“Timmy Honey~ it's time for your medicine~”

That was the first thing I heard from my husband's medicine alarm ringtone, right when I was about to pick him up from the airport.

But that voice wasn't mine!

Filled with doubt, I brought along Timothy's medicine and headed to Victory Capital anyway. Then, to my disbelieve, right at the entrance of the Tower of Victory, I saw him passionately kissing his first love, Rosalia.

I froze in shock and fled in panic. Unfortunately, I got into a car accident on my way back to our hotel.

As I was pushed on a hospital bed, I looked down at my flattened stomach. The once-rounded bump of pregnancy was now gone.

My husband rushed into the room, his face filled with anguish as he pulled me into a hug.

“I'm sorry, Claudine. I came too late...” He said he'd received the devastating news mid-meeting.

But if I never went for him in the first place, none of this tragedy would've happened.

Back at the hotel, I accidentally saw his chat history with the younger brother of Timothy's first love.

[The perpetrator and doctor have been taken care of. The police won't bother us.]

[What a show. I'd never let the child of a murderer inherit Becker Enterprises.]

Then the reply: [Now that Rosalia's carrying my son, I'll never have to tolerate that hateful woman again...]

My heart turned to ashes reading that.

I immediately dialed the number I'd once swore to never call again. “I can come back, but you must promise to destroy everything Timothy and Rosalia have built.”

***

Timothy said he was heading to Westalia to find potential partners. As he left, he stayed for a bit while looking reluctant.

“Claudine, take good care of yourself and the baby. I'll bring you gifts when I return.” He leaned down to kiss my slightly rounded belly before walking towards the departure lounge.

Our driver took me home. As soon as I entered the house, I heard the ringing of Tim's medication reminder.

Following the sound, I saw Timothy's migraine treatment pillbox, with its voice reminder function, forgotten on the table.

A gentle female voice kept on looping.

[Timmy Honey~ it's time to take your medicine~]

My mind went blank and I froze in place.

That wasn't my voice! It sounded familiar, but I couldn't exactly put my finger on it.

Now filled with suspicion, I called Timothy but soon I knew his phone had been switched off. After much thought, I decided to deliver his medicine in person. I wanted to confront him, yet at the same time I feared he might suddenly have an attack.

In the end, I boarded the flight to Victory Capital alone, without noticing him beforehand and headed straight for his meeting place upon landing.

As I passed the Tower of Victory not far from the building, I caught a glimpse of Timothy. I hurriedly jumped out of the cab as a pure white dove flew past my eyes.

Against this dreamlike backdrop, Timothy held a woman tightly in his arms, kissing her passionately.

My heart skipped a beat. The woman in his arms looked graceful. When her delicate, pretty face turned toward me, those familiar features instantly shattered my composure.

Her name was Rosalia Heist—Timothy’s first love from childhood.

On the day Timothy and I married, Rosalia gave us a carefree smile as she said, “Don't worry. Though Timothy and I had puppy love going on, I won't compete with you for your husband.”

Yet now, she smiled with unbearable sweetness, locked in a passionate embrace with my husband.

A sharp pain shot through my chest and a boulder seemed to press against my lungs, making breathing difficult. Rosalia's gaze swept across the street to find me and her smile froze instantly.

Before I could cross the traffic, she pulled Timothy into the car. So I ran after them out of instinct, chasing them for what felt like forever. Only when the car vanished over the horizon did I stop.

I was desperately trying to convince myself it was all a hallucination. That the very man I just saw kissing Rosalia wasn't Timothy Backer! They were just some guy that looked so similar to him!

As I forced myself to calm down, I dialed Timothy's number with trembling hands. My call went unanswered.

Taking a deep breath, I tried calling again. After a long ring, an impatient voice finally came through.

“I'm in a meeting. Talk later. Hanging up!”

Before I could speak, the call was abruptly cut off. But during the call, I clearly heard the hum of car engines and the honking of surrounding vehicles.

Meeting? What a laughable lie!

Tears slid silently down my cheeks, blurring my vision. As I stumbled back, speeding cars whizzed past me as I wandered aimlessly through the traffic.

The image of Timothy and Rosie kissing passionately kept flashing through my mind, yet just this morning he’d held me tight, refusing to leave our home.

After walking for what felt like an eternity, my feet grew numb with pain. My flats had rubbed my heels raw, leaving bright red streaks of blood.

Suddenly, a piercing horn blared. I turned my head too late and saw a black minivan slam on its brakes beside me. The next second, my body flew weightlessly from the crash.

Before losing consciousness, All I could remember was Mn lidrinf mw into a car.

When I woke again, the pungent smell of disinfectant filled the air. My head felt heavy and dizzy, my stomach suddenly flet lighter and empty.

Reaching for my belly, my heart clenched in pain. Why was my belly so flat?

The once-vibrant fetal movements that connected my child and I were now replaced by coldness and sharp pain.

At this time, voices came from the doorway as a doctor in a white coat entered. “Ma'am just had an abortion procedure. Your body is still very weak.”

My mind buzzed, still reeling from the shock of losing my child. "What? Who gave you permission to take my baby?”

I screamed hoarsely, “That's my child! Give her back to me!”

I couldn't get pregnant even after three years of marriage to Timothy, due to my frail body. My baby, the daughter I'd longed for so desperately was now being forcefully taken away from me through surgery.

I struggled desperately to rise, but the doctor pressed down hard on my shoulders and pleaded, “Please calm down, ma'am! You were critically injured in the accident. We had no choice but to terminate your pregnancy.”

He sounded resigned, yet his eyes held no trace of compassion. “We hope you could understand.”

But I almost fainted at that! I tried to break free, but my weakened body couldn't push him away. “Let go of me! I'll sue you all!”

Just as I was losing control, Timothy burst into the room in panic, “Claudine!”

He shoved the doctor aside without hesitation, pulled me into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. “I'm sorry, Claudine! I'm too late...”

As I leaned against his chest, a sharp, overpowering scent of perfume hit me. It was a fresh floral-fruity fragrance, the kind women often wore.

My heart clenched painfully, my breath catching in that moment. My voice hoarse, I asked, “Why didn't you answer my calls?”

Timothy didn't hear the despair in my tone. And he tried to explain with earnest, “I'm sorry. I was in a meeting with a business partner. I rushed over as soon as I heard about your accident.”

I scoffed.

A meeting? What a pathetic excuse!

“But I clearly...” I wanted to confront him about the scene at Tower of Victory.

However, Timothy gently stroked my head. He said as like a devoted lover, “Don't be sad. We'll have another child.”

A dull ache gripped my chest. But it was because of him that I lost this child!

“Tim, do you truly care about our baby?”

Timmy seemed startled at that, his hand pausing mid-caress. “Claudine, why would you say that?”

Just then, the voice reminder on the medicine alarm in my bag suddenly rang. Panic flashed across Timothy's face.

I lifted my gaze to lock eyes with him. “Who recorded this voice message?”

He clearly avoided my eyes, stammering an explanation. “I left my meds in the conference room the day before yesterday. Someone must have tampered with the voice recording.”

I shoved him away forcefully. I took his medicine box and replayed the suggestive voice message.

[Timmy Honey~ It's time for your medicine~]

The voice was unbearably jarring. I grabbed his collar in fury and demanded in a low voice, “It's Rosalia's, isn't it? When did this start?”

Timothy snatched the medicine box from my hand and shut off the voice alarm. He protested incredulously, “Rosalia is just a childhood friend. Why would you treat an innocent girl like her of doing something bad?”

“You can't make assumptions about others just because of the miscarriage! Snap out of it, Claudine. The voice change really was just an accident!”

Right! Without proof of their affair, nothing I said mattered! So, I shut my mouth, closed my eyes and said nothing more.

After Timothy left, I curled up under the covers, my head splitting with pain. Suddenly, I heard a knock-knock on the door.

Peeking from under the blanket, I saw someone entered the hospital room.

“Heard you were sick. I happened to be at the next town for a soccer game, so I swung by to see you.” Rosalia stopped by my bedside, a smug curve lifting her lips.

Rage surged from my eyes. I threw my head back, glaring at her and hissed, "What a total bull. You're here for Timothy, aren't you?!"

Rosalia raised an eyebrow. She sneered while jabbing her sharp nails into my chest. “Yes. Did you really think Timothy married you out of genuine love? How naive!”

She then pressed her nails deeper into my face. “A stupid woman like you doesn't deserve Timothy's love.”

All I wanted to do was tear that smug grin off her face. I trembled with rage, my eyes bulging with fury. Unfortunately, the slightest movement I made sent sharp pain shooting through my abdominal wound.

“Ugh—”

Seeing me drenched in cold sweat from the pain, Rosalia withdrew her hand and sneered at my sunken belly.

“Oh, right. The baby's gone. Must be heartbreaking for you, huh?” Her tone turned vicious. “As long as you don't leave Timothy, I'll make sure you'll suffer everyday.”

My teeth clenched so hard they ground together. “What do you want?”

She chuckled softly, saying nothing and strode away in her high heels. At the doorway, she suddenly turned and gave me a sinister grin.

“Heaven knows what kind retribution awaits you.”

Before I could react, she had already way past the door.

My retribution? My mind went blank, yet rage still churned in my chest.

I clenched my fists, desperately piecing together the past 25 years.

But nothing came up! I had never done anything that was intentionally mean.

***

Timothy cared for me at the hospital for three days. He even brought me shrimp congee.

“Claudine, come taste your favorite shrimp congee.”

The savory steam filled my nostrils, triggering nausea. I covered my mouth and gagged. Even after three years of marriage, he couldn't remember my shrimp allergy!

Doubt crept into my mind: Why had he married me in the first place?

Was it truly as Rosalia claimed? That I'd have my retribution? What did I ever do?

Seeing my face twisted with resentment, Timothy angrily flung the bowl of congee and shouted, “Claudia! Can't you stop being so stubborn for once?”

I turned to give him a cold, dismissive glance. I said hoarsely, “If you can't stand my stubbornness, then why did you marry me three years ago?”

My question caught him off guard. He stared at me, utterly bewildered.

As if trying to communicate things with a complete new stranger, Timothy frowned and said his complaints, “You're completely unreasonable!”

Afterwards, he stormed out of the hospital room.

***

For the next two days, Timothy never returned to the hospital. Early on the sixth day, his secretary, Danny, handled my discharge paperwork and drove me back to the hotel that Timothy was supposed to stay.

As I weakly propped up in a recliner, I picked up my phone and scrolled through my phone repeatedly.

Timothy’s social media feed showed no trace of Rosalia. He’d always been the model husband, showering me with care. Now I couldn’t tell—had his genuine affection for me been nothing but an illusion?

As I continued to remember my past, my finger hovered over that man's number, my pupils shrink slightly. Memories flooded back instantly—that man's furious gaze was etched into my memory forever.

Was it really worth abandoning everything to marry Timothy?

Suddenly a splitting headache overwhelmed me and I drifted into a hazy sleep. I slept until evening, when the room's lights suddenly snapped on.

Timothy had returned from his meeting to find me asleep on the lounge chair. Without a word of concern, he shed his coat and walked into the bathroom.

I forced myself to sit up. Suddenly, my phone on the bed buzzed.

It was a LetsChat message from Rosalia's younger brother, Marvin.

I tried typing Timothy's birthday and successfully unlocked his LetsChat interface.

Marvin: [I've told the hospital to dispose of the child's body.]

My fingertips trembled. 'The child's body'? My heartbeat skipped a beat as I hurriedly scrolled through the chat history.

Marvin: [After three years of marriage, you really had the heart to kill your own child?]

Timothy: [If Dad hadn't forced me into this marriage, I never would have taken her as my wife.]

Marvin: [The perpetrator and doctor have been taken care of. The police won't bother us.]

Timothy: [Well done. I'd never let the child of a murderer inherit Becker Enterprises.]

[Now that Rosalia is carrying my son, I'll never have to tolerate that hateful woman again...]

So this was the truth behind my miscarriage!