The next day, after Rylen left for work, I followed not long after.

When I arrived, Kristen Horn, Rylen's secretary, looked surprised. "Mrs. Huff, what brings you here? Mr. Huff is in a meeting right now—"

I interrupted her, coldly asking, "Which department is Jane in?"

Kristen paused for a moment before quickly replying, "She's in the finance department."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

After the pantry incident, Rylen told me he had transferred Jane to the company's least significant department to get back at her for me.

Realizing how naive I had been, I gave a self-mocking smile.

Neither Rylen, who had known Jane since childhood, nor Eddy, my wealthy ex, would let her suffer.

At that thought, I didn't say anything more. I just turned and walked straight toward the finance department.

As I reached the door, I overheard a burst of laughter inside. "No way! Jane, you're pregnant?"

Standing at the doorway, I chuckled. "What a coincidence."

The moment I spoke, the office fell silent. Everyone turned to look at me.

Jane's smile froze. She was clearly surprised by my sudden appearance.

Ignoring her, I signaled for Theo to distribute the gift boxes I brought. "These are for you all. I came here today to share some good news."

I gently touched my belly and smiled. "I'm two months pregnant."

The office erupted in congratulatory cheers.

Jane took a box and gave me a smile, but I caught the brief flash of mockery in her eyes.

At that moment, Rylen rushed in. He was breathing a bit heavily, clearly in a hurry. "Why did you come here all of a sudden?"

He was asking me, but his gaze kept flickering to Jane. Their gazes met briefly in the air before snapping away just as quickly.

I acted as if I hadn't seen anything. I turned back to Rylen with a smile. "I'm just bringing gifts for the staff and sharing the good news."

Rylen paused, then pulled me into his arms and smiled down at me in a way that was almost too affectionate.

"Just ask Theo to do it. Your body's weak. Don't go running around. You might harm the baby."

The moment he finished speaking, I noticed Jane's smile fade a little.

I took the opportunity to slip my arm around Rylen's and leaned against him in the most intimate way possible. "Okay, honey. I won't do it again."

Rylen stiffened for a second but still wore that smile.

Later that evening, he took me to a restaurant downstairs. During dinner, he seemed distracted. His gaze constantly drifted to his phone.

When he stepped away to use the restroom, I seized the chance to grab his phone.

Sure enough, he was messaging Jane.

Jane wrote. "You two looked pretty cozy this afternoon. You're not actually falling for her, are you? Don't forget. She almost stole my boyfriend! Clare Bender is a straight-up bitch!"

Rylen replied, "Don't worry. How could I fall for someone you hate? I'm with her just to avenge you. And I'm only doing this to make sure she has the baby."

I thought I was prepared for this, but seeing those words still felt like someone had torn my heart out. The pain seeped down to my stomach.

When Rylen returned and saw my pale face and the sweat on my forehead, his expression shifted instantly.

Before I could say anything, he scooped me up into his arms and rushed straight to the parking lot.

But we didn't expect to run into Eddy, who was there to pick up Jane after work.

The moment they laid eyes on each other, their faces all paled.

Jane, in particular, lunged forward almost instantly. Her voice cracked as she asked, "What's wrong with her? She seemed fine this afternoon. What happened?"

Eddy stepped forward, panicked. "Don't just stand there. Take her to the hospital!"

I lay in Rylen's arms, clearly seeing the flash of jealousy in his eyes.

At that moment, I couldn't help but feel a bitter irony inside me.

When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor quickly finished his examination. "She's fine. It's just emotional stress. She just needs to rest for a while."

Emotional stress?

But Rylen didn't dwell on it. After all, it was normal for a pregnant woman to have mood swings.

After leaving the doctor's office, Rylen asked about all the necessary precautions and diligently wrote them down.

He then called Theo over and gave him a stern order. "Arrange for a few bodyguards to stay with Clare. Nothing like today's incident can happen again."

After that, he finally walked into the ward and sat by my bedside. "You really scared me today."

I asked softly, "But the baby's fine, right?"

My casual tone seemed to unsettle him. Frowning, he said seriously, "But I can't afford the risk of losing it. Clare, you know how hard it was for you to get pregnant with this child."

I knew all too well. No one knew better than me what it felt like to endure 99 painful egg retrievals with a 12-inch needle.

Just then, my phone rang. The nurse's voice came through. "Ms. Bender, I wanted to confirm the time for your abortion appointment the day after tomorrow."

I paused for two seconds before replying softly, "The first session in the morning."

Just after hanging up, Rylen frowned. "First session? Are you going somewhere?"

I looked up at him and replied calmly, "It's nothing. A new movie is being released, and I want to catch the first show."

Rylen's frown deepened. "You're still weak. You shouldn't be going out right now."

Smiling, I looked at him. "Well, I can't just stay cooped up at home all the time. If you're really worried, you can come with me."

As soon as I said that, Rylen was about to agree, but in the next heartbeat, he hesitated.

"I have an important meeting the day after tomorrow. Theo will go with you."

I nodded, saying nothing more. I knew the day after tomorrow was Jane's birthday.

I spent the day at the hospital, with many of my college friends coming to visit, except for Jane.

When I went out to get some fresh air, I suddenly heard her voice in the hallway.

"Jane, you're already here. Why not go in and see her?"

Jane snorted. "Why should I? I stole her boyfriend back then, so she probably hates my guts right now. Seeing me today already stressed her out. I'm not about to go in and make things worse."

One of my friends sighed. "But didn't you two get along well back then? How did it come to this?"

Jane laughed like she had heard the biggest joke. "Whoever said we were close? I only approached her to use her to meet Eddy. After all, he was the campus heartthrob, and his family is rich. Who wouldn't want to be a wealthy wife?"

There was a pause before my friend asked, "What about Rylen? He's just as good as Eddy, if not better."

Jane's voice dripped with disdain. "Things that are right in front of you aren't as interesting as something you have to fight for."

I stood outside the hallway, my fingers slowly tightening into fists.

When I returned to my ward, Rylen immediately came over and gave my nose a playful rub. "I told you not to run around, you little troublemaker."

I looked at the smile on his face, and for a moment, the bitterness in my chest faded.

Because it seemed like I wasn't the only one being treated like a pawn.

…

The next day, I was discharged, but Rylen didn't come. Theo explained, "Mr. Huff is catching up with Mr. Rhodes at home."

"Mr. Rhodes?"

"Yeah, the chairman, Mr. Hayden Rhodes. He has been abroad for years. He just came back to visit."

When we returned to the villa, there was an elderly man sitting in the living room.

He leaned on a cane. His presence was so overwhelming that even Rylen seemed subdued.

When I walked in, both of them looked up. In that brief moment of eye contact, Hayden suddenly stood up. "You… You're…"

Rylen was startled. "Mr. Rhodes, this is my wife. What's wrong?"

Hayden seemed to snap back to reality. He cleared his throat softly. "Nothing. She just looks so much like my late wife."

Rylen froze for a second, then chuckled. "Well, that's quite the compliment."

After he introduced me, we started preparing for dinner.

At the dinner table, Hayden patted Rylen's shoulder, his voice thick with a sense of relief and pride.

"I've never had much luck in life, and I have no children to carry on my name. I'll be relying on you to carry the company forward. Now that you've started your own family, and your wife is pregnant, I can finally feel at ease."

Rylen nodded and reassured him. "Don't worry. I'll take charge of the company. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

After dinner, we saw Hayden off. Before he left, he turned around and gave me a long, lingering look. For some reason, that gaze felt eerily familiar.

I didn't think too much of it and went upstairs to pack a few important things.

Tomorrow, not only would the baby be gone, but so would I and every trace of my existence.

But as I was packing, I realized that the sapphire necklace I had recently bought was missing.

I rummaged through my vanity and drawers, but I couldn't find it.

Finally, my eyes landed on a gift box on Rylen's desk. It was exquisitely wrapped, clearly meant for someone else.

I walked over and opened it.

Inside was my sapphire necklace. Next to it was a card with two lines of text. "I've done so much for you. When will you look at me just once?"

There was no doubt who it was for.

At that moment, I actually laughed out of pure frustration.

It turned out that the proud Rylen could be reduced to this in front of the woman he loved.

As I stared at the words, the pain in my chest was so sharp I felt like I couldn't breathe.

The next second, I ripped off my wedding ring and tossed it into the gift box.

Since he loved her so much, I'd give them both a gift they'd never forget.

The next morning, I put on a beautiful dress.

Leaning against the doorframe, Rylen looked at me and chuckled. "You're just going to watch a movie. Why are you dressed so formally?"

Before I left, he bent down and kissed my forehead. His voice was incredibly gentle as he said, "I'll pick you up once the meeting's over."

I nodded and quietly said, "Okay."

…

Half an hour later, I was sitting in the hospital waiting room.

The nurse stood by my side, making one final confirmation. "Ms. Bender, are you absolutely sure about this? You've undergone so many rounds of IVF. Your body is fragile. If you go through with the abortion now, you might never be able to have children again."

I took the papers without hesitation and replied slowly, "I want to terminate the pregnancy. Even if I die on the operating table today, I want it gone."

The nurse froze for a second, clearly shocked by my resolve.

After signing the documents, I changed into the surgical gown and prepared to head to the operating room.

Just then, my phone suddenly started vibrating wildly. The screen flashed with Rylen's name.

I picked it up.

The moment I answered, I heard his panicked voice on the other end. "Clare, let me explain. It's not what you think! That gift box… That gift box isn't—"

His voice faltered, filled with a panic I'd never heard from him before.

Just then, the nurse's voice cut through the air. "Ms. Bender, the surgery is about to begin. Please turn off your phone."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

The next second, Rylen's breath hitched, as though an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.

Then, he completely lost it. "Surgery? What surgery? Didn't you go to watch a movie? Clare Bender, where the hell are you right now?"

His voice was shaking with terror, as if he were on the edge of losing his mind.

I simply stared at the screen, swiped to end the call, and turned my phone off.