My foster sister was obsessed with Orville Herschel—my very man I married.

She poured her heart into letters—confessing her love a thousand times.

She stood outside his door night after night, almost a thousand of them.

The one night she wasn't there? She fainted from a fever.

But thank god, my husband never looked at her the same way. In fact, he couldn’t stand even the sight of her.

“Blaire, I’ll only ever love Presley in this lifetime. I can never love you—not a chance, not even in another universe!”

Those exact words from Orville made my sister go nuts.

She stabbed me in the belly—while I was pregnant. Not just stabbed—twisted the knife like she was trying to scoop my baby out of me.

“Hate me all you want, Orville! But at least now you’ll remember me forever!”

And then, she threw herself at the window.

When I woke up in the hospital, Orville told me two things—the baby didn’t make it… and Blaire was dead.

But three years later, a clip of a street interview on a French reality show about true love went viral.

It was Orville and Blaire, kissing under the Eiffel Tower!

She looked very much alive… and very much pregnant!

[True love is seeing the world together] was the headline.

My hands traced the scar on my belly as my tears streamed down my cheeks.

‘So she’s not dead? All this time, she’s just living in France with my own husband?!’

——

That day, I cried like I lost my baby again. The scar on my belly ached dully with the rainy weather.

I kept asking myself, ‘How? How the hell did he forget the promise he made to me?’

Once upon a time, he swore, “Even when I die, I’ll never forgive Blaire. I’d even drag her to hell myself!”

I thought that was how much he hated her.

But now? Jokes on me ‘cause apparently, my own husband had been lying to my face for three damn years—for the woman he swore he’d never, ever love!

He actually hid the truth from me that long!

Maybe that was why he didn’t tell me where Blaire was buried. He just spat out, “Her ashes are scattered somewhere. I made sure a criminal like her wouldn’t even be treated like a person!”

I cried for three days straight, and I thought I’d emptied every last tear.

I only had one question left spinning in my head. ‘How does someone suddenly love the person they swore they’d never forgive?’

When Orville came back, he found me curled up silently by the window.

When he held me, I should’ve pushed him away. But instead, I let him… and smelled it—a feminine scent.

And for a stupid second, I wanted to believe.

‘Maybe that video’s fake. Maybe he had no choice. Maybe—God, maybe—there’s some kind of explanation.

‘Because he’s my Orville. We’ve known each other for 20 long years. We’re each other’s first love!

‘So how the hell could he fall in love with the psycho who murdered our baby?!’

I clutched his shirt and looked up at him through blurry eyes.

“Orville… Tell me… That video from France—it’s fake, right? Tell me they edited it or something.

“You said Blaire was dead. You told me you scattered her ashes. You can’t be in love with her. Right?”

He froze. His eyes scanned my face.

“You… saw it?

“Presley… It’s not what you think. I can’t—I can’t explain it like this. Just wait for Dad. He’ll tell you everything.”

My eyes widened. “What? Dad? You mean, he knew? He knew Blaire’s not dead? He knew you’re making a baby with my sister without telling me?!”

His jaw clenched. “Presley, don’t say it like that. It’s not what you think.”

He pulled me closer and pressed my hand to his chest as if his heart was still mine.

“Darling, listen. We did it for you.

“Your body got hurt so bad that you can’t conceive.

“And Blaire… She hit her head and lost her memory. Presley, she’s willing to have a baby—for us. She’s not asking for money, or marriage, or anything.

“She just wants… She just wants to stay with me.

“Come on, she’s your sister, after all. And now, she’s just this blank slate who only remembers loving me. I thought you’d understand.”

“Orville,” I said in disbelief, “you told me I was enough! You told me you didn’t even want kids! It’s only been three years, so how could you... how could you forget all that?”

I didn’t know tears could still drown me when I’ve cried myself dry.

Unfortunately, heartbreak always finds more.

‘How could he forget why I can’t have children? How could he forget our baby?’

Seeing me crying like my whole world just collapsed, a flicker of guilt crossed Orville’s face.

“Presley,” he said softly, “I know it’s a lot to take in right now. But it’s okay, you… you’ll come around. You see, Blaire has already paid the price. We can’t just let her die out there. Life has to go on…”

I grabbed his arm, my voice shaking with rage.

“Orville! She killed our baby! And you’re telling me to accept her child?! That’s not moving on but stabbing me again and again and asking me to say thank you! Oh, my god, Orville, do you even hear yourself?!”

His whole body tensed, and the room fell into suffocating silence.

I followed his gaze—and that’s when I realized, ‘Oh, he didn’t come back alone.’

Standing in the doorway was my dear little criminal sister.

Three years later, here she was again.

She clung to our father’s sleeve, trying to peek out from behind him like a lost lamb. Her face was small and pale but glowing with that soft “motherly” innocence pregnancy gives a woman.

Meanwhile, I looked like I’d clawed my way out of hell—eyes swollen, face blotchy, even the fine lines around my eyes screaming heartbreak.

Seeing that criminal, I felt my chest rise with a wave of anger.

Orville gently pushed me aside and stood up.

“You didn’t wait for me. I told you I’d come pick you up.”

Blaire gave a shy smile and cast a glance my way.

“You said I’d get to meet my sister, remember? I couldn’t wait, so I begged Dad to bring me here.”

Then, as if she hadn’t just shattered my world, she walked up to me with those wide, watery eyes.

“You’re Presley, right? They told me you always loved me so much growing up…”

She tilted her head, frowning slightly, with a pitiful softness that made me want to scream.

“Too bad I hit my head and forgot everything… Isn’t that tragic?”

Looking at her, exactly the same delicate little act she used to put on, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Rage boiled over, and I slapped her hand away.

“Get out! You monster! How dare you stand in front of me? You murdered my child—you’re a devil in disguise!”

She stumbled backward, nearly falling.

And of course—of course—Orville rushed to her side like some kind of knight in shining armor, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Blairie! Did you hurt your back? Is your belly okay?”

Dad practically sprinted over to her too, fussing and fretting like she was made of glass.

“Quick, sit her on the couch!”

“I’ll call Dr. Haines!” Orville said in a panic. “I’ll have him come over right now!”

Blaire gave him a soft, saintly smile.

“I’m fine, Orville. Don’t worry.”

Then she turned to me, and the next second she was all tears and trembling lips.

“Presley… I don’t know what happened. Did I do something terrible before I lost my memory? If I did, let me apologize now, please…”

Hah. She even started to kneel.

But Dad caught her and turned on me, his face twisted with anger.

“Presley! We’ve always been patient with you—because of your health, we’ve given in to you over and over. But look at you now! So spoiled, so heartless!

“You want to blame Blairie for the loss of your baby? Fine. But sweetie, she’s been punished. She was like half-dead in the hospital bed for a year!

“If it weren’t for Orville finding every specialist he could, your sister wouldn’t even be alive. And now she’s lost her memory.

“Isn’t that enough? Do you really have to keep torturing her?”

I stood there frozen, staring at the man I once called Dad.

The same man who used to call me his precious little princess.

The dad who swore he’d skin anyone alive who dared hurt me.

The man who held my hand when I miscarried… who cooked for me… who said, “I should’ve never trusted that girl!”

Back then, if Blaire had still been alive?

He’d have killed her himself.

‘So when did he start wishing she’d survived? When did he start giving a damn about that fucking bitch?!’

Orville must’ve seen me zoning out because I felt his hand gently reached for mine.

“Presley, can you stop already? We’re doing this for your own good. Besides, Blaire’s still a McDowell. And what’s done is done. Wouldn’t it be better if we all just lived peacefully together?”

I stared at the man I had loved for 20 freaking years.

‘Live peacefully? Together?! What the hell is he planning?!

‘What, he gets to enjoy two women? Me as the dutiful wife, and Blaire as his charming mistress? Or maybe he wants no labels at all. Just two women under one roof, worshipping him like some divine gift to womankind?’

I opened my mouth, only to find that my voice had become unbearably hoarse.

“Orville… are you saying our baby died for nothing? And now you want me to share my husband with the woman who killed our baby?!”

Before I could even finish, he cut me off—annoyed.

“Presley, it’s in the past. The baby’s gone. Talking about it now won’t change anything.

“That baby just… didn’t make it. He wasn’t strong enough to live. That’s not on anyone.”

I had never seen him like this. Cold. Unbothered. Like it was just some small thing that happened.

That baby was our first! We picked his name together! We used to talk about what he might look like. Maybe he'd have thick eyebrows like his dad’s and almond eyes like mine!

‘But now? All Orville cares about is Blaire, Blaire, Blaire!

‘Three years. That’s all it took for him to forget our baby!’

I braced myself and stood up, my gaze scanning the room before locking onto his face.

“Orville. Tell her to leave. This is your last chance.”

“No!” He didn’t even hesitate at all.

I rubbed my forehead in exhaustion and suddenly gave up any hope of fighting for him.

“Fine. Then let’s get divorced. I’ll let her have you.”

My father stormed over in rage and before I knew it, he had already slapped me across the face.

“Orville’s a great husband and you want to divorce him? I’ll break your legs before I let that happen!”

His finger jabbed at me like a knife as he yelled.

“You’ve gotten so petty, Presley! Your sister’s been sick and Orville’s been taking care of everything while you sit around being bitter. And now you can’t even be civil to her? How could you be this selfish?!”

I held my cheek, letting out a breathless laugh.

‘So that’s what I am now? Petty. Selfish. Spoiled. People destroy me, and I’m supposed to smile and thank them for it?’

Orville’s face shifted a little when he saw me—like he felt a twinge of guilt.

“Presley, stop. You know I’ll never divorce you. Twenty years… No one else compares. My love for you—”

But he stopped mid-sentence.

He looked at Blaire.

And I saw it.

Guilt.

She looked at my husband like a sad little angel after a storm, all shaky and pale, big teary eyes about to spill but not quite, staring at him like she was about to break.

“O-Orville… So you really love my sister? You’re just with me out of… pity?”

Orville frantically tried to explain.

“No, Blaire!” he rushed to say. “That’s not what I meant. You and Presley are… different. She’s family. But you—you’re the one I want to protect.”

He was scrambling now, talking way too fast.

Blaire sniffled and sobbed through her words. “It’s… all my fault. I… I ruined everything between you and my sister.

“If you hadn’t said… you loved me… If you hadn’t promised… you’ll stay by my side forever, I never would’ve done it. I didn’t want to hurt my sister! I’m a monster!

“I’ll… I’ll end it. I’ll get rid of this baby! I-I don’t want to bring a child into a home with no love. I don’t want people pointing fingers at my child!”

She cried and cried, and Orville freaked, trying to reassure her.

“Blaire, no! Please don’t say that.

“Look at me. Things have changed now. I love you now. And this baby?

“This baby is ours. He’s proof of our love. No one’s gonna point fingers, okay? I promise.”