I was three months pregnant when my fiancé left me to marry his first love, Isabella Thompson.

Soon after, I was in a car accident. I survived, but our baby didn't.

My childhood friend, Daniel Smith, found out and insisted on marrying me despite his family's objections.

He spent a fortune on the best doctors to ensure I recovered fully.

Later, he arranged a grand proposal, confessing he had loved me for years.

I was touched and agreed to marry him.

But three years later, I overheard his conversation with his friend, Mike Perez.

"Remember years ago when Isabella stole Jessica's fiancé? To avoid any future trouble for Isabella, you married Jessica and even caused that car accident, which killed the baby she was carrying. Now, can she even get pregnant anymore?" Mike asked.

"No, I love Isabella," Daniel replied. "I just didn't want to have any babies with Jessica, so I put birth control in her water."

I trembled, unable to believe what I had heard.

It turned out Isabella was also Daniel's first love.

I figured it was time for me to leave.

I almost lost my balance and had to steady myself against the bedroom door.

Mike Perez patted Daniel Smith on the shoulder, teasing him, "Come on. It's been three years, and Isabella is married. You still can't get over her?"

Daniel took a drag of his cigarette and bowed his head, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

"I've only ever loved Isabella," he said. "In fact, she's getting a divorce soon. I'll get to see her more often."

"What are you saying, man?" Mike gasped. "Are you planning to divorce Jessica and marry Isabella?"

Daniel didn't reply immediately. Instead, he looked out the window.

After a while, he finally said, "No, I'll spend my life making up for the pain I caused Jessica."

I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

But when Daniel turned around, I quickly wiped my tears and forced a smile.

He glanced at Mike nervously and came up to me.

"What's wrong?" he asked, cupping my face. "Your eyes are so red. Did you get something in them while showering?"

I nodded, still reeling from the shock. "Yeah."

Mike walked over and patted him on the back, giving him a playful look. "Alright, I'll leave you guys alone."

Once Mike was gone, Daniel scooped me up and carried me to the bed.

A gentle kiss landed on my lips, but what used to make me melt now only filled me with pain.

As he tried to undress me, I pushed him away. "Why don't you go take a shower first?"

He smiled indulgently and scratched my nose with his finger. "You like it clean as always. Alright. I'll be back in a minute."

I forced a smile. "Okay."

He went to the bathroom, but his phone rang on the bed.

I had never checked his phone before, but this time, I couldn't help myself.

I remembered Isabella's birthday and entered the numbers. Sure enough, the phone was unlocked.

My heart raced as I opened Facebook and saw messages from his other account to "Bella".

Bella: [Daniel, I'm divorced now. I'll come see you tomorrow. Pick me up at 9 AM.]

I marked the message as unread, but I couldn't resist checking out his posts.

Almost everything was about Isabella. It almost felt like a diary.

[Bella wore the dress I bought her today. She looked so beautiful. I miss her so much.]

[Bella got mad at me today over something I said. I had to write a love letter to cheer her up.]

[Bella never forgets me. She sent me flowers today. I'm totally smitten.]

...

As I read them, I felt a lump in my throat.

Daniel had never written any love letters to me. He always said, "I hate typing. It's all meaningless. Why do you care about that?"

I had thought it was just his personality, but now I realized that I was just not worth the effort.

I put the phone back and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I suppressed the bitterness and called my best friend, Sarah Garcia.

"I'm coming to your studio in three days. Train me to paint," I said, giving myself three days to handle the divorce.

Daniel came out of the shower.

I ended the call and pretended to be asleep, not wanting his affection.

He checked if I was really asleep before sending a voice message to Isabella.

[I'm so happy. I can finally see you tomorrow. I'll be there on time.]

[I bought the necklace you love. It's your welcome gift.]

The day he had gone to buy the necklace was our wedding anniversary. For Isabella, he had left me behind.

I shut my eyes tightly, pushing my annoyance into the corner of my mind.

Daniel, on the other hand, was too excited to sleep and kept messaging Isabella.

It felt like an eternity had passed before I finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Daniel was up early.

I thought he was rushing to the station to meet Isabella. But when I got out of bed, I found him carefully preparing breakfast.

Seeing me in my pajamas, he walked over and gently helped me to the table.

"I made all your favorites today," he said gently. "The sandwiches and fried eggs are fresh, and the milk is at the perfect temperature. Try it."

He looked so sincere that I almost thought yesterday's events had never happened.

But soon, my head cleared. I understood this was just his way of compensating me before going to meet Isabella. In truth, his marriage to me was a form of compensation.

I took a small bite, but before I could say anything, he grabbed a napkin and wiped my mouth.

"Look at you. You got food on your face," he teased me.

I forced a stiff smile, hiding my bitterness.

"Why are you so quiet today?" he blinked, finally noticing it.

I used to talk endlessly around him because I loved him so much. Now my silence must have hit a nerve.

"Nothing, just still waking up," I replied.

He glanced at the time, frowning, and lost interest in my mood.

"Alright, well, finish your breakfast," he said. "I have an urgent matter at work, so I have to go."

He grabbed his coat and rushed out.

Losing my appetite, I hailed a taxi and followed him to the train station.

Daniel arrived early at 8:30, something out of the ordinary.

In the past, whenever I asked him to pick me up, he'd always arrive just in time, sometimes even making me wait.

I used to think he was a fan of time management. Now I saw the truth. I was just not important to him.

I hid in a corner, watching him wait for Isabella.

Honestly, I just wanted to see what kind of breathtaking beauty Isabella was to make both Daniel and my ex-fiancé fall head over heels for her.

At nine o'clock, Isabella stepped out of the train station. And yes, she was stunning, with a perfect figure and a flawless face.

Daniel couldn't take his eyes off her. The moment she got close, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Bella, I finally see you again," he muttered. "I missed you so much."

Isabella suddenly leaned in and kissed him, a move that turned him on.

Daniel took her to a secluded spot and tore at her clothes, indulging himself with reckless abandon.

Lost in the moment, Isabella started to moan, "Slow down, you're too rough. People might see us like this. How about we go to your place next time?"

Daniel, drowning in pleasure, didn't answer until he was satisfied. "I'll give Jessica a stronger dose of sleeping pills and take you home."

My nails dug into my palms, nearly breaking the skin. My teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Disgusted, I turned and vomited.

After that, I went home like a lost soul.

Daniel didn't come home that day. He called me in the evening.

"Isabella is divorced now," he said. "She finally sees that scumbag for what he is. You both were victims of all this, and she wanted to invite you to dinner."

I wanted to refuse, but Isabella took the phone.

"Jessica, don't turn me down," she said. "Look, you're married to a good man. You're not holding a grudge about me taking your ex-fiancé, right? Now I'm just like you, a victim. Doesn't that make us friends?"

I didn't respond, and Daniel got impatient. "Come on. It's just a meal."

Finally, I agreed. "Alright."

I figured this was all Isabella's idea. She wanted to provoke me face-to-face, but I didn't fear her.

As soon as I arrived, Daniel stood up and trotted over.

Before I could say anything, he explained eagerly, "Don't misunderstand. I got to know Isabella at work. She has been running her own company and has business dealings with me."

He paused and added, "I knew things between you two were complicated, so I didn't tell you before. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

He lied so naturally. I wondered how many times he had practiced it.

I nodded in acknowledgement and followed him to the table. Ever since I arrived, Isabella had been eyeing me with a triumphant smile.

Without hesitation, Daniel sat down beside her and across from me. Under the table, his hand rested on her thigh.

I was still processing it when Isabella spoke up. "Mrs. Smith, you're lucky enough to get rid of a scumbag early and end up with a good man. It's envious."

She placed a hand on Daniel's chest, and he stiffened.

But when he realized I wasn't reacting, he relaxed.

"Thanks. You're amazing, too," he said smoothly. "Running companies requires talent. Jess doesn't have that."

His words hurt me deeply.

Even if he didn't love me, he had never belittled me like that. Now, just to praise Isabella, he was willing to tear me down.

I thought about how I used to speak so highly of him. That was only because I loved him.

Isabella smiled knowingly and placed a glass of wine in front of me.

"Let's drink and forget the past," she proposed.

I didn't take it, which annoyed Daniel. He tapped the table and urged me, "Just take it."

I looked up at him, realizing he had forgotten everything when Isabella was around.

The last time I had a sip of alcohol, I had an allergic reaction and ended up in the hospital.

Daniel had panicked so much that he dragged a doctor out of bed in the middle of the night to treat me. Now he no longer cared.

His patience wore thin, and he sulked, "Bella only wants to make friends with you. How can you be so rude?"

I took the glass with a smirk and tossed it off.

It was fine. Anyway, I would be leaving him tomorrow.

Once the wine went down my throat, my head started to spin. Before passing out, I heard their conversation.

"She really can't handle alcohol, huh?" Isabella snorted. "Let's not mind her and go on with our meal."

I wondered if Daniel would just listen to her and ignore my situation.