I even thought, if only in that moment he had left Chloe and come after me.

If he promised to keep his distance from his sister, maybe we could have gone on.

But it didn’t happen.

Ethan braced his hands on the edge of the bed, leaning closer to my ear.

“Lily? I know you’re awake. You didn’t eat much at dinner. Mom and Dad asked me to bring you some food. Get up and eat?”

When I didn’t answer, he sighed deeply.

“They really do see you as family. Otherwise, they wouldn’t go to the trouble.”

“They’re old. Whatever issues you have, can’t you just talk them through?”

Under the blanket, my fists clenched tight.

I forced myself to breathe evenly.

I was waiting.

Waiting for an apology.

But he still didn’t understand.

The conflict wasn’t between me and his parents.

It was between the two of us.

I waited a long, long time.

Waited until he lay down beside me, until the mattress sank under his weight.

Waited until his breathing steadied, until he fell asleep.

Still no apology.

Tears fell as I stared at his back.

Maybe it really was time to end it.

At dawn, he got up as usual, washed, dressed, and left for work.

Before leaving, he kissed my forehead.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

His calm voice made it seem as though nothing had happened the night before.

I watched his departing figure, swallowing back the words I couldn’t say.

The truth was, I hadn’t lied.

I really was pregnant.

For the next two days, we lived in cold silence.

He went out, I stayed home.

He came home, I left the room.

He still ordered takeout from the same place, never remembering to note “no onions or ginger.”

If I didn’t say anything, he’d never even notice I was angry.

On the third night, he got a call and rushed out, forgetting to even shut down his laptop.

In the dark, the glowing screen drew me in. I sat down at the desk almost against my will.

His messenger was still open, synced with his phone.

Only one pinned contact.

Saved as “Little Princess.”

And me—his wife—buried under a flood of work group messages, impossible to find.

I clicked into the chat. Ten minutes earlier, Chloe had called him.

Then came a photo of her hospital report. She’d slipped and was having pregnancy complications.

“Ethan, will the baby be okay?”

“It’s my first time being pregnant. I don’t know what to do. Can you come be with me?”

“It’s my fault. If only I’d been more careful.”

Ethan’s replies were overflowing with patience and tenderness.

“It’s okay. I’m on my way. Don’t worry.”

“You’ve always been reckless. Now you’re going to be a mom, you still don’t know how to take care of yourself. Be careful, even when I’m not around.”

Chloe sent back a crying cat emoji.

“You’re scolding me. I’ll tell the baby you’re a bad dad!”

“Good thing I never got married. What if my husband was like you? That would be awful!”

“I can’t change my habits. Maybe you should just move in and watch me?”

Ethan’s response was full of indulgence.

“Alright, alright, Princess. Whatever you say. You’re the most important now.”

“When I proposed and you turned me down, was this why? You really don’t trust me? If it were you, I’d treasure you above anyone.”

“Chloe, you’re different to me. Always have been.”

A tear splashed onto the keyboard, blurring the words on the screen.

My phone buzzed—it was a message from Ethan.

“The company has an emergency. I need to go on a business trip for a few days. Take care of yourself until I get back.”

A stabbing pain shot through my chest, those words piercing me like poison-tipped arrows.

So that’s all I was—a placeholder to fill the role of a wife.

Even our marriage… was just something Chloe Miller had passed over.

I numbly walked out of the room and took down the wedding photo from the wall.

Staring at Ethan Brooks’s smiling face in the picture, I remembered what Chloe had said that day during the shoot.

“Ethan really chose this gown? I was only joking when I suggested it.”

“Don’t worry, Lily. My brother pays such attention to detail. I once said I wanted to take wedding photos by the beach—girls all love something romantic—and of course he remembered and made it happen. I’m so jealous of you.”

Sweet memories replayed before my eyes.

But the betrayal and deception—they had been there all along, waiting for me to notice.

I dialed David Harris’s number.

“Please prepare a divorce agreement for me. Husband’s infidelity—he’s at fault.”

At dawn, I took a cab to the hospital for an abortion.

This child, I had longed for two years.

And just when he finally came, it wasn’t the right time.

After paying the bill, I gently touched my barely noticeable belly.

“Baby, don’t blame Mommy.”

Nearby, I overheard nurses whispering in awe.

“Room 203—are we sure she’s only pregnant? Why is her husband so frantic?”

“He even asked if we had some kind of labor simulator, said he wanted to experience his wife’s pain firsthand, to feel what she felt!”

“In ten years of working here, I’ve never met a man like that. Maybe it’s true—there are happy marriages. It’s just that we haven’t had the luck. If I met someone like that, I’d never let go!”

As if guided by fate, I found myself standing outside Room 203.

Through the small window, I saw Ethan’s anxious profile.

Emily Johnson had just entered to change Chloe’s medication when Ethan rushed to grab her.

“What’s that medicine? Are you sure it’s safe for a pregnant woman?”

“Chloe’s pregnant—you can’t give her the wrong thing!”

Emily could only smile helplessly.

“Sir, is this your first time being a father? I’ve seen worried husbands, but never one this panicked.”

“Relax. This is the maternity ward. I know what I’m doing.”

Chloe winked playfully.

“Ethan, did you hear what she said?”

“Sweetheart~~”

Ethan blushed like an inexperienced boy.

“I-I heard.”

“Don’t move around.”

It felt like someone dug out my dead heart just to shred it again.

I even forgot to breathe.

Just before entering the operating room, I made one last call to Ethan.

I wanted to ask him where he was.

Pathetically, I thought, if he just told me the truth—even just one sentence—I might still consider raising Chloe’s child as if it were my own.

But the ringtone went unanswered.

Inside Room 203, Ethan’s frown deepened.

“Why won’t the calls stop? Didn’t I say I was on a business trip?”

Chloe murmured softly,

“Is it Lily? Maybe you should answer, so she doesn’t worry.”

Ethan snapped, annoyed.

“No need. If I pick up, she’ll just go on and on. Asking what I ate, if I slept well—it’s exhausting.”

“Since the wedding she checks up on me every day. Anyone would think I married my mother, not my wife.”

“Even my mom isn’t that nagging.”

On the tenth call, Ethan simply shut his phone off.

Chloe slid her hand around his arm, pressing her cheek against his chest.

“Ethan, I heard a woman’s body changes after pregnancy.”

“Do you want to try it?”

“Who has the better figure—me or Lily? I asked you last time but you didn’t answer. Afraid I’d be mad? I promise I won’t be.”

Ethan chuckled helplessly, brushing her nose affectionately.

“You… you’ve got the best body in the whole world. Otherwise, why would a man like me, who’s always restrained, never resist you?”

“Lily doesn’t understand romance at all. Every time we’re in bed, it’s like a chore. Boring as hell.”

The phone nearly slipped from my hand.

I could accept that my husband didn’t love me, even that he betrayed me.

But what I could never accept was him tearing me down in front of the other woman destroying our marriage.

As if the two years I poured my heart into keeping this marriage alive were nothing but a joke.

Behind me, Dr. Walker called my name.

“Lily Carter? Your procedure is ready to begin.”

I turned slowly, unable to watch any longer.

Three hours later, the surgery was done.

The anesthesia hadn’t worn off, and I could barely stand.

Holding my paperwork, I made my way toward the exit—only to run straight into Ethan carrying food for Chloe.

The smile froze on his lips when he saw me. His face instantly darkened.

“What are you doing here? Are you following me?”

Before I could reply, Chloe bounded cheerfully out of the room.

“Ethan, what took you so long? I’m starving.”

“Lily? Why are you here? Please don’t be mad—it was me who asked Ethan to take care of me.”

I lowered my gaze.

“Just passing by. We’re divorcing soon anyway—no point in following you.”

I turned to leave, leaning against the wall for support, but Chloe rushed forward to grab me.

“Lily, you’re still angry? Ethan, hurry and comfort her! You’re the one at fault first.”

Ethan’s face turned to ice.

“Comfort her? She came here on her own—who’s to blame for that?”

“Taking care of my sister is my duty. But her? She’s so petty she can’t even accept my family.”

“Let her be. She can do whatever she wants.”

With my back turned, I drew in a long breath.

Hearing those words with my own ears—it almost felt like freedom.

I stepped into the elevator, Chloe following close behind.

Just before the doors shut, she still put on her act, feigning concern.

“Lily, Ethan didn’t mean what he said. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll straighten him out later.”

The doors slid closed—and her hand shoved mine away. The pretense vanished.

“Lily, you know now, don’t you? That I’m carrying Ethan’s child.”

“You came here just to confirm it. Now you’ve seen the truth, it’s time to give up.”

“If I hadn’t refused his proposal back then, do you really think he’d have married you?”

I didn’t even look at her, only gave a cold laugh.

“Is that so? Then congratulations—you’ve picked your trash back up.”

When the elevator hit the first floor, she lunged at me in a frenzy.

In the scuffle, she deliberately threw herself to the ground.

As the doors opened, she started screaming:

“Ethan! Ethan! Help me!”

“My stomach—it hurts so much…”

She counted on Ethan rushing down the stairs for her.

And of course, Ethan never let her lose.

He shoved me aside and swept her up into his arms, handing her off to the doctors trailing behind.

Only when Chloe was taken into the operating room did he finally turn back, glaring at me with fury.

“Lily Carter, it’s time we talked!”

“Let’s divorce. As you can see, you never believe my explanations anyway.”