Jack Lawndsey’s female colleague was pregnant and due to give birth soon. She showed up at my door, belly round and full, asking for a Children’s Day gift.

At the time, I was busy decorating our wedding room.

I shouted at him in disbelief and he looked at me with wide-eyed innocence. “I only donated sperm to her,” he said. “I have nothing to feel guilty about.”

And then—he actually took her to the mall to choose a gift.

I immediately announced in the family group chat that the wedding was off. But no one took my side.

Jack’s mother said gently, “Jack is handsome and well-educated. His genes deserve to be passed on—it’s practically a public service.”

Jack’s father scoffed, “He didn’t cheat on you. Why are you making such a fuss?”

My father was so furious he nearly had a heart attack. “You stubborn fool! How could you throw away such a good marriage?”

My mother burst into tears. “If you cancel this wedding, you’ll never get married in this lifetime!”

With tears in my eyes, I replied, “Then I won’t get married.”

But then, a new message popped up.

[Hayley Morgen, when can I take your place?]

——

That evening, Jack carefully helped Katy Kalr into the house.

They came in carrying a whole box of toys for their unborn child.

Katy gently stroked her belly. The two exchanged smiles, their faces glowing with the joy of expectant parenthood.

When she saw me, Katy smiled and handed me a small gift box.

“Hayley, I picked this out especially for you. I didn’t realize until today how much this upset you. Please think of it as… my way of saying sorry.”

I didn’t even glance at the box. I threw it straight into the trash.

Her smile froze. A second later, tears spilled down her cheeks like broken pearls.

“I’m sorry, Hayley… I really am,” she sobbed, hiding behind Jack.

He instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her, his face filled with helplessness.

“Hayley, don’t be like this,” he said softly. “I was just responding to the company’s initiative for high-quality genetic donation. Katy’s a non-marriage advocate who just wants a child. That’s all. We’re just colleagues.”

“Colleagues?” I repeated, my voice trembling with rage. “Colleagues who say good morning and good night every day? Colleagues who share the same playlist?”

“Colleagues who shield her from drinks at banquets and take the long route home after overtime just to drop her off? Are those just colleagues?”

He let out a long, tired sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not this again. I’ve already explained everything. You’re always so suspicious… always overthinking things.”

I let out a bitter laugh. His explanation was full of holes—laughably weak. Still, I had chosen to believe him again and again.

But after five years of love, I couldn’t let it end like this.

Grinding my teeth, I pointed at Katy’s belly. “Fine. Let’s say I misunderstood. Let’s say I overreacted.”

I stared straight at him. “Have her abort the child and I’ll act like none of this ever happened. We’ll go ahead with the wedding.”

“Impossible!” Jack snapped, then quickly lowered his voice.

“That child is Katy’s. I don’t have the right to make that decision.”

Katy’s face went ghostly pale. Without warning, she fell to her knees in front of me with a dull thud. Clutching her belly, her voice came out in broken sobs.

“Hayley, I swear there’s nothing between me and Jack. The baby’s already eight months along—he just kicked me… I can’t… I just can’t…”

She shook as she cried, her whole body trembling.

Jack’s expression was taut with emotion. After a brief pause, he bent down to help her up and gave me a strained, helpless smile.

“Hayley… asking her to abort now is like tearing her heart out.”

I stared at him for a long moment. A cold smile tugged at my lips.

“Oh? Feeling sorry for her now?”

Jack flinched, then looked at me with a wounded expression. “I didn’t expect you to be so heartless. If that’s your condition for marriage… then maybe we were never meant to be. Let’s just break up.”

“Hayley, don’t blame Jack—he’s innocent!” Katy suddenly burst into tears. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I just… I can’t give up this child. But if you still don’t believe us, I’ll prove our innocence right now—with my life!”

Before I could react, she suddenly rushed toward the balcony.

My heart leapt into my throat. I instinctively stepped forward, but Jack, already panicking, darted after her.

Just as we reached her, Katy crumpled to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Jack dropped to his knees and gathered her into his arms, his body trembling with fear and emotion.

After a long pause, he lifted his head. His eyes were cold as they met mine.

“Hayley,” he said icily, “your baseless accusations nearly pushed Katy to her death.”

His voice held no warmth. His gaze no longer saw me as the woman he loved—but as a stranger.

“She’s just a young girl—pregnant and fragile. You can stand there and watch, but I can’t.”

Then he stood up, still holding Katy and barked at me. “Move!”

I stood frozen, unable to speak. “I… I didn’t mean…”

“Jack… the baby… the baby’s coming…” Katy whimpered weakly before her eyes fluttered closed.

“Katy!” Jack’s face turned deathly pale. He shoved me aside and rushed out the door with her in his arms.

I fell to the floor, biting down on my trembling lips, but I couldn’t stop the cold that was seeping into my bones.

I stayed up all night, staring at the ceiling, heart numb. At dawn, my phone lit up with a message from him.

“I lost my temper last night and spoke too harshly.” “Hayley, I’m sorry.”

Tears welled in my eyes the moment I saw his name. All these years, whenever we fought, he was always the one to apologize first. And I would always forgive him.

But this time… was different. This wound couldn’t be patched up.

Before I could reply, another message came in—A photo.

In it, Jack was cradling a newborn baby gently in his arms. His gaze as he looked at the child was soft—tender, like spring rain.

“Katy gave birth early, but both mother and daughter are safe.”

“She looks just like me.”

“Katy has no family. I’ll be staying at the hospital for the next three days to care for them.”

“Let’s postpone the wedding a week. I’m too overwhelmed right now.”

Ordinary words. Yet each one stabbed straight through me.

I stood up in a daze.

One by one, I tore the wedding decorations from the walls.

Then I picked up a pair of scissors and began cutting the wedding dress into shreds.

My hands trembled uncontrollably as I packed my suitcase.

Just as I zipped it shut, Mrs. Jack walked in. Her face was glowing with excitement.

“Jack asked me to bring him a change of clothes at the hospital,” she said cheerfully. “And as his grandmother, I can’t wait to see my little granddaughter.”

Seeing my silence, she gently took my arm and smiled kindly.

“Hayley, Jack was wrong not to tell you about the sperm donation. I know it hurt your pride—but that’s not an unforgivable mistake, is it?”

“Auntie knows how deep your feelings are for each other. Are you really going to break up over something so small?”

“As for the things said in the family group yesterday… let’s not take them too seriously, alright?”

“Come on, let’s go to the hospital. Take a look at the baby. Give Jack a way out. Once this all calms down, it’ll be over.”

I followed her like a ghost, every step hollow.

When I finally came to my senses, I was already standing at the hospital room door.

Inside, Katy lay pale and weak on the bed, her face streaked with tears, clearly exhausted from the pain of giving birth.

Jack gently cradled the newborn in his arms, softly humming a lullaby.

Even Jack’s father, who rarely smiled, looked unusually cheerful.

“Since Jack’s a pilot, let’s name the baby Ava Jet—to carry on the family’s aviation legacy!” he suggested with pride.

“What nonsense!” Jack’s mother snapped. “How can a little girl be given a name like that?”

She reached out eagerly to hold the baby.

But Jack stepped aside, protective. “Mom, you don’t know how to hold her properly. You might hurt her.”

Then his eyes landed on me, lighting up with excitement. “Hayley, come look! Her little hands, her tiny feet—aren’t they adorable?”

He leaned in to kiss the baby, then abruptly stopped, flustered like a child caught doing something wrong. “No, no. Daddy can’t pass germs to you.”

I had never seen him like this before—clumsy, tender, childishly excited. He was glowing with the joy of being a first-time father, eager to share it with the world.

But I was the last person he should have shared it with.

I forced a stiff smile, tugging at the corner of my lips, then turned to leave.

Jack quickly caught up, gently holding the baby out to me.

“Hayley, look at her nose and mouth—don’t they look just like mine?”

I glanced down. The resemblance was undeniable.

That tiny face could’ve been carved from his.

A sharp sting rose behind my eyes and my throat tightened with pain. But I pushed the blanket aside coldly, meeting his eager gaze with ice.

“Take her away. She’s ugly. Just looking at her annoys me.”

The baby immediately began to cry. Jack’s face darkened as he gently patted her to soothe her.

Jack’s mother glared at me like a dagger. “The only one who’s annoying here is you!”

Jack’s father jabbed a finger toward the door. “You’re not welcome here. Get out!”

Just then, Katy stirred on the hospital bed, her voice weak but pleading. “Hayley… I want to speak with her alone.”

The Lawndsey family hesitated, but after a moment, they left and closed the door behind them.

Katy turned to me with a face full of remorse. “Hayley, I never wanted to come between you and Jack. He truly loves you. That night… he was drunk and we…”

My mind went blank. “It wasn’t a sperm donation?” I asked, my voice hollow.

She turned away, avoiding my eyes. “It was Jack who asked me to keep it from you. He didn’t want to break your heart.”

“When I found out I was pregnant, I was already three months along. He was furious. He said he’d give me a lump sum once the baby was born and that I should never bring it up again.”

“Then why tell me now?” I asked coldly. “Why show up at my door with your belly out? Why not keep the lie going forever?”

She hadn’t expected me to confront her so directly. Her face flushed and she bit her lip in silence.

I let out a cold laugh. “Well, now that I’ve broken up with him and your child is born, the three of you can live happily ever after. So what are you still worried about?”

Her expression twisted. Her lips curled into a strange, sinister smile.

Then—without warning—she rolled off the hospital bed with a loud thud onto the floor.

She screamed in panic, her voice trembling, “Hayley, I know I was wrong! Please, don’t hit me!”

I stood there, utterly stunned. I hadn’t even moved.

Before I could speak, a strong hand yanked me backward.

Smack!

Pain exploded across my cheek. I tasted blood.

Mr. Lawndsey stood before me, eyes burning with fury. “You wretched girl! Do you think a hospital is a place to cause a scene?”

He raised his hand again, but Jack quickly stepped in between us.

“She’s my fiancée,” he said coldly. “I’ll handle it.”