On our first wedding anniversary, my husband came home with a woman who was six months pregnant. He introduced her as his cousin, someone who had fallen on hard times, and asked me to take care of her.

I was just about to agree when fragments of imaginary commentary floated through my mind:

[She's just my 'cousin'. Uh-uh, that's a cliche.]

[Poor supporting female character! A maid by day, the husband's bedwarmer by night.]

[But she totally deserved it! If she hadn't broken up the main couple, they'd have a whole soccer team of kids by now!]

Wait—what? Supporting female character? Me? And what's this about breaking them up?

So now these two get to cheat under my roof, and somehow I'm the villain?

Before I could process it all, my husband was already dragging her luggage inside. "Alice doesn't like fried food," he said matter-of-factly. "And nothing too salty or spicy. Make sure you keep that in mind when you're cooking.

"Oh, and pregnant women love sweets. Go out now and buy a cherry cake. The one from that bakery in the suburbs."

The floating comments in my mind didn't stop.

[See? Now she even has to be their delivery girl.]

[When will Camille figure it out? That she's just part of Nigel and Alice's little game?]

I shook my head hard, convinced it was just my imagination, but the words kept coming.

[Camille would do anything to win Nigel over. You don't even need to guess.]

[Camille climbed into his bed back then—this is just karma catching up to her.]

[Wake up, Camille! Nigel never loved you.]

[And yet, Camille's still dumb enough to think confessing she's the hospital director's daughter will somehow fix things!]

It wasn't my imagination. The words were there, and their weight pressed down on me, leaving me dazed and speechless.

I had been married to Nigel Park for only a year. He wasn't romantic, but he was thoughtful—at least, I thought so.

He avoided company events if women were present, just to keep me at ease. He never lost his temper with me, and he even remembered the exact dates of my periods.

Before seeing these floating comments, I genuinely believed we were as happy as everyone said. I even planned to tell him my secret tonight.

But now, my hands trembled as I met his eyes. He frowned, his voice sharp. "Camille? Did you hear me?"

Snapping back to reality, I glanced at Alice, the pregnant woman standing beside him. My voice shook. "How come I never knew you had a cousin?"

His eyes darted away from mine, landing instead on Alice.

Before he could answer, Alice leaned lightly against him. "I won't stay long. Once I find a job, I'll leave."

Nigel steadied her immediately, his tone tinged with reproach. "What are you saying? You're this far along—where would you even go?"

"It's better if you stay," he added. "Camille can take care of you."

I stared at Alice's swollen belly, a dull ache spreading in my chest. "If things are already this bad, why have the baby? It'll only suffer after it's born. How about this? I know a doctor. I can make an appointment for you to terminate the pregnancy."

I picked up my phone to make the call, but before I could dial, Nigel slapped it out of my hand.

"Camille! Are you insane?!"

The room fell silent. It was the first time he had ever yelled at me.

My hand froze midair. Tears welled up, blurring my vision. Maybe the comments were right after all.

Realizing his outburst, Nigel quickly retrieved the phone and softened his voice. "Camille, I just don't want you to make a mistake you'll regret. Please don't overthink this."

I fought to suppress my emotions, instinctively stepping back to avoid his touch. "I'm tired. Let's talk about this tomorrow."

The floating comments erupted again.

[What's going on? This doesn't seem like the Camille I know!]

[Isn't she supposed to worship Nigel like a loyal puppy?]

[Did Camille figure something out?!]

Nigel froze too, clearly unprepared for my response. His expression darkened, eyes sharp with suspicion. "It's already past eleven. Are you really going to leave Alice outside? I've already explained everything to you. How long are you planning to drag this out?"

Alice huddled behind him, her voice trembling, eyes red. "I know you look down on me for being unmarried and pregnant, but I can't be as heartless as you."

Ignoring my protests, Nigel guided her gently to the sofa, his voice low and comforting. "Don't worry. She's never been pregnant—she doesn't understand what it's like to be a mother."

His words pierced me like a needle.

Three years of dating, one year of marriage—I had been pregnant before. Again and again. And each time, I lost the baby. From the initial excitement to numb despair, the cycle repeated until I stopped hoping.

Nigel knew. He knew, yet here he was, throwing those words at me so carelessly, cutting my heart open without hesitation.

I stared at him, tears spilling uncontrollably.

So the comments were right. He never loved me.

Exhausted, I asked, "If you've already decided to let her stay, why pretend to ask for my opinion?"

Without waiting for his answer, I turned and walked back to the bedroom.

Sitting down, I placed a hand over my stomach. My thoughts spiraled as I whispered silently, "Nigel, I'll let you know how it feels to be the one responsible for ending a life."

I opened my eyes the next morning and took a deep breath. Carefully, I applied my makeup.

The comments floating around me whispered that the 'supporting female lead' was finally turning dark, but in truth, I just didn't want to live so pathetically anymore.

When I stepped into the living room, I realized Nigel spent the night on the sofa. Alice was in the kitchen, making breakfast for him.

Seeing me, Alice's eyes widened in feigned surprise. "Camille, you're all dressed up today. Do you have plans? Looks like you slept well last night."

Nigel cleared his throat but didn't look at me, not even once.

Alice pointed toward the anniversary cake I had made the night before. A corner of it was missing. "Oh, right. Sorry about that. I bumped into it last night without noticing."

I picked up the cake and tossed it into the trash. "It's stale now. Not worth keeping."

That was when Nigel finally looked at me and said, "It's just an anniversary. We can celebrate it any day. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

Then, as if the conversation wasn't already unbearable, he added, "And since Alice's pregnant, she might need help in the middle of the night. I'll just sleep on the couch from now on."

The comments floated by again.

[Nigel is so considerate. He's sleeping on the couch just to avoid hurting Alice's feelings.]

[Camille is so petty. She knew what she was getting into when she stole Nigel from Alice. What right does she have to throw a tantrum now?]

I nodded, slipped on my shoes, and walked toward the door. "I didn't even ask you for an explanation. You sound guilty, you know that?"

Nigel hesitated for a moment before standing up. "Camille, do you really need to cling to me every second of the day? If you were half as independent as Alice, I wouldn't even have to say this."

I hadn't slept at all the night before. I thought maybe Nigel would come in to explain himself. If he had, maybe I would have believed him.

But he never came. Instead, the comments told me that "over the past few years, the male lead wrote 520 pages of love letters for Alice. There's no way their relationship would have a bad ending!"

I had opened his drawer and read everything. All night, page after page. I found out that he avoided gatherings with women—not out of loyalty to me, but because of Alice.

He remembered my menstrual cycle not out of thoughtfulness, but to avoid my ovulation days. To avoid betraying Alice.

So this was what my love amounted to—a cruel joke.

I looked at Nigel, my voice calm. "If she's so independent, then why does she have the nerve to live in another woman's home?"

Nigel faltered. "I told you, Alice is my cousin. You're disgusting to have such nasty thoughts."

Ignoring his insult, I turned and left. Alice trailed behind me, her voice trembling. "Nigel, you should go after her."

Nigel laughed lightly, unconcerned. "What could possibly happen to her?"

Even the comments joined in.

[Exactly. She always storms out like this. It's the same tiring act.]

[I bet she'll be back in an hour with Nigel's favorite tarts.]

[Honestly, I wish she'd realize she's the outsider in the relationship and leave already.]

…

The car stopped outside the hospital, and the comments erupted again.

[What is she doing at the hospital? Meeting another man?]

[Of course. She's running to another man just because she's upset. Double standards much?]

[I knew it. Camille's a greedy woman.]

Apparently, in this world, I was nothing more than a despised supporting character. No matter what I did, it was wrong.

But why should I care?

I walked straight to Penny Woods, my former coworker, and scheduled a same-day abortion.

The comments poured in again.

[She booked an abortion? That's so cruel!]

[If Nigel finds out she's arranging this behind his back for Alice, she's done for.]

[She's the evil supporting character. Shouldn't she have been written out by now?]

I gave the comments a bitter smile before turning back to Penny and giving her my name.

Penny froze, then reached out and touched my forehead. "Camille? Are you serious? Haven't you always dreamt about having a child with Nigel?"

My chest tightened. Silently, I removed my wedding ring. "Not anymore."

Penny took a sharp breath. "Camille, you've already had three miscarriages. If you go through with this, you might not be able to have children again."

I looked at her right in the eyes and spoke slowly, each word clear. "He betrayed me first. He abandoned our child before I did."

My response seemed to freeze the comments for a moment. Then, multiple messages appeared all at once.

[???????]

[The villainess is pregnant??? And she's actually choosing to terminate it?!!!]

[Has Camille finally come to her senses? Is she leaving Nigel?]

[Is Camille finally stepping aside for the heroine???]

[Wait, why do I suddenly feel sorry for Camille?]

Penny looked at me, startled, but in the end, she didn't try to persuade me further. Instead, she brought me the surgical consent form as I requested.

An hour later, I woke up in the hospital bed. Penny handed me my phone. "Nigel kept calling you. Maybe he wants to apologize. You should at least listen to what he has to say."

I put the call on speaker. The first thing Nigel said was, "Camille, is your phone just for decoration? Stop this nonsense and come back home. Alice feels so guilty because of you that she hasn't been sleeping well. Hurry back and apologize to her!"

When I didn't respond, his voice turned impatient. "Or do you expect me to leave Alice alone at home to pick you up? I'll give you half an hour. If you don't come back, we're getting a divorce!"

I looked out at the pouring rain and touched my stomach. My voice was calm. "Fine. Let's get a divorce. I don't want the company, but you can forget about keeping my father's investment."

Before Nigel could react, I hung up and blocked him on every platform.

I had planned to go home and pack my things, but when I reached the door, I overheard their laughter. It was as if the past few days of unpleasantness had never happened.

Even more absurd was that, through the wall, the comments continued to narrate their every move.

[Ah, Nigel is resting his head on Alice's stomach. So sweet!]

[I'm so touched. As a fan of this couple, I'm thrilled to see them finally free to be together.]

A bitter taste filled my mouth. I pushed open the door harder than I meant to.

Nigel's face immediately darkened. "Finally decided to come back? Alice is pregnant. Do you have to make such a loud entrance? What if you scare her and the baby?"

Before I could respond, Alice let out a soft cry, followed by the sound of glass shattering in the kitchen.

Nigel didn't even bother to put on his shoes before rushing over. "Alice, don't move."

Alice looked at me pitifully. "I just wanted to pour Camille a glass of water when I saw her come back..."

Nigel turned to me with a hint of irritation. "Camille, why are you just standing there? Help clean this up."

He then scooped Alice into his arms. "You don't need to handle things like this anymore. Leave it to Camille."

I felt my anger rise and took a deep breath. "What am I? Your maid?"

Nigel didn't even look up. He continued rubbing Alice's foot gently, his voice calm. "If that's how you see yourself, I won't argue."

I slapped a stack of divorce papers on the table. "Didn't you want a divorce? Sign the papers."

The comments went wild, with a sudden shift in tone.

[Did I hear that right? Camille wants a divorce!]

[She's finally seeing the light! Nigel is honestly trash!]

[I thought Camille was just trying to get Nigel's attention!]

I laughed. In my world, I should be the only heroine.

I couldn't wait to see what Nigel would become without me.