"Blake, don't be so nervous," Maya said softly. "The doctor said I'm fine."

"I just hate seeing you go through this," Blake murmured, his brow furrowed in distress.

Maya’s soft reply was like a knife to my gut. "It's all my fault. If I had just come back sooner, we wouldn't have all these problems."

My chest tightened, and it felt hard to breathe.

Just then, Blake spotted me. His frown deepened. "Are you following me?"

I didn't answer. But Maya, ever the peacemaker, feigned understanding. "Blake, Charlotte will understand. After all we've been through... Why would she follow us?"

Ha. Did she really think I was still that meek and submissive Mrs. Ross?

I let out a cold laugh. "You two are a match made in heaven, aren't you? After all, you're already planning to have a child together."

Blake's face turned ashen. "What the hell are you talking about? Maya and I are just friends!"

My body, still weak from the procedure, couldn't bear standing for long. A dull ache spread through my abdomen. I had no energy to argue, so I turned to leave.

But Maya suddenly took a step forward, blocking my path.

"Charlotte, wait." Before she could finish her sentence, she feigned a dizzy spell, collapsing dramatically against Blake.

Panic flashed in Blake's eyes. He shoved me hard and roared, "Are you crazy? Can't you see she's not well? Are you trying to give her a heart attack?"

Without another word, he shielded her with his body, helped her into the car, and sped away.

Watching them disappear, I felt no regret. She needed protection, but what about me?

The day Maya returned to New York, I should have known our marriage was over.

Back at the hotel Julian had arranged for me, I saw Maya's new Instagram post. It was a photo of a hand resting on an abdomen.

The caption read: "The bliss of being protected."

The post was flooded with comments.

"OMG, is that Blake from the Ross Group? Look at how gentle he is!"

"Of course, a childhood sweetheart gets special treatment."

"So you're finally having a child together? Congratulations!"

A short while later, Blake himself commented: "Don't spread rumors. I don't want Charlotte to get the wrong idea. We're just friends."

Someone immediately replied: "Give me a break. Everyone knows how you feel about Maya. If someone hadn't gotten in the way, you two would have been together years ago."

In the eyes of his friends in the financial world, I was the one who was in the way.

The truth was, five years ago, it was Maya who dumped him to try her luck in Los Angeles. It was me who stood by him during his lowest point.

I typed a reply: "Don't worry, that day will come soon."

Then, I posted a picture of my discharge papers from the clinic. The caption: "Saying goodbye to a future that should have never begun."

Instantly, my post set New York high society ablaze.

Likes and comments poured in, all from my family's old friends. Blake's circle was dead silent.

A moment later, my brother Grayson called. Then my father. Then Blake, over and over. I didn't answer a single one.

Grayson finally sent a text. "Julian told me everything. You just had surgery. He's on his way to get you. You need someone to take care of you right now."

I quickly zipped up my suitcase and headed for the door.

However, before I could take a single step, the hotel room door was swiped open. Blake burst in, his face a mask of fury.

He grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight I thought the bone might snap.

"Just because I helped Maya, you went behind my back and terminated the pregnancy? Are you insane? You didn't even tell me you were pregnant! Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this child?"

His words made my stomach churn.

Even now, did he still think I would be willing to have his child?

I ignored him and tried to brush past, but he yanked me back.

"I promised you—once we had our own child, I would cut ties with Maya completely. Isn't that enough?"

His audacity was breathtaking. I never knew a person could be so utterly shameless.

I couldn't take it anymore. I slapped him hard across the face.

"I don't care what you promise. I want a divorce! Haven't you always been desperate to be with Maya? My lawyer will be in touch."

With that, I walked out of the gilded cage that had trapped me for five years, and I never once looked back.

Behind me, Blake's furious roars echoed down the hallway.

"If you dare walk out that door, don't even think about coming back!"

How ridiculous. This was a decision I would never regret.

I called a car and headed to Julian's penthouse apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

When I arrived, Julian was already waiting for me at the door, worry etched into his features.

I told him about Maya asking Blake to be the father of her child, and Julian was livid.

"I knew it. He's a shameless bastard. Leave this to me, Charlotte. I'll handle everything."

Being with someone who genuinely cared, I felt a warmth I hadn't experienced in a long time. My defenses crumbled, and I broke down, sobbing in his arms.

Five years ago, I married Blake against everyone's advice. My parents, my brother, my relatives, my friends—not a single person supported it.

Even my childhood friend, Julian, had repeatedly warned me against it.

Back then, I thought they all looked down on Blake because the Ross family was merely "new money," having risen from the tech bubble.

I was so determined to prove my choice was right. I was so wrong.

Five years of my youth, wasted. But I was finally awake.

No matter what he did next, I would never go back.

However, Blake refused to agree to a divorce.

He sent a message: "Fine, we can get a divorce. But I need to talk to you in person."

I replied: "There's nothing left to say. If you don't sign, I'll see you in court."

His reply was nauseating: "You're making a mountain out of a molehill. Maya just wants a child. It has nothing to do with our marriage, why can't you understand?"

Every time her name came up, he painted Maya as some innocent victim.

I was pregnant, yet he was on the phone with her all day. Our anniversary? One call from Maya and he dropped everything to run to her side. He spent the entire day with her, going to various check-ups. He bought her gifts for every holiday.

If I got upset, he would scold me. "Come on, she suffered so much in Los Angeles and came back with huge debts. We grew up together. If I don't take care of her, who will?"

Looking back, I realized my unconditional love had turned a man who knew how to give into one who only knew how to take.