###Chapter 1

At our fourth anniversary yacht party, my fiancé went missing during a dive.

One of his friends ran onto the deck, almost slipping as he shouted, “Darren’s oxygen tank malfunctioned. He sank!”

My whole body started shaking. I grabbed diving gear and jumped into the ocean without thinking. Like someone who had lost her mind, I searched everywhere underwater. In the end, all I found was an empty oxygen tank.

Using the last of my strength, I dragged myself onto a small deserted island nearby. Before I could even cry, I heard soft, sweet moans coming from behind the rocks.

That voice… why did it sound like my best friend, Riley Trelmont?

Behind the rocks, Riley was wrapped in a man’s arms, their clothes messy, their bodies pressed tightly together. That man… was my fiancé, Darren Eugene.

“Riley… don’t ever leave me again…”

His voice was soft, gentle and loving. A tone he had never used with me.

I covered my mouth and collapsed onto the sand. It felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs.

Only after they were done did Darren notice me sitting there, tears running down my face.

“Why are you here?” he frowned as he walked over.

Then he reached out his hand for my oxygen tank. “Whatever. Riley’s oxygen tank broke and she can’t swim. You’re a strong swimmer. Give this to her.”

Sharp pain tore through my heart. I held my seven-month pregnant belly and cried out, “I’m carrying your child!”

He glanced at my stomach and responded calmly, “It’s only a few miles, Vexia. Not a big deal. You can just swim back.”

In that moment, I finally understood. In his heart, there had always been only Riley Trelmont. I was just a mistake from four years ago. Something that happened after she left him. A drunken accident. A replacement.

He protected her and left me alone without looking back.

I gritted my teeth and swam toward the yacht. The sea water was freezing. My lower stomach felt heavy and painful…

Just as my vision started to blur, someone suddenly grabbed me. It was my father. With all his strength, he pushed me onto a floating board.

“My dear child… live well.”

Then, a huge wave rose and swallowed his last words… and his worried eyes.

When I woke up after being rescued, I wiped away my tears and called Darren’s father to cancel the engagement.

The old man was silent for a long time, then he let out a deep sigh. “Vexia, Darren is just confused right now. I know he loves you. He can’t live without you.”

I held the phone tightly and looked at my stomach.

I gave an empty smile. “I used to believe that too.”

The love he once gave me, my father’s life and my unborn child… they were all buried in that sea.

I didn’t want this engagement anymore.

In seven days, I would leave his world completely.

But before that, I would leave him three gifts. Gifts to thank him for everything he had done to me.

***

I woke up in the hospital. The anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off. My body felt heavy and cold, like I was still underwater.

Outside the door, I heard Darren’s low voice.

“Prepare for an emergency C-section today. Extract the fetus. Riley caught a cold and she needs the placental tissue for regenerative therapy.”

The doctor sounded shocked. “Mr. Eugene, the baby isn’t full term yet. And after Miss Solmere almost drowned, the pregnancy has already become unstable. Forcing it could cost both of their lives.”

“Riley can’t wait,” Darren cut him off sharply. “Besides, this is all her own fault. If she hadn’t dragged Riley to clubs and let her drink so much back then, Riley wouldn’t have ruined her health. She wouldn’t have lost the ability to get pregnant. She wouldn’t have left me.”

My whole body turned cold. I could barely breathe.

Back then, it was clearly Riley who loved partying. I tried to stop her. I tried to persuade her. But again and again, I was the one who went to pick her up when she was completely drunk.

That night, when she had alcohol poisoning, Darren rushed into the bar and saw me holding her. From that moment on, he believed I had been a bad influence for her.

“Do the surgery before she wakes up.”

“Mr. Eugene, what if the baby doesn’t survive?”

“So what?” His voice was hard and heartless. “This is the Eugene Family’s hospital. If you won’t do it, you can leave.”

Fear tightened around my throat. I wanted to move. I wanted to scream. But I couldn’t even open my eyes.

The man I had loved for ten years was ready to sacrifice our child for another woman.

Even though that woman had once left him the moment she thought he might lose his family inheritance.

“Fine. I hope you won’t regret this.”

After the doctor’s heavy sigh, I heard the surgery bed being pushed closer down the hallway.

No… please…

I couldn’t make a sound. Like a body slowly turning cold, I was pushed under the bright surgical lights.

The cold knife touched my skin and cut open my stomach without mercy.

Tears flowed from the corners of my closed eyes. Before darkness swallowed me, I heard the doctor’s tired voice.

“The baby… couldn’t be saved.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Darren replied without hesitation. “Handle the placental tissue properly. Send it to Riley’s room immediately.”

When I woke up again, I held my empty stomach. The pain was unbearable.

My phone was beside my pillow. My fingers trembled as I dialed a number.

When the call connected, I told the old man everything that had happened in the past few days. Every drop of blood. Every bit of pain.

After a long silence, Grant Eugene finally spoke with a hoarse voice. “Vexia… the Eugene Family has failed you.”

“You saved Darren’s life once, but now he caused you to lose your child. I will transfer half of his shares to your name. Give me seven days to arrange everything.”

“Okay.”

I bit my lip until it bled. The taste of blood mixed with my tears.

Darren Eugene, this is what you owe me. The copy of the share transfer agreement will be the first gift I leave behind.

I closed my eyes in pain.

Seven more days.

Then I would disappear.

###Chapter 2

Early the next morning, as the nurse changed my bandages, she spoke gently. “Miss Solmere… your father’s body was found by a fishing boat. He’s at the morgue now.”

The last piece of hope inside me shattered. Still, I forced myself to sit up despite the sharp pain.

“You can’t get out of bed yet…”

I pushed her hand away and slid off the bed. Step by step, holding onto the wall, I made my way toward the door.

In the hallway, I saw Darren. He was holding Riley in his arms, kissing her.

His hand rested on her slim waist. She looked radiant, healthy, glowing with life. Her voice was soft and sweet.

“After the placental tissue you got for me, I feel so much better today. Thank you, Darren.”

He kissed her forehead gently. “Ten years ago, you gave me your kidney. You saved my life. I’ll spend the rest of my life taking care of you.”

“That’s because I love you.”

Ten years ago? Was it really her who gave him a kidney?

The thought was so absurd I almost laughed. I turned away unsteadily.

The clean glass in the hallway showed my reflection. My face was pale and tired. My hair was tangled. My face was twisted in pain. I looked like a walking corpse.

I stumbled into the morgue. But the moment I lifted the white sheet and saw my father’s face, I collapsed to the floor.

My sobs echoed as I called my mother, who was overseas on a business trip.

“Mom… Dad… Dad is gone…”

Suddenly, I heard the sharp sound of high heels behind me.

Riley walked in.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Vexia. I’ll help arrange a beautiful funeral for your father,” she said with a mocking smile. “But of course, it will have to wait until after my baby shower.”

As she spoke, she raised her phone in front of me. On the screen was an ultrasound photo. She was already two months pregnant.

A strong wave of nausea instantly rose in my stomach. So, that day on that deserted island wasn’t their first time.

In front of me, they acted like they hated each other. But behind my back, they had been sleeping together again and again, using betrayal as a way to “thank” me.

I couldn’t stop myself from shouting, “Don’t you feel even a little guilty?”

Three months ago, Riley was thrown out by her wealthy husband after she cheated on him. Thus, she had nowhere to go. I was the one who took her in.

Darren strongly disagreed at first, but I persuaded him. “But she has no family. She has nowhere else to stay.”

In the end, he agreed, though he looked unhappy.

I didn’t realize I was inviting a wolf into my home.

When we were teenagers, Riley used to come to school with bruises on her face. Her single mother drank too much and hit her.

She had nowhere safe to go. So, I brought her home.

My parents treated her like their own daughter.

They cooked her favorite meals. They redecorated the guest room the way she liked. They even celebrated her birthdays.

When her mother didn’t show up for her graduation ceremony, my father went in her place so she wouldn’t feel ashamed standing there alone.

You could say my family protected her entire youth.

And now, like a venomous snake, she spoke cruel things with such a soft tone.

“Your father didn’t drown trying to save me, so why should I feel guilty? And your placental tissue becoming my treatment is your honor.”

“You ungrateful snake! Evil woman!”

Rage took over. I raised my hand to slap her. But before I could touch her, a cold hand seized my wrist.

When Riley let out a sharp cry, Darren threw me to the ground and quickly held her in his arms.

“She’s pregnant! What are you trying to do to her?”

The stitches in my abdomen tore open and pain exploded through me. I looked up at him, trembling with grief and fury.

“You killed my father. You took my child!”

Blood slowly spread through my hospital gown. Darren stared at the red stain and froze for a moment.

Then, Riley began to cry in his arms.

“Darren, my stomach hurts. She hurt me…. But her father’s and her baby’s death really weren’t my fault…”

Darren immediately carried her in his arms. His eyes were red with worry.

“I’m taking you to the doctor.”

When he looked back at me, his gaze turned cold.

“Your father drowned on his own. What does that have to do with Riley? And the baby? Look at yourself, Vexia. Jealous. Bitter. Ugly. What right do you have to be a mother?”

Ten years of love turned to ash at that moment.

I watched his back as he hurried away while I lay there on the floor in a mess. With the last of my strength, I dialed a number.

My voice was hoarse, but steady.

“Marry me. Is the family arrangement still valid?”

###Chapter 3

When I was born, my parents arranged an engagement between me and Luciel Calderon.

But when I grew up, I chose Darren instead. We couldn’t stand each other at first. Somehow, I believed that tension turned into love.

How ridiculous.

On the phone, Luciel’s voice was low, with a hint of teasing. “An arranged marriage? The Solmere family has already fallen, Vexia. What exactly do I gain from marrying you?”

“Then forget it.”

I was about to hang up when he muttered a curse. “You’re still as stubborn as ever. If you just softened your tone and said ‘Please, Luciel,’ would that really hurt you?”

He paused, then his teasing tone was gone. “I can marry you. But what about Darren? Is he going to let you walk away?”

Darren? He probably couldn’t wait for me to disappear, so he could give Riley the legal status as his wife.

My nose felt sore, but I held back my tears and told him about my father and my child.

“He’s got some nerve.” Luciel’s voice suddenly turned cold, then softened again a moment later. “Vexia, I’m coming to get you right now.”

“Give me six days,” I said quietly. “There are things I need to finish.”

“…Alright. In six days, I’ll come marry you.”

After the call ended, the weight on my chest eased slightly.

I took a taxi back to my parents’ house to pack my father’s belongings. When I opened the drawer he used most often, my vision blurred with tears.

Inside were two diamond necklaces. My father had prepared them as wedding gifts.

One for me.

And one for Riley.

But what right did she have to receive his love?

I picked up the necklace meant for her, ready to throw it away. But suddenly, a hand grabbed it from behind.

“Ah!”

Riley cried out. The necklace fell to the floor and the diamonds scattered everywhere.

I froze.

Darren rushed in. The moment he saw the thin line of blood on Riley’s finger, his expression changed.

“Riley!”

She held her own hand and trembled as she cried. “Vexia… since we were little, you’ve always wanted to take everything from me. Even the last thing your father left for me… you won’t let me have it? You even scratched me with the necklace…”

Looking at the broken diamonds on the floor, Darren frowned. He grabbed my necklace and put it into Riley’s hand.

But the one who always took everything… was her.

Even Darren.

I liked him first. The day after I told her about my feelings, I saw them kissing beside the basketball court.

Well, I could let Darren go. But that necklace was the last gift my father ever prepared for me.

“Give it back!”

I rushed toward Riley. That was when Darren noticed the blood soaking through my clothes. It had spread more than before.

“Vexia, you…”

“Because you lost your baby, you want to take mine too?” Riley suddenly cried, clutching her stomach. “How can you be this cruel?”

The small flicker of doubt in Darren’s eyes disappeared instantly.

“That’s enough. Losing the baby is punishment enough for you. You don’t deserve this necklace either.”

“Please… that was the last thing my dad left me…”

I begged him while crying. But he put the necklace around Riley’s neck.

“Take care of yourself.”

After saying that, he left with Riley, who was secretly smiling. He didn’t even look back.

I watched his back as he walked away. I felt so numb that I couldn’t even feel pain anymore.

After getting my wound treated again at a small clinic, I went home and started packing all the gifts Darren had given me over the past four years.

My hand paused at a locked drawer.

I tried Riley’s birthday as the password. And it opened.

Inside were dozens of pink lace nightgowns, more than ten pairs of custom Balenciaga high heels and a row of Chanel perfumes. They were exactly the same as the ones he had given me.

Only then did I understand. Every gift he chose for me was based on her taste. And every gift had a copy for her too.

For the past four years, he had never forgotten her.

I closed my eyes and forced my tears back. Then I reached under the bed and pulled out a document I had hidden for ten years. The kidney donation agreement.

Back then, the boy I loved collapsed during a basketball game. His kidney was severely damaged and his life was at risk.

It was me who secretly lay on the operating table and gave him my kidney.

The scar still ached on rainy days.

So, why did he believe Riley was the one who saved him?

I placed the agreement inside his safe.

Darren, this is the second gift I’m giving you. When you see it, what kind of face will you make?

I packed up all the gifts and arranged for them to be donated.

When the truck drove away at the end of the street, it felt like the last thread between us disappeared too.

Darren stepped into the house. He looked at the now empty rooms and frowned slightly.

“What did you just throw away?”