Imogen sat down beside Freddie and the two accepted everyone’s congratulations like a newly married couple.

“I came late, so I should take three drinks as a penalty. But Freddie hasn’t let me drink lately, so I’ll use a soda instead.”

Imogen was good at dealing with people.

Even though Freddie didn’t move, she raised her glass and greeted everyone at the table.

Instantly, the mood brightened.

In just a few minutes, everyone started complimenting her.

“By the way, I heard someone in your class chased Freddie for seven years. Who is it?”

“I really want to know who had that kind of patience.” Imogen looked around the room and asked with a wide smile.

I kept my head down, the smile on my face already gone.

No one answered and not a single person dared to look my way; they were scared I might flip the table in anger.

Since I was young, everyone knew I had an easily upset and never let things go.

Except for Freddie, almost no one could calm me.

Back when I chased Freddie, most girls didn’t even dare talk to him.

“She didn’t show up today.” Cindy stepped in to cover for me.

“Ah? Then I guess it really wasn’t meant to happen.”

“I even wanted to give her an invitation…” Imogen let out a fake sigh, then laughed and leaned into Freddie’s arms.

Cindy, with huge, round eyes, stared at her. “This woman has no shame at all!”

I watched Cindy turn her sadness into eating and I laughed, handing her a glass of water so she wouldn’t choke.

Cindy grabbed my arm. “Bella, my ship is actually sinking!”

“You really can’t end up with Freddie?!”

She tightened her jaw and stared at Imogen.

I laughed. “It’s not like we never dated before.”

Cindy’s mouth fell open in shock and even her eyes were shaking.

I looked at Freddie, waiting for him to confirm it. “You agree, right, Freddie?”

Freddie’s brow moved slightly and he nodded to show it was true.

“Seriously?!” Cindy jumped up quickly, suddenly way too excited, like she’d eaten bad candy.

The whole room reacted.

After all, during the seven years I chased Freddie, everyone thought he couldn’t stand me.

Even the thought of being physically turned off was mentioned by them.

Imogen’s fixed smile stopped in place.

She hadn’t expected me to admit I’d dated Freddie in secret and she definitely hadn’t expected him to confirm it.

“So Freddie’s ex-girlfriend was actually Bella!”

“Then I should thank Bella even more. Thank you for stepping back and giving me the chance to be with Freddie,” Imogen said as she picked up a glass to toast.

One glass of orange juice, one glass of liquor.

I pushed the liquor aside, my expression cool and said, “Sorry, I can’t drink.”

“How can you not drink?” Imogen didn’t give up and moved the glass closer to me. “I remember when you were the sales director, you could drink a lot.”

“Didn’t you show me how to build up my drinking back then?”

In our last year of college, Freddie started his tech company.

At that time, I turned down a job my family arranged for me and went to support him.

His startup company could hardly survive.

Freddie’s natural pride kept him from lowering himself for a small amount of money and in the end, I was the one who gave in.

Every deal, every partnership, every round of funding was secured by me, after countless drinks at business dinners.

Back then, Freddie was truly thankful for what I did, so he asked me to marry him.

After seven years of hiding our relationship, we had a secret marriage that lasted three years.

Back then, Freddie would make me hangover soup and cereal and when I was drunk and out of it, he would hold me and soothe me to sleep.

Even when he didn’t have much money, he still remembered every anniversary and bought me pricey gifts.

Aside from not giving me an official title, Freddie gave me almost everything.

This was one of the reasons why I valued this relationship so much.

I always believed that, in some way, he cared about me.

Later, the company slowly gained attention and Freddie secured his role with his strong skills.

His company also started to hire more people.

Imogen joined around that time; I was the one who hired her.

Freddie said, “I don’t want you going out in front of others. You can find someone to drink for you.”

From then on, I slowly stayed behind the scenes.

Imogen, young and bold, often drank until she couldn’t stand at business dinners.

I began teaching her how to talk people into drinking, how to build up her tolerance and how to close deals at the table.

She had talent and learned fast. Because she was cheerful and good-looking, she got several good-paying contracts.

Freddie cared for her openly, making no effort to cover it up.

Besides her normal bonuses, Freddie started giving her extra gifts.

Costly clothes, bags and jewelry poured into Imogen’s hands like running water.

They began showing up together often at the company, acting close as if no one else existed.

I caused trouble more than once, but each time it ended with Freddie walking off in anger.

“Bella, don’t use dirty thoughts to judge people.”

“Bella, if you keep acting out, there’s no reason for us to stay together.”

That relationship, with me as the one hurt, almost broke me.

Staring at the clear glass of white wine in front of me, I lifted my eyes toward Imogen.

“Didn’t I show you before? Don’t push a woman to drink.” When I finished speaking, I set my utensils down and poured my wine into Freddie’s glass.

“Freddie, if you can’t handle your woman, don’t bring her out and make things awkward.” Freddie’s expression changed at once.

He pulled Imogen back. “Stop causing trouble.”

“Sit down and eat. Even if you don’t want to eat, the baby in your stomach will.”

What he said made the food on the table suddenly taste like nothing.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and stood. “Sorry, I’m going to the restroom.”

Once I stepped outside, the cold wind and light rain went into my coat, making it wet and cold.

I couldn’t stop shaking and the sickness eased a little.

A child. They actually had a child.

Freddie, who always said he didn’t like kids, had a child with another woman.

In ten years, Freddie and I had five pregnancies, but every time, we ended them.

Freddie had a bad habit: he refused to use condoms.

Each time, I took birth control pills and if I got pregnant, I had an abortion.

His reasons for not wanting kids were simple. He said he was focused on his career and he didn’t like children.

Every time I had an abortion, Freddie would buy me all kinds of things to make me feel better.

He often said we were still young and that all these years had been too packed for us to enjoy being a couple.

Perhaps since I loved him so much, whatever he said always moved me.

From drinking and taking birth control pills for so long, my body was already badly hurt.

During my fifth pregnancy, the doctor said that if I lost that one, I might never have children again.

On our third wedding anniversary, I prepared a table full of dishes, hoping to talk to Freddie.

I wanted to keep the baby, but I didn’t see him.

Instead, I walked in and saw him and Imogen wrapped together on the office sofa.

“Bella, who allowed you to walk in without knocking!”

“Leave!” Freddie grabbed the clothes on the floor and covered the woman in his arms.

Imogen stared at me with a helpless look, like a scared little animal.

That day, I ran out in shock.

I even remembered to shut the door behind me.

When Freddie came home that night, the whole place was in chaos.

I threw the food and the cake onto the ground, ripped up every picture of Freddie and me and broke anything I could reach.

Freddie stepped through the mess and sat down in front of me.

In the end, I was the one who spoke first, asking him when it began.

“You don’t want the answer.”

“Bella, wouldn’t it be easier if you stayed home as Mrs. Williams?”

Freddie stayed just as far away and his words hit me like something cold.

I lost control and called Imogen right in front of him.

Freddie grabbed my phone and smashed it apart. “Are you out of your mind? She has no idea!”

The room seemed to freeze.

I looked at him with a tight smile and asked, “Freddie, does she really know nothing?”

Although Freddie and I were secretly married, anyone who paid attention could tell our situation was nowhere near simple.

Imogen had asked about Freddie and me more than once; even someone clueless would get it.

“At least I haven’t mentioned anything.”

Freddie’s cold voice came out, and in that moment, it felt like my chest cracked apart.

“Bella, let me tell you, if you cause her trouble, we’re getting a divorce!”

For those three years, whenever I felt upset because of Imogen, Freddie always liked to use divorce to threaten me.

Each time, I bowed my head and gave in.

Only that one time, I agreed. “Freddie, then let’s get a divorce.”

Later, during the divorce process, Freddie set harsh terms to force me to give up, nearly telling me to walk away with nothing.

I made a clean choice and signed the divorce papers.

Back then, there was no waiting period for divorce and we quickly got our divorce documents.

At the doors of the City Hall, Freddie clenched his teeth and warned me not to regret it.

Freddie acted like he was sure I would change my mind, that I would regret it, but I didn’t.

For five years, I had almost never thought about him.

If Cindy hadn’t pushed me to attend the reunion, I wouldn’t have crossed paths with him again.

As something landed on my shoulder, I saw a black suit jacket placed over it.

A well-known cool scent reached my nose.

It was Freddie.

“Bella, five years. I never thought you would really refuse to come back.”

Without thinking, I lifted the coat off and passed it to him.

“Come back to be your mistress?"

Freddie, his face blank, caught my wrist and pulled open my inner shirt.

Across my pale stomach were tight marks.

“Bella, did you give birth to my child five years ago?”

Since the wind was strong, I couldn’t hear Freddie’s voice.

My sight went blurry and I felt like I was back in those days of having nowhere to go five years ago.

During that time, Freddie and I ended our divorce and I walked empty-handed.

With the divorce and being pregnant, I didn’t even dare step near my own family home.

Three years of being a full-time wife had left me with no useful job skills.

I had no money for another abortion, so I tried home tricks to make the baby leave on its own.

I tried jumping rope, chewing raw herbs that were said to move the blood and going without food for three days, but the baby stayed strong.

In the end, I couldn’t keep forcing it.

I became foolish, holding on to the idea of giving birth to my ex-husband’s baby.

I lived in a small basement room, worked a part-time shift at a diner and supported myself and the tiny life growing inside me.