“Melia, I love you! I’ve loved you for a long time! If it weren’t for that damned marriage certificate, I’d marry you this instant!”

In that moment, it felt as if my heart had been torn into pieces and every breath came with searing pain...

Tavian’s passionate vows only came to an end when we reached the doors of the operating room.

During the examination, because it was under local anesthesia, Melia remained conscious the entire time.

From the moment she was wheeled in, her once pitiful expression shifted into one of blatant provocation.

“Liora, do you know why I was bleeding? It’s because Tavian was too rough. He pressed me up against the sink and that’s what caused it.”

I ignored her, but Melia was relentless, continuing to describe all kinds of intimate details about her and Tavian’s bedroom affairs.

When the ultrasound probe revealed she was pregnant, my hand suddenly trembled.

Just then, the assistant walked in. Forcing myself to stay calm, I asked her to finish the suturing procedure and stepped out to wash my face.

The moment I opened the door, Tavian rushed over frantically.

“Liora, how is she? Is she okay?”

I kept my expression blank.

“Early pregnancy. The bleeding was caused by intense physical activity. She’ll need to stay overnight for observation. If there are no issues, she can be discharged tomorrow.”

Tavian stood there stunned, unable to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

After a long pause, he finally noticed me, then dropped to his knees with a thud.

“Liora… I took her virginity and now she’s pregnant. I’m begging you, please let me keep this baby. Let me take responsibility for her… just this once!”

"I promise, everything between us will stay the same. And since you can’t get pregnant anyway, once the baby is born, I’ll bring it back for you to raise!"

My eyes instantly welled up. I lowered my gaze, not wanting him to see.

"Okay."

Tavian, I would give you my blessing and let you took full responsibility.

The next morning, I was woken by the noise of large bags being carried downstairs.

As I stepped down, I saw Tavian walking in with Melia in his arms, his hands full of this season’s latest luxury items.

When he saw me, a flicker of panic flashed across his eyes. He quickly tried to explain, "Liora, the hospital was too crowded, not ideal for her recovery. I thought the sea breeze and scenery might lift her mood, so I brought her back."

"Can she stay here for a while? Just until the baby’s born… Then I’ll have her move out."

Before I could say a word, Melia walked over with a face full of sincerity

“Liora, thank you so much for yesterday. If it weren’t for you, Tavian and I might have lost our baby.”

Then she stepped closer, leaning in to whisper so only the two of us could hear:

“Liora, I truly pity you. First, I got pregnant with your husband’s child. Then he brought me back to your home. Tell me, what’s next? Should I take your place and become Mrs. Mercer?”

Her face was full of smug provocation, but I simply smiled calmly. “Sure. You can have the title of Mrs. Mercer.”

Melia, however, suddenly grabbed my arm, her eyes turning red with emotion.

“Liora, you… you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not trying to take your place and I never wanted to steal Tavian for myself…”

With that, she dropped to her knees, despite her leg still being wrapped in gauze.

“Liora, I was wrong. It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have volunteered to be Mr. Mercer’s cure… and I never should’ve gotten pregnant with his baby!”

"But I really never meant to ruin your marriage with Tavian. I just… I truly want to give birth to this child. Please don’t worry… once the baby is born, I’ll leave far, far away. I promise I won’t ever be an eyesore to you again!"

Tears instantly welled up in Melia’s eyes, as if she had just suffered the greatest grievance in the world.

Tavian immediately pulled her into his arms from behind, then turned to look at me with a coldness I had never seen before.

“Liora, what’s the meaning of this? Didn’t you promise me you’d let her keep the baby? If you have any issues, take them out on me. Why are you making things hard for a young girl like her?”

Melia, pale-faced, curled up weakly in his arms and whispered, “No… it’s not her fault. It’s me. I’ve wronged her. I… I’ll go to the hospital now and have the baby aborted! I swear I won’t bother you two ever again!”

As she spoke, she tried to get up and leave, but Tavian frantically pulled her back into his arms.

“No, Melia, you did nothing wrong.”

Then he turned to me with a cold, cutting gaze. “Liora, apologize.”

I let out a short, mocking laugh. “And why should I?”

Tavian’s eyes were bloodshot. “Because you made things difficult for her!”

Seeing the situation escalate, Melia quickly grabbed my hand, her voice trembling. “Liora, please don’t be upset with Mr. Mercer. He only said that because he was worried. How could I possibly let you apologize to me? It’s all my fault.”

I suddenly flung her hand away. “Have you finished your little act?”

The words had barely left my mouth when Tavian, seething with rage, shoved me hard from behind.

My lower abdomen slammed into the sharp corner of the coffee table, sending a wave of pain that left me drenched in cold sweat.

“Liora, you’re truly beyond redemption. You dare lay a hand on her in front of me? I’ll say it one last time, apologize to her!”

I stared him straight in the eyes and enunciated each word clearly. “Not a chance. I will never apologize to her!”

Tavian’s gaze darkened instantly. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me into the kitchen.

Then he ordered the bodyguards to bring in a large basket full of mangoes.

“If you still refuse to repent… then you’d better learn what that costs.”

I looked up in disbelief and screamed, "Tavian, are you insane? Did you forget that I'm allergic to mangoes? Are you trying to kill me?"

His voice was ice-cold. "I know. But since you hurt Melia, you need to pay the price."

With that, he forcefully shoved a mango into my mouth, with its skin still on. I shook my head desperately, but several bodyguards, following orders, pinned down my shoulders tightly.

Chunks of mango flesh kept entering my throat. My whole body started itching and my breathing became labored.

In a daze, I recalled how, shortly after we got married, I accidentally ate a bite of mango-filled cake. Tavian had rushed me to the hospital, eyes red with panic and stayed by my side for three whole days and nights.

Since then, every servant in the house knew one unshakable rule that mangoes were strictly forbidden in our home.

But now, everything had changed...

Gradually, I couldn’t breathe anymore. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard Tavian’s cold, emotionless voice. "Force every last piece of mango into her. Don’t leave a single bite behind!"

When I opened my eyes again, Tavian was gently wiping the tears that had fallen in my sleep.

For a fleeting moment, I felt like nothing had changed.

But then, his next words brought me crashing back to reality.

“Do you admit you were wrong, Liora? Why are you always so stubborn!”

Yes... this wasn’t the first time I had been stubborn.

Back then, when my parents opposed my marriage to Tavian, I cut ties with them just to secure a piece of paper, that was our marriage certificate.

The last words my mother said to me before she passed were:

“Liora, one day, you’ll regret this.”

Now, everything had come true.

I lifted my head and looked straight into Tavian’s eyes. "Let’s get a divorce."

He stared at me in disbelief:

"What kind of joke is this? You want to divorce me? Just because of Melia? I already told you that she’s pregnant and since you can’t have children anyway, this works out perfectly!"

I let out a bitter laugh, my fingertips instinctively resting on my lower abdomen.

"This is the divorce agreement. Take a look."

Tavian’s expression suddenly turned cold. "Liora, are you throwing a tantrum? I’ve already explained everything. Nothing will change. And now we even have a child. How is that not a good thing?"

I shook my head and handed him the divorce papers.

"It’s not good. Tavian, I find you disgusting.”

His temper flared instantly. “Disgusting? Liora, do you even know how many women are waiting for me to sleep with them? Why can’t you just be more generous!”

With that, he tore the divorce agreement into pieces. “I’m telling you, I won’t agree to the divorce. Absolutely not! Look at yourself, you're already thirty and I’ve had my way with you so many times, who else would want you besides me?”

After tearing the papers into shreds, he slammed the door and left.

I sent the electronic version of the agreement to my lawyer to handle, then packed my mother’s last belongings into my bag, preparing to leave.

Just as I reached the front door, a few men covered my mouth and dragged me into an alley.

Before I could ask who they were, Melia emerged from the crowd, her eyes full of blatant malice.

“Liora, I didn’t want to touch you at first, but you had to go and get pregnant without any shame! Tell me, how could I possibly let the bastard in your womb threaten my child?”

I forced down my fear and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve already scheduled an abortion. No one will compete with you.”

Melia sneered, "I prefer to trust my own eyes."

Then, with a flick of her finger, several burly men pinned me down and tore my clothes apart viciously.

"Ah, help! Please spare me! I’ll give you anything! I’m pregnant… please don’t hit my belly, help!"

At that moment, Tavian rushed over and the men vanished without a trace.

He shoved me away harshly and hurriedly caught Melia, who had collapsed to the ground.

Her eyes were red from crying. "Liora, I know you’re angry at me, but the child is innocent. How could you send people to beat me and specifically target my stomach?"

Tavian was burning with rage; his gaze seemed laced with venom.

Before I could say anything, he slapped me hard across the face.

He used all his strength and I fell straight to the ground.

Suddenly, I laughed. I laughed until tears fell.

Tavian didn’t even ask a single question. Without hesitation, he sentenced me to death.

Ten years of love couldn't compare to someone else's performance...

Then he scooped Melia into his arms and ordered the two bodyguards behind him, "Make her go through everything Melia just suffered, especially her abdomen!"

I was in disbelief and shook my head desperately. "Tavian, I haven't done anything wrong. You can't treat me like this!"

He ignored me completely and simply said to the bodyguards, "Do it."

Fierce fists pounded into my body, into my abdomen, while Tavian stood above me, looking down without a trace of mercy in his eyes.

Not long after, a sharp pain surged in my lower belly and I felt a continuous flow of liquid beneath me.

As a gynecologist, I was painfully aware that...