rear-ended. The other driver was a young and beautiful woman, heavily pregnant—eight months along—and incredibly arrogant. Not only did she refuse to apologize, but she also told me to wait. She turned around, crying into her phone.

“Honey, come quick! I’m being bullied!” she said.

Half an hour later, my husband of ten years, Edward showed up with his assistant. The man who had told me he was at home making soup for me, the man I believed loved me deeply, now he appeared with a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, slightly out of breath, clearly having rushed out of the house without even changing. He was still wearing the housecoat and slippers I had bought for him.

——

At first, I thought Edward had come for me, but I hadn’t even called him yet. Confused, I wondered how he knew I’d been in an accident. But then I saw him—looking anxious—walked straight toward the pregnant driver without even noticing me in the crowd.

The woman’s eyes lit up when she saw him. She threw herself into his arms, her eyes red and tearful, as if she had been terribly wronged.

“Honey! You’re finally here!” she cried, her voice soft and sweet—completely different from her earlier arrogant demeanor.

“Are you hurt? Is the baby okay?” Edward asked, his eyes fixed on her swollen belly, full of concern.

I stood there, clutching my phone, unable to believe what I was seeing. And yet, I had to face the truth. The husband I thought loved me so deeply had not only cheated on me but had fathered a child with this woman—a child who was at least seven or eight months along. And I had been completely unaware. The joy I had felt about my own pregnancy had vanished long ago.

At that moment, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over me, chilling me to the bone. A sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I winced, placing a hand over my belly.

“Honey, my stomach hurts,” the woman whimpered.

Edward’s expression changed instantly. He lifted her into his arms.

“I’ll take Lilian to the hospital. You stay and handle things here.” He instructed his assistant before hurrying off.

From start to finish, Edwards’s attention was entirely on Lilian, the pregnant woman. He hadn’t even realized that the person involved in the accident was his wife of ten years.

After they left, the assistant scanned the crowd, looking for the driver who had been rear-ended. The crowd parted, revealing me standing in the middle.

“Madam?” the assistant said, his eyes widening in shock as he recognized me and the white Lincoln behind me.

I realized then that I was the “bully” Lilian had been talking about. I followed the assistant’s gaze, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

This car was the one Edward had personally picked out for me, saying its performance and design were perfect for women. It had been hidden by the crowd earlier, which was why Edward hadn’t noticed it. But even if he had seen it, I doubted he would have recognized it as mine. His attention had been entirely focused on the young, beautiful woman.

The concern in his eyes had been so genuine, just like the way he used to look at me when I was sick or upset. I had foolishly believed that this man loved me deeply.

Today, I realized that a man’s love and care can be divided into many parts and his deep affection might not be just for you.

The assistant looked embarrassed, his mouth twitching slightly. Judging by his reaction, he must have known about Ms. Lilian for a while. He’s been with Edward for five or six years now, always polite to me. I had a good impression of him and often asked him to look after Edward during business trips or dinners. Now, I suspected part of why Edward was able to hide this affair for so long was due to the assistant’s involvement.

The pain in my abdomen was intensifying. I could imagine how pale my face must look. The assistant seemed to misinterpret my expression, thinking it was the shock of betrayal that was affecting me. His worried eyes were filled with sympathy. I didn’t bother to correct him. Forcing a smile, I said, “Could you do me a favor? Don’t tell Edward that I was the other party in the accident. And please have my car sent to the repair shop.”

The assistant looked surprised. After all, most people in this situation would make a scene, but I remained calm—at least in his eyes. I waited quietly for his reply. He hesitated for a moment, clearly struggling, but eventually nodded. Still, he’s Edward’s man, so who knew if he’ll tell him later.

I flagged down a cab. When the driver asked where I wanted to go, I didn’t hesitate to answer, “The City Second Hospital.”

I had no desire to see Edward, even if we were in the same space.

At the hospital, the obstetrician performed a thorough examination.

“Ms. Charlotte, due to the impact and considering your early stage of pregnancy, the fetus is unstable. You’re showing signs of a potential miscarriage. You need to rest and stay in bed to avoid the risk of losing the baby.”

I placed my hand over my flat abdomen. A little life was growing inside me—a life I had waited ten years for. But sadly, it had come at the worst possible time.

Edward and I used to be the envy of everyone. He was gentle, elegant and took care of me in every way. In the ten years we had been together, we had never fought. The only regret in our marriage was that we couldn’t have a child. We tried everything, but nothing worked. And now, just when I didn’t expect it, I found myself pregnant.

Recently, I had been feeling nauseous and assumed it was my gastritis acting up. I had planned to get medicine for it. Ironically, just before the accident, Edward had called me, telling me he was making soup for me at home and that I had lost weight. I had even fantasized about how happy he’d be when he learned I was pregnant.

But now, everything had changed.

“Schedule the surgery,” I said. “I don’t plan on keeping the baby.”

The doctor didn’t seem surprised. I was sure they deal with cases like this every day. Though she advised me to reconsider, I knew my marriage with Edward was over. As much as it hurt, I couldn’t bring a child into a broken family.

After the procedure, I took a taxi home. When I opened the door, I was startled to find Edward standing there, about to leave. He had changed his clothes and was holding a suitcase—the one he always took on business trips. It looked like he was heading out of town.

Seeing me, Edward was stunned for a moment and then immediately looked concerned.

“Why did you come back so late? Didn't you say you'd be home by noon? Where's your car? Didn't you say you drove back?”

Before I could answer, he said with an apologetic face, “I'm sorry, baby, the company has some urgent matters. I have to go on a business trip for a few days. Take care of yourself at home. The soup I made for you is in the kitchen, remember to heat it up.”

I laughed coldly to myself. I was afraid it’s not the company that had an emergency.

I stared into Edward’s eyes, trying to find a hint of pretense. However, there was none. I couldn’t help but wonder how he managed to lie and cheat so naturally. Maybe Edward was really a born actor—his performance was too perfect.

“Let’s divorce,” I said.

Edward froze for a moment, then rubbed the top of my hair like he was calming a child having a tantrum. In a rather helpless tone, he said, “Don’t make a fuss. I’m really going to be late. Be good at home and wait for me to come back.”

As always, just before going out, Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. I turned my head slightly and his kiss landed on my cheek.

Edward paused, but didn’t think much of it. He grabbed his luggage and hurriedly left.

I watched his back gradually disappear and suddenly realized that I had lived these ten years like a joke.

Everything was not untraceable. No wonder the frequency of his business trips had increased so much in the past two years. Under the guise of “business,” he was likely meeting up with Lilian.

Ridiculous, I really believed him when he said it was because of the company’s expansion. My wholehearted trust became the very thing he relied on to deceive me.

Every time, Edward appeared completely frank. He reported all his travel plans in advance and every day he would call or send me a message. If he was away for longer than usual, he would even complain “Wife, I miss you. I should’ve brought you along.”

At the time, I laughed at how clingy he was, not fearing the company’s ridicule. Now I realized the real joke was on me.

It’s just as well that Edward left.

I had just finished surgery and my body was weak. I could use these days to recuperate and find a lawyer to help me draft a divorce agreement. There was no reason to continue our marriage. Divorce was inevitable. And I would fight for what was rightfully mine.

Edward came back a week later.

The assistant had kept his word and during this time, Edward acted as if everything was normal, reporting his whereabouts just as he did on every business trip. I didn’t care, nor did I intend to continue pretending to be the loving wife.

I lied, saying I had a critical project that required me to work overtime in the laboratory. Edward knew I didn’t bring my phone into the lab, so he wouldn’t be suspicious.

On the day he returned, I packed all of his things into a few suitcases.

“Wife, I’m back!” he called loudly as he entered.

But this time, I didn’t get up to greet him at the door like I used to.

When he saw the suitcases piled up on the floor, he seemed confused and asked with a smile, “What’s this?”

“Oh, your stuff. I packed it all for you,” I replied in a calm voice.

The smile on Edward’s face froze for a moment, but only for a second before he regained his composure.

“What do you mean?”

“Divorce,” I said. “Just like I told you before you left.”

“You’re throwing a tantrum again,” he said, his tone as if I were an unreasonable child.

"Alright, I know I shouldn't have left you at home by yourself when you just came back from a business trip, but I couldn't help it. The company had a temporary emergency," Edward said.

"Nah, look what I brought you as a gift. Your favorite type of bag." He took out a backpack, presenting it like a treasure, his expression expectant, waiting for my praise.

Edward held the bag out for a long time and when I didn't reach out to take it, he frowned slightly. "Take it, isn't this your favorite one?"