I've been living in a fairytale of love for the past three years.

Until Ethan's secret social media account posted:

[How powerful is the allure of a first love?]

The picture was of Sophie at the airport, radiant and beautiful.

She had come back to fulfill a promise they made as children.

To marry him, dressed in a white wedding gown.

On the day of their wedding, I was doubled over in pain, begging him to take me to the hospital.

But he coldly said, "Do you really think this will make me look at you? How pathetic, trying to hold on to me with such a cheap trick!"

He slammed the door and left without a second glance.

While they walked down the aisle to the sound of wedding bells, hand in hand, I lost our first child.

Lying on the hospital bed, I felt utterly broken.

***

A voice echoed in my head.

"Host, you've failed the mission. You will be erased."

I rested my hand on my stomach, staring at the ceiling, a tear slipping down my cheek.

I had already given up on him.

"Fine, let me leave this world with my unborn child."

Honestly, I should have let go long ago.

The signs had always been there.

Just two hours before, I had grabbed Ethan's hand.

"Ethan, my stomach really hurts."

By then, the pain had already drenched me in sweat.

If his first love hadn't come back, he would've been attentive like always. He would've touched my belly and asked if I was having period cramps, offered to make me brown sugar tea, or taken me to the hospital.

But today, there was none of that.

Instead, he got up and said coldly, "I'm just going to have a wedding today. We'll still be married."

He sighed.

"I've done all I can, Emma. You're being so unreasonable. I'm really disappointed in you."

Tears welled up as I writhed in pain.

"But... it really hurts."

He ignored me, fixing his tie in the mirror.

Then bam—He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

I took deep breaths, trying to stay calm so the pain wouldn't get worse.

But down below, I felt something wet.

I reached down and my fingers came away sticky.

Pulling back the covers, I froze.

The sheets were covered in blood.

I dialed emergency services.

By the time I reached the ER, I learned that I had been pregnant.

And that I had lost the baby.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling in despair, unable to stop the tears from falling.

A female doctor came over and tried to comfort me.

"It's okay, you're young. You can still have children in the future. Just try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Emotional stress can lead to miscarriage."

No... I won't be having any more children.

"Where's your husband?" she asked.

I let out a bitter laugh. He was at his wedding.

How could I possibly explain something so absurd?

I just smiled weakly at the doctor. "He's working overtime."

"I see. Don't lose hope; you'll have children again one day."

I nodded.

But she didn't know.

I might not be around much longer.

Originally, I got close to Ethan because of the system's mission, but I truly fell in love with him.

In the three years we've been married, we were deeply in love.

We'd go watch the plane trees bloom in the spring, eat stinky tofu together in the summer, watch the maple leaves turn in the fall, and in winter, we'd travel to Japan to see the deer.

Before, my hands used to suffer from frostbite every winter.

But after being with him, he cared for me so well that my hands stayed smooth and soft, never cracking again.

We started trying for a baby last month. From the crib to baby nail clippers, we had everything ready.

I thought he would be a great father.

But then...

He stopped touching me.

At first, I thought he was just tired from work, which seemed normal.

Until I went through his private social media account and discovered the truth.

[How powerful is the allure of a first love.]

The first photo was an old, faded picture of Ethan, smiling brightly with a girl.

Her name was Sophie—Ethan's first love, the one he had never truly let go of.

The second photo was of Sophie at the airport, waving at him.

I couldn't bear to imagine how happy and overjoyed he must have been when he took that picture.

My heart clenched, a sharp pain radiating from my chest to my stomach.

I knew Ethan rarely posted on this account. His last post was from five years ago.

Five years ago, when he and Sophie had broken up.

Back then, his posts were filled with a melancholy, almost poetic sadness.

[Have childhood promises really just blown away with the wind?]

I didn't know what they had promised each other.

But deep down, I sensed that something was terribly wrong.

Ethan returned home late that night.

We were trying to conceive, so I had bought a lot of baby clothes.

While waiting for Ethan, I organized the tiny garments.

When he walked in, the cheap scent of his cologne hit me hard.

"Why do you smell like perfume?" I asked, putting down the baby clothes and looking up at him.

"Oh, I went to the mall with Sophie today. She was trying on perfumes," he replied casually.

...

He showed no hint of guilt, while I felt small for my suspicions.

"Sophie? Didn't you say you were done with her?"

I stood up abruptly, dropping the soft fabric of the baby clothes to the floor.

The soft fabric fell heavily to the ground.

"Emma, don't get upset. I just helped her fulfill a childhood promise. It's nothing serious—just a little wedding ceremony, walking down an aisle," he explained, stepping closer to take my hand.

I recoiled, stepping back.

"A childhood promise?!" I scoffed. "Ethan, we're married! What does that make me?"

"Emma, please let me explain. I'm just making sure she doesn't regret anything. Once she leaves the country, we can go back to our normal life."

How could he be so sure that I would support his commitment to another woman?

"Are you really going to let me watch this promise fall apart? Do you want us both to live with regrets for the rest of our lives?"

Ethan raised his voice suddenly.

He was trying to manipulate me with guilt.

Looking at him made me feel exhausted.

This was their issue, not mine.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before speaking the truth.

"Ethan, if you marry someone else, I will disappear," I said slowly, my tone eerily calm.

He was taken aback.

"Emma, do you really think I'm that gullible? Disappear? Just like that?"

He laughed dismissively as if my words were a childish threat born from jealousy.

"Ethan, I'm serious," I replied coldly.

His silence spoke volumes as the amusement faded from his face, replaced by impatience.

He felt I was overreacting and making a big deal out of nothing.

To him, Sophie was a strong and confident goddess while I was merely a jealous housewife who revolved around him and the kitchen.

He forgot that before we got married, I was an accomplished professional who willingly sacrificed everything to support his dreams.

Now, my sacrifices had become reasons for his disdain.

The day my mission failed was also the day Ethan planned his wedding ceremony.

When our child left us, it didn't surprise me at all.

Perhaps this child was wise enough to slip away from a home devoid of happiness.