Shawn froze for a second, but there was no hint of guilt or surprise at being caught cheating. All he could manage was a straight face with an irritated expression.

"Yelena, I can't believe you were secretly taking pictures! It was just my sister losing a dare and I was helping her out. Why are you making such a fuss about nothing?"

The only reply he got was a deafening slam of the door.

He kicked the door and yelled at me outside, calling me petty and unforgiving.

I was too weak to do anything, so I could only lean against the door and wait for him to leave.

Without realizing it, I was already in tears.

Part 3

I thought I had handled the breakup as gracefully as possible.

But Shawn's blunt and unfiltered words made him seem like a stranger to me.

Throughout our five-year relationship, I always tried to be considerate of his feelings.

I'd seen how ugly my parents could be when they fight, so whenever Shawn and I argued, I chose to swallow my pride and avoid saying anything mean to hurt him.

Shawn's tender, fragile nature often left me feeling heartbroken.

Our five years together were quite a joke

I met Shawn in college.

After we got together, he often complained about being unable to find a stable job for some reason.

His family looked down on him and didn't support him, so he would complain about being broke.

Every time I heard this, I felt a sense of shared struggle.

As a girl with a younger brother, I understood the feeling of being powerless.

I did as many part-time jobs as I could during my free time.

After saving enough for my monthly expenses, I'd scrape a few thousand to send him.

Back then, I just felt sorry for him and his helpless life.

I did my best to support him, absorbing all his negative emotions.

I believed that one day, through our combined efforts, we’d have our own home and wouldn’t have to keep moving around.

After graduation, I gave up a chance to study abroad offered by my mentor, so that Shawn could focus on his creative work.

Desperate to earn money to support our family, I maintained my work and took on extra writing gigs at night to make ends meet.

All for the illusion of a “home” that never even existed.

Looking back now, I realize I spoiled Shawn to the point of indulgence. He only cared about his happiness and disregarded everything else.

I've ended up like this. I guess it's karma for not seeing through him.

Seeing how little money I had left, I knew I had to get my life back together.

After thinking it over, I went to the hospital and asked the doctor to schedule an abortion.

I was born into misfortune. I couldn’t let my child have such a terrible father.

This child and I were simply not meant to be.

Just as I was about to go into surgery, Shawn called me.

As soon as I picked up, deafening music blasted and Shawn shouted on the other end.

"Tell that idiot Yelena who Shawn Sterling is!"

I stayed silent, swallowing back the words I wanted to say.

On the other end of the phone, Shawn continued his rant.

"Yelena, you’ve spent years licking my boots and sending me a bit of money every month. Isn't all your scheming to cling to me and latch onto our Sterling Family?"

"It's too late to break up with me now! You've been completely controlled by me."

"If you're smart, come crawling back and apologize to me. Maybe I'll give you another chance."

So noisy. Was Shawn this kind of jerk?

Looking at the baby's strong heartbeat on the ultrasound, I sighed.

It felt like the delicate, crystal-like image of Shawn in my mind had just vanished like smoke.

During the month I spent recovering after surgery, I saw Shawn completely let loose in Hannah's social media posts.

She posted many updates, each one aimed at reminding me.

It was around this time that I realized ...

Shawn wasn’t just some frustrated art student.

He was the youngest son of the wealthy Sterling Family in this city, naturally above others.

But since there were so many sons in his family, they all fought each other openly for the family fortune.

His father had set strict conditions for the inheritance, wanting each child to be self-reliant.

Shawn, who had always longed for freedom and the arts, had been spoiled by his elders for many years and no longer had the drive to compete with his siblings.

During our five years together, he didn't have significant investments but never lacked anything.

As I scroll through these posts showing off luxury cars and yachts.

I couldn't understand why Shawn would be interested in someone as ordinary as me.

Seeing me working my butt off all the time, it just didn't make sense.

He watched me work tirelessly to secure a stable life, trying to earn extra money to support his daily expenses.

Was each plea for money just Shawn’s test of my love?

What difference could the money I saved each month make to him?

Did he only feel loved if I gave him everything I had?

I wish I could never see him again.

I quickly moved out and blocked all contact with Shawn.

I gradually let go of the regrets, hardships and disappointments I felt about the child and my pitiful love life.

But the anger and resentment in my heart tell me …

Shawn owed me. He owed me for the loss of our child and he must pay for it.

Part 4

Hannah, this girl, was very ridiculously straightforward.

She looked proud and triumphant when she saw Shawn and me fall out.

Every day, she would share stories of her and Shawn’s so-called "true love" since childhood, as if reporting her daily work.

Shawn's deep affection for her seemed half-hearted, especially after her family's fall from grace was mentioned again.

The online rumours about me as the "Fainted Girl" had been getting worse and worse lately.

Somehow, people found out I was pregnant at the time, which explained the fainting.

Though I wasn’t a famous writer, I still had some readers on social media.

The comic based on my love story with Shawn had been a surprise hit.

But then, the popular series was abruptly canceled. When I contacted the magazine for an explanation, everyone gave vague answers before hanging up.

I felt like I was caught in a storm of public opinion with a poor reputation.

Getting famous on the internet wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

My long-absent parents, following the rumors, showed up at my door.

The first thing my mother asked when she saw me was, "Are you really pregnant?"

I nodded. "Yes, I’m … "

Before I finished speaking, my father slapped me.

My left cheek burned and swelled. Then, I swallowed all the words I wanted to say.

My father's face was dark as he put his cigarette on the door, sneering, "How could our family have someone as shameless as you?"

I only opened the door and invited them in, saying, "Family scandals shouldn't be publicized. Let's talk inside."

"You're pregnant before marriage. What good deal can you still get?” My mother picked up a broom near the door, ready to hit me.

My father stopped her and asked me to explain in detail about the man I was involved with.

He wanted to see if I was still useful to him.

I needed this kind of gangster's channel to handle things.

So, I greatly exaggerated Shawn's family background when I told him.

They leisurely sat on the sofa after venting from a high moral ground.

My father said happily, "Getting involved with a man from such a good family is like a blessing for our family! Yelena, even though you have no shame, this child came at the perfect time."

He analyzed, "The Sterlings are currently splitting their inheritance. This child is practically a God-given bargaining chip for you to marry into that family."

I put on a troubled expression and humbly pleaded with him.

"Shawn is irresponsible. He doesn’t want to acknowledge this child and I’m really at my wits’ end. I can only rely on you and Mom to help me."

As soon as I said that, my mother seemed to regain all her confidence and replaced her anger with determination.

She held my hand, teaching me how to hold onto a rich man—forget about pride or dignity. As long as one family member succeeds, the whole family benefits.

I quickly agreed and promised my parents, "Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. I used to be immature, but now I understand that only my family treats me well. I promise if I can marry into the Sterling Family, I will do my best to help my brother buy a house and get married."

My father lit his second cigarette. He declared coldly through the hazy smoke, "Whether he wants to recognize it or not, he’ll have to." Then he pulled my mom away.

My father was a gambler and a thug who was good at making a big scene.

A few days later, my father faked my pregnancy test results and paid a bunch of online influencers to spread the rumour.

People started linking Shawn’s freeloading habits over the past five years to the "fainted girl’s" pregnancy.

This made the rumors even more convincing.

As I thought of how to fuel the fire even more, Shawn and Hannah showed up at my door.