Jane sat on the couch, watching TV and munching on chips.

"Jane, you can sleep in the guest room. It's quieter there." After saying that, I went to the kitchen to wash some vegetables.

Little did I know, they exchanged a knowing smile behind my back.

I absentmindedly chopped the celery. It was Jayden's favorite.

In a careless moment, I cut my finger and let out a startled yelp.

"Babe, are you okay? How did you cut your finger? Let me take over."

Jayden came running as soon as he heard me, just like always. I felt a bit more at ease.

"There's no way they have anything to hide, right?"

"Yeah, Ruby, come rest. Jayden and I can handle things." Jane chimed in, backing him up.

They gently pushed me out of the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone in there.

Now with nothing to do, I sat and stared blankly at the TV, my mind drifting.

The sudden sound of laughter snapped me out of my daze.

"Jayden, try these ribs I made," Jane said with a bright smile, offering him a bite with her fork.

The two of them joked around in the kitchen, just like Jayden and I used to.

After dinner, Jayden went to wash the dishes, and Jane followed him into the kitchen.

"Jane, come chat with me. It's been a while since we've talked," I called out to stop her.

She hesitated for a moment but then agreed, "Alright, let's go to the room."

She glanced back at Jayden, and they exchanged a smile.

They were supposed to have just met today, so why did they seem so familiar?

"How's your hospital bag coming along? Jayden must've helped you pack it really well, right?" Jane asked, jumping straight to mentioning Jayden.

My smile faded quickly.

Noticing my silence, she hurried to change the subject.

"Let me show you my hospital bag. Maybe you can check if I missed anything. I'm not really sure on my own."

"Sure."

She opened her suitcase to show me.

"It'd be nice if it's a girl. Here's the baby's washcloth, the towel, and these are the baby's socks..."

Suddenly, she realized something was off and quickly stopped.

The socks were identical to the ones Jayden and I picked out. Even my little mark was still there.

I had asked Jayden why a few socks were missing, and he'd told me they made him feel closer to the baby.

"You and Jayden met for the first time today, right? Where did you get these socks?" I asked, staring directly at her.

I locked eyes with her, unable to hold back the question.

"Oh, Ruby, why are you so sensitive? Maybe we just bought the same ones. Who knows, maybe our kids can be betrothed to each other."

I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. My gut told me it wasn't that simple.

Jane hadn't been staying at my place for long when we both were nearing our due dates. She just happened to feel it first.

That day, we were chatting on the balcony while Jayden was in the room working.

"Oh, my stomach hurts! Jayden, take me to the hospital, I think I'm going into labor!" Jane cried out from her chair, panic in her voice.

She lay back in the wicker chair, yelling in distress.

I rushed over to help her, but she accidentally tripped me. I fell hard, landing on my stomach.

"Jayden, help! I'm going into labor too," I said, clutching my stomach as I felt blood.

"Ruby, I'll call your parents to take you to the hospital. Jane looks like she's in worse shape, so I'll take her first," Jayden shouted as he ran out, scooping up Jane in his arms, but not before offering me some reassurance.

Hearing our cries, Jayden rushed out, carrying Jane and running off. He still managed to throw some comforting words my way.

A wave of pain and bitterness washed over me. "So this is how it is? I don't even rank above my best friend in his eyes."

I watched them disappear, speechless. To be treated like this, it felt like I had completely failed in life.

The door slammed shut. I was left alone, anxiously waiting for my parents to take me to the hospital. At this point, I could barely move.

I waited and waited, but no one came. Even if they hadn't supported my marriage to Jayden, my parents wouldn't just abandon me like this.

Slowly, I crawled toward my phone on the couch, leaving a red trail behind me.

"Mom, Dad, I'm about to give birth, and Jayden's not here. Please, come quickly," I said weakly, on the verge of passing out from dehydration.

"What? He didn't tell us he wasn't home. We're coming right away. Hang in there," my dad said, frantic.

My mom was urging him from the background.

As I drifted into unconsciousness, my last thought was that Jayden would probably come back to see me once I got to the hospital.