I had just picked up my pregnancy test results and was reaching for the exam room door when I heard voices from inside.The doctor's voice was low but clear."You told her you were infertile,so how is she pregnant?Didn’t she ask questions?"

Lennon’s voice followed,cold and flat."I told her it was thanks to the blind therapist she hired.What,you think that baby’s mine?"

"She’s clueless.I set her up with some filthy homeless guy and filmed the whole thing.She never suspected a thing."

The doctor hesitated.Her voice wavered with disbelief."But your wife still loves you...even knowing you couldn’t give her a child.Why did you do this to her?"

"If that video ever goes public,she’ll be humiliated.The entire city would laugh her out of existence.It would ruin her."

Lennon let out a quiet,humorless laugh."Let her be ruined,then.I never loved her anyway.The marriage was just to keep the Shepherd Family from falling apart."

"Now I’m done.I want out.Whether she ends up divorced or dead—it doesn’t matter to me."

The pregnancy test report crumpled in my fist.I stood rooted in place,the pounding of my heart louder than any scream.

So this was it.Everything I believed—our marriage,our future,our love—was a calculated lie.And worse...he let another man touch me.

The door swung open.Lennon stood there,momentarily stunned.A flicker of panic crossed his face.

"Edith?What are you doing here?"he asked quickly."Come in."

I looked down,forced a gentle smile and took the prenatal vitamins from his outstretched hand.

"Let’s go home,"I said softly.

Back at the villa,Winona was already waiting by the door—dark sunglasses on,white cane in hand.

As I leaned into the car to grab my purse,I caught a glimpse of Lennon’s hand sliding up her skirt,his fingers brazenly toying with the lace.

Winona let out a giggle and swatted him playfully,no protest in sight.

I stood silently behind them,watching.

This man I had once adored—this man I thought I knew—was a stranger now.

He turned and saw me.There was a beat of hesitation in his expression before he masked it.Winona smoothed her skirt as Lennon gave me a charming,unaffected smile.

"No need to be jealous,Edith,"he said with mock sincerity."Winona is blind.She was just helping me relax with a massage."

"You should thank her—she probably played a big role in your pregnancy now."

His voice was so casual,so infuriatingly calm.But the words I had heard at the hospital were still pounding in my ears like thunder.

My hands curled into fists.I opened my mouth,but my throat tightened and no words came out.

Then—

"Ugh!"

Winona doubled over,clutching her stomach.She gagged violently.I instinctively reached out to steady her—then stopped myself just short.

She caught her breath and looked up at me weakly.

"I’m sorry,Meredith,"she murmured."I’m pregnant too.Just feeling a little off today."

Lennon rushed to her side,gently supporting her as he patted her back with tender care.

"You’re pregnant too?"he asked gently."Come on,let me take you upstairs.I’ll get you some water to help you feel better."

Winona nodded weakly,looking pale and fragile.

As they ascended the stairs,she turned her head and gave me a smug,knowing smile—a smirk sharpened by triumph.

The door closed behind them.

A few moments passed—and then I heard it.The sound of water running.Labored breathing.Groans muffled behind the closed door.

I stood there,paralyzed,unable to move or breathe,like something was wrapped tightly around my throat.

Half a minute passed.

Then the door flew open.Winona stepped out,cheeks flushed,lips curved in a satisfied smile.

She walked past me slowly,wearing a satisfied smirk—like a victor flaunting her prize.But just as she passed the top step,a sharp scream cut through the air.

Startled,I spun around in shock.

Winona—who had been perfectly fine seconds ago—was now tumbling down the stairs,crashing step by step.Her screams echoed through the house,sharp and piercing.

She hit the floor with a sickening thud.Her face and hair were streaked with blood and the sunglasses she wore had shattered on the marble tiles,shards sparkling like broken crystal.

I stood there in shock—completely frozen.

Before I could even process what had happened,Lennon burst through the bedroom door and sprinted downstairs.

He rushed down the stairs and dropped to his knees beside Winona,his usually composed,obsidian-like eyes now filled with panic and fear.

"Winona!Are you okay?Please don’t scare me!"

His hands trembled as he fumbled to call 911.

Winona,barely conscious,lifted her bloodied hand and shakily pointed at me."Mr.Shepherd…I don’t understand…why did your wife push me?Does she want me dead?"

"It wasn’t me!"I shouted,stunned."I didn’t even touch her!She fell on her own—"

Slap!

His palm cracked across my face.

The force of the blow made me stagger backward.Lennon shook out his stinging wrist and looked at me like I was a stranger.

"Meredith,have you lost your mind?Are you really that jealous?Winona is our guest.She’s blind.She’s done nothing but help you and this is how you treat her?"

The ambulance arrived swiftly.Lennon snapped at the paramedics to be careful as they moved Winona onto the stretcher.He threw one final look my way—filled with disgust—then climbed into the ambulance without another word.

I was left alone in the vast,empty villa.My cheek throbbed.My chest felt like it was caving in.

I had no idea how long I stood there in a daze before my phone rang.

It was Lennon.

"Winona took a bad fall,but the baby’s okay—thankfully.The doctor said she’ll need proper care or she could end up with long-term complications."

"Since this involved you,you should make her some soup and bring it to the hospital.Show some remorse.You see?She’s kind enough not to blame you."

At one in the morning,I stepped into her hospital room.

I had expected Lennon to be asleep—he was a creature of habit,always in bed by midnight.But the room was glowing with bright light.

Lennon stood behind Winona,gently massaging her temples,his hands slow and careful.

"She can’t sleep and I’m just helping her relax."

I did not say a word.

I remembered how I once told him I had terrible insomnia.Yet,when I told Lennon about it,he only turned over with a grunt and buried himself deeper under the blanket.

"Isn’t closing your eyes the same as resting?Don’t bother me.I have work in the morning."

The memory hit me like a punch to the gut.Bitterness rose in my throat.

I placed the soup quietly on the table and turned to leave,until suddenly…

"Edith."

His voice stopped me.

"It’s late.It’s not safe to go back now.Just stay the night."

That long-lost tone of concern made me hesitate.When I looked back and saw the worry etched on his face,something inside me wavered.

In the end,I bit my lip and gave a slight nod.But then,as if it were the most natural thing in the world,he gestured toward Winona’s legs.

"The doctor said her circulation’s poor.You’ve always been good with your hands—why don’t you massage her?"

I instinctively pulled back.

Winona reclined against the hospital bed with a pale,delicate expression and offered a soft,pity-laced smile."I heard you used to massage Mr.Shepherd every night after you two got married.Why the sudden hesitance now?Oh…I see.You're worried about your dignity,aren't you?Of course,you're the prestigious wife of Lennon Shepherd.How could you possibly stoop so low as to massage a blind woman like me?"

Lennon shot me a cold,disapproving glance."Why are you just standing there?Don’t forget—Winona got hurt because of you."

I drew a shaky breath,then slowly knelt by the bed and began massaging Winona’s legs.

She let out a soft,satisfied sigh and closed her eyes,like a queen accepting a servant's offering.

I remembered all those nights when Lennon came home exhausted from work.I had spent months learning massage just to soothe his stress,to give him comfort and care.

And now…he was asking me to do the same for his lover.

"Ow!"Winona shrieked."What’s wrong with you?That hurt!If you don’t want to do it,then don’t touch me!"

She suddenly recoiled in mock pain,pulling her leg away and kicking me hard under the chin.

"Oh—I'm so sorry!"she said sweetly,hands fluttering in fake distress."I forgot I was blind.I couldn’t see where I was kicking.Did I hurt you?"

Her kick knocked me backward and the back of my head slammed into the sharp edge of the cabinet.

My vision dimmed instantly.A high-pitched ringing filled my ears.

The sharp,metallic scent of blood hit my nose.I reached behind my head and felt something warm and wet.My fingers came away slick with blood.

Fighting against the dizziness,I pulled myself upright,using the cabinet for support.

I could feel the blood trickling down the back of my neck,soaking through the collar of my shirt.

Lennon did not move an inch.Not even a glance in my direction.

"Lennon…"I whispered his name.My voice trembled with pain and disbelief.

"Quit playing the victim,"he replied coldly."Winona barely touched you."

Winona stepped behind him and smirked at me,satisfied.

"I feel so dizzy…"I pressed my palm to the wall to keep myself upright.The world around me began to blur,the hallway bleeding into red and gray.

Only then did Lennon finally look at me—and freeze when he saw the blood streaming down my face.

He hesitated,as if about to come over,but Winona clung to his sleeve."Lennon,my legs…they still hurt so much…"

He panicked immediately and swept her up into his arms without looking back at me.It was a kind nurse who rushed to help me,called the doctor and stayed by my side until I passed out.

I was hospitalized for three days and Lennon never came to see me.Not once.

When I went to collect my blood test results,I happened to pass by Winona’s ward.Inside,nurses were bustling in and out and laughter echoed through the hall.

I overheard them talking,full of admiration and envy.

"Mr.Shepherd is so attentive,Miss Myers,"one nurse gushed."He peels your apples and grapes too…even pours your water and gives you bath himself."

"She’s pregnant,you know.But right,he's so sweet.You’re so lucky to have such a devoted husband."

My chest caved in at their words.

I was the one who brought Winona into our lives—hired her to help Lennon with his condition.I even added her on social media,thinking she was kind.

Lately,she had been posting constantly.Every photo she posted was of him—holding her hand,smiling gently.On her wrist was his favorite bracelet,the one he never let anyone else touch.

Lennon and I had known each other since childhood and we had been married for years.Back then,even if I accidentally brushed against that bracelet,he would pull back almost swiftly.

But now,it was on her wrist.So,she was the one he truly loved,wasn’t she?

A sharp pain twisted in my chest.I instinctively placed a hand on my belly.

I had been so happy when I found out I was pregnant.But then,I overheard my own husband whisper to someone behind closed doors that even touching me made him feel dirty.That the baby I carried must be the child of some random homeless guy.

The memory made my whole body ache.

With trembling fingers,I walked to the OB-GYN reception desk and registered for an appointment.

I had made up my mind.

I would terminate the pregnancy.

Soon…just a few more days…and I would finally be free of Lennon Shepherd forever.