I saw the girl David was keeping outside his marriage purely by "coincidence" during a health check-up at the hospital.

David was softly reassuring the girl. “As long as you have a son, all of my assets will be his,” David promised.

The girl giggled bashfully in his arms. “But what about your wife? Aren’t you and your wife supposed to be inseparable, a perfect match?”

“Even the finest delicacies, if eaten every day, become tiresome,” David replied, his expression unchanged, his tone still nonchalant. “Besides,” he added casually, “Mrs. Scott is getting old. How could she compare to someone as young and beautiful as you?”

Indeed, Mrs. Scott is getting old.

I smiled as I turned to leave. That moment marked the end of more than a decade of ties between David and me. It severed all our entanglements once and for all.

——

In my hand was the health report I had just received. The doctor said I was in great condition—having a child wouldn’t be an issue.

The doctor was congratulating me as I walked out of the consultation room. I hadn’t even had time for the smile on my face to fade when, not far away, I saw David tenderly holding the girl as they exited another room.

David, with a face full of warmth, was smiling at the girl’s flat belly. “You’re a hero. What kind of reward would you like?”

The girl’s face lit up with a smile—sweet yet piercingly painful to see.

“I want my child to be recognized, legitimate.”

Time froze.

I tightened my grip on the health report, the paper crumpling in my hands as though a needle had pierced straight through my heart.

David kept smiling. "Except for that."

The girl, sensing the moment, playfully clung to him. "As long as I have this child, I'll be content."

"But..." The girl's eyes reddened. "My child will only be a bastard."

"So what?" David was indifferent. "As long as it's a boy, all my assets will be his."

I watched as the girl’s eyes lit up. She shyly smiled in David’s arms. "What about your wife? Aren’t you and your wife as close as can be?"

"Even the finest delicacies get boring after a while," David said nonchalantly. "Besides, Mrs. Scott is getting old. How can she compare to you—young, beautiful and irresistible?"

They walked off, locked in an embrace, completely unaware of me standing around the corner.

I watched them disappear from view, my eyes burning with tears, every breath a sharp pain.

I still couldn’t understand. The man who once swore to love me forever—when did he suddenly change?

As I stood there, staring at their retreating figures, I felt the bitter irony in my chest. My heart hurt so much I lost the strength to stand. I leaned against the wall, collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

In the cramped corner, I let the darkness consume my nerves, my mind involuntarily drifting back to that memory.

A seventeen-year-old boy, holding my hand, pulled me out of class. He led me, walking under the moonlight, to the willow tree by the pond. The moonlight was clear and cold, casting a clean, silvery glow on his figure and even the air seemed to carry a sweet fragrance.

He pointed to the crooked, uneven letters carved into the willow tree and asked me, "Rose."

His face, usually so cold, was tinged with the rare flush of a young boy's shyness as he asked, "Would you, will you, be with me?"

"Let's spend our lives together, until the very end, in a love that defies death itself."

I stared at his face and in his beautiful eyes, I saw nothing but the image of a young Rose. Then, my gaze shifted back to the crooked words on the willow tree.

"David and Rose, together for life. David will always love Rose. If they betray this, let heaven strike them down."

The summer of seventeen. Even the cicadas’ song played a symphony of romance.

I could hear the beating of my own heart, reverberating in my ears, a loud echo that filled the summer night.

Blushing, I ran off, with David hot on my heels. He shamelessly demanded an answer, but I only made it as far as the girls’ dorm building and left him with one parting word:

"Immature."

When I got back to the Scott's manor, David had been waiting in the living room for quite a while.

As soon as he heard me, he stood up from the sofa and walked over to me. Noticing right away, he asked, "Rose Dear, did you cry? Who made you upset?"

David's gentle face shifted with a hint of anger. "Who dares to upset my Rose?"

I looked at him, unable to tell if he was pretending or if he was so deep into his own act that even he believed it. I just shook my head and said, "I saw a family of four today and I couldn’t help but feel a little envious."

David and I had been together since we were seventeen. Now, it’s been ten years.

In all those years, our relationship wasn’t without its regrets. My health wasn’t great and several times my period didn’t come. David would always become anxious, like a child and ask me with a hopeful face, "Rose, did we make it?"

Then, he would put everything aside and go with me to the hospital for a full check-up. When the results were disappointing, he’d hide his own sadness.

"It’s okay, we’re still young. Giving birth is painful and I don’t want you to go through that, Rose."

I saw all of David’s disappointment and it hurt me deeply. It wasn’t that I didn’t care—David had a younger brother who died while trying to save him and he had always longed for a son to carry on his brother’s legacy. I knew this about him.

That’s why I kept going to the hospital for check-ups, keeping it all from him.

What I didn’t, however, know was that David had already secretly found someone else to have a child for him. When he heard about the family of four, David’s expression shifted slightly and he pulled me closer, his hand around my shoulder.

"From now on, if you want a child, why not consider adoption?"

David spoke casually, as though it was nothing. "I can’t bear to see you suffer. My Rose, just be a child yourself."

As he said this, he leaned in to kiss me, but before his lips could reach my cheek, his phone kept ringing nonstop in his pocket. He tried hanging up a few times, but the caller kept calling back.

I, being understanding, gently pushed him away. "Maybe it’s something urgent."

David sighed reluctantly. "Really unlucky. The company’s been so busy lately, I haven’t had time to spend with you."

He complained as he spoke, but his face betrayed a hint of amusement. Grabbing his phone, he walked away, answering the call. "Hello..."

I stood there, watching David in the yard. I didn’t know what the girl had said, but I felt like I could guess.

I could read from David’s expression that he was about to leave. Sure enough, David hung up the phone, his face showing clear signs of urgency.

"There’s an issue with a contract. It’s related to the company’s profits for the second half of the year..."

"Mm," I said, putting my phone down and looking up at him. "It’s fine, go ahead and handle it. Work comes first."

I kept my expression calm, just like usual. Keeping things from David was always easy for me.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then grabbed his coat and walked toward the door, turning back to look at me.

"Sweetheart, if I’m late, don’t wait for me."

"Go to bed early," I replied.

David seemed still a little uneasy. He repeated, "If anything comes up, call me. For you, I’ll always make time."

I smiled and nodded, reassuring him.

Only then did David reluctantly leave.

The housekeeper, Shelly, walked in holding a bowl of bird’s nest soup, still teasing, "Mr. Scott really treats you well. Even I, an old woman, can’t help but envy you."

I took the soup, smiled and didn’t respond.

David loved me. Everyone knows about it.

No one ever doubted David’s love for me and I never did either. But love is a fleeting thing—elusive and unpredictable. It’s ever-changing and hard to grasp. What’s the point of talking about forever?

That day, David didn’t come home.

For several days in a row, David didn’t come back. He simply sent me a message through TalkUs, telling me that he was very busy and needed to go abroad. Once he finished this matter, he promised he’d spend a long time with me on vacation.

I stared at David’s message on TalkUs, then switched to the other app, where I saw the photos and videos of David traveling around Europe with Edith.

When my best friend saw the video, she exploded in anger, cursing him out immediately.

"Men are all the same—once they get what they want, they don’t appreciate it. Back then, he chased you relentlessly, but now that he’s found someone new, he’s forgotten all about you."

She looked at me carefully. "Rose, what are you going to do?"

What was I going to do?

Honestly, the moment I found out I’d been betrayed, I went through a whirlwind of emotions. I questioned myself—wondered if it was because I wasn’t good enough, if that’s why someone else had the chance to take his attention. But I couldn’t figure out where exactly things had gone wrong between David and me.

The only thing I could think of was the child.

David wanted a child. So, why not let him have it?

I looked at the photos, at David smiling happily while shopping for baby supplies with Edith in a maternity store. He looked every bit the excited new father. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

"The project my senior colleague invited me to collaborate on, I had been hesitating about it," I said calmly. "But just the other day, I gave her my answer—I’m willing to cooperate with her."

My senior colleague was two years older than me. She was a staunch anti-marriage advocate.

Her career revolved around promoting women’s freedom and independence and she organized a national exhibition on the theme. I had hesitated for a long time because I wanted a child, but now, there was nothing left to consider.

When my best friend heard me, she looked relieved.

"Rose, I’m so glad you’ve thought it through. We women should never let some little man make us cry—it’s just not worth it."

She added, "When your exhibition starts, I’ll definitely be there, cheering you on at every event!"

I had just finished my afternoon tea and was waiting for the driver to pick me up when a Porsche suddenly came speeding towards me. I instinctively stepped back and ended up sitting on the ground. The car screeched to a halt and a glamorous woman stepped out.

If I hadn’t seen her up close, I wouldn’t have recognized her at all.

It was Edith Turner. She took off her sunglasses, looked at my messy state and smirked.

"Did you grow your eyes on your forehead?"

"Are you blind? Didn't you see me driving up?" Edith clicked her tongue, then pulled out a few hundred-dollar bills from her limited-edition bag and tossed them on the ground. "Consider it a tip. It’s enough for you to see a doctor."

She was no longer content being a secret mistress. Now, she wanted to be out in the open, staring at me with an expression full of challenge.

As I stood up, the driver arrived, his anger boiling over. He snapped at Edith, "Do you have any idea who our madam is? If anything happens to her, our boss won't let you get away with it!"

Edith scoffed, "Oh, really? And who exactly is your madam?"

She took a long, disdainful look at me. "An old, washed-up woman? Your face is sagging and aging. If I were your husband, I'd be disgusted just looking at you!"

The driver was livid, his face turning bright red as he began to argue with Edith.

But I, unfazed and composed, gently stopped the driver from saying anything further. I smiled and said, "Miss, I don't agree to a private settlement."

I wasn’t remotely angry as she had expected. Instead, I calmly added, "I’m calling the police."

Edith was just trying to intimidate me. She never actually intended to cause a real commotion. If things really escalated and got back to David, she knew very well who would end up on the losing side.

So, when she saw things getting serious, Edith immediately snapped.

"I didn't even hit you, so why the hell are you calling the police?"

She pointed at me and started shouting, "I bet you're just trying to scam people! Look at you—acting all high and mighty, but you’re just another gold-digger! Let's be honest—are you with your husband just for the money?"

I watched Edith lose her temper with barely a reaction. My expression stayed calm as I asked, "You can’t stop talking about my husband. Do you happen to know him?"

Edith was momentarily silenced by my question.

Not giving her a chance to respond, I immediately called David via video.