I heard Althea’s voice through the headset.

“Did you coax him? His fighting power’s soaring. You really are my boy. Keep it up—Mommy’s going to be King tonight!”

Evander laughed.

“What’s there to coax? Just buy him a few gifts. Damn, dead again? Can’t you signal?”

I stayed up all night, listening. By dawn, Evander yanked me out of bed.

“I promised you a gift, didn’t I? I won’t break my word. My dear wife, I’m not angry anymore.”

Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I followed him to the car.

The moment the navigation turned on, Althea’s voice echoed from the speakers.

“Boy, turn left ahead. Go straight. Damn it, you missed again! You’re getting hammered by mama!”

My stomach churned. He caught my expression and smirked.

“Relax. I lost a game to that idiot, so I have to use his voice pack for a month. Almost over. Be patient.”

At the mall, I spotted a Hermès bag. I reached for my wallet, but Evander darted ahead to pay.

Then a voice I knew all too well called out behind me.

“Hey, that bag’s nice. Suits me.”

Althea.

She strutted over, trying on bags, smiling wide.

“Well, well. You’re not carrying your ugly backpack anymore? So feminine—Mama almost doesn’t recognize you.”

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

“What’s wrong? Charmed by Mama? Get in line. There are ten thousand ahead of you.”

The bile rose higher. I forced myself to speak.

“Miss Ravenscroft, I came here first. I’ve already paid.”

Althea poked Evander’s chest with her manicured finger.

“But I like it too. My boy, you decide—sisters or women? Don’t you dare put a woman before me.”

Evander burst out laughing.

“Alright, alright. It’s rare for you to want something. How could I resist you?"

My breath hitched, pain stabbing through my abdomen.

“Honey, don’t be angry,” Evander soothed quickly. “Althea hasn’t bought a bag in eight hundred years. Let her have this one. We’ll get you another. Any style you like—I’ll buy it for you.”

But I didn’t want leftovers. Not anymore.

I curved my lips into a smile that tasted of blood.

“Evander, let’s talk.”

He ignored the edge in my tone, pulling out his phone.

“That restaurant you mentioned last time—it’s perfect. I’ll book it. Tonight, just you and me. Nothing is more important than my wife.”

But that night, I waited three hours alone at the restaurant.

A message finally came. Working overtime. Need money for the baby’s formula.

My phone buzzed again. Althea’s status update.

A photo of the Hermès bag.

My boy is so sensible and filial to her mama I’m so happy! Drinks on me tonight to celebrate.

The comments flooded in:

“Oh my god, isn’t this the new limited edition? Three hundred thousand? Evander is too generous!”

“Althea, careful—your sister-in-law might beat you up. She’s stingy as hell.”

“Don’t remind me. Thalia ruined the last party. Couldn’t even drink. If Evander hadn’t kicked her out, I’d have made her kneel and apologize.”

Althea replied with a bomb emoji.

“Can a sister be the same as a wife? Don’t marry, or you’ll end up with someone like Thalia—nothing but trouble, can’t even hold her liquor.”

Evander didn’t reply—but he liked Althea’s comment.

My fingertips trembled. Pain spread from my chest, crawling into every vein.

The waiter approached for the eighth time.

“Miss, the guests who reserved the next table have arrived. Would you like to…eat?”

I forced a smile.

“No. Please throw it away for me.”

I would never wait for someone who wouldn’t come.

Loyalty that had to be begged was never mine to begin with.

I stumbled out, the pounding bass from the bar rattling my bones, each beat stabbing into my abdomen. Still, I pushed forward. I had to see.

To see what filth lay beneath the skin of the man I had loved for five years.

Because sometimes, only betrayal witnessed with your own eyes can finally kill a love.

Through the glass of the private room, I saw her.

Althea lounged half-naked, only a lace bra sliding down her shoulders. Evander’s brother whistled.

“Didn’t know you were hiding such talent!”

Althea shot back, smirking.

“Go to hell. Don’t eat grass near your own burrow. You looking for death? I’ll have my boy beat you bloody.”

Laughter erupted.

“Yes, yes, that grass belongs to Evander. I wouldn’t dare. Last time someone teased you, Evander nearly broke their legs!”

My chest constricted. I remembered the night Evander claimed he’d defended a stranger at the police station. The “stranger” had been her all along.

Cold drenched me from head to toe, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over me.

Inside, the game continued, more vulgar with every round.

“Evander lost again! Kiss! Kiss! Last time was only five minutes, not enough. Double this time!”

“Kissing? Too tame. These two have already slept together. Let’s up the stakes!”

“Have Evander take Althea’s bra off—with his mouth!”

Althea flushed and flung a pillow.

“Bastards! If you want to see, just say it!”

Evander chuckled, eyes gleaming.

“My baby’s shy? Come on, let mama take a picture for your wedding keepsake.”

“Shy? You’re the one who’ll beg for mercy.”

The crowd roared. Amid their jeers, Althea lay back on the sofa. Evander leaned in, lips brushing hers.

The room quieted.

With a snap, one button popped.

Althea panicked, scrambling to cover herself. Evander threw his coat over her, but not before I noticed someone raising a phone, grinning.

Evander’s face twisted.

“You took a picture? Delete it.”

The man laughed.

“Come on, Evander, just a joke. Don’t you trust me?”

“I said delete it!”

“Hahaha, no way. Althea, you’re finished—”

The laughter cut short.

By the time anyone reacted, the man lay bleeding on the floor.

“Evander!”

Althea clutched his arm, pressing against his chest.

“Don’t be rash! Calm down!”

And unbelievably—he did.

His voice softened in her embrace.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have agreed to this game.”

She smiled, stroking his back.

“I don’t blame you. You’re my boy, after all.”

The tension eased. Laughter returned.

Before the ambulance arrived, I turned and fled the bar—stomach cramping, heart already ashes.

I thought about his ambiguous relationship with Althea. I thought I was prepared. But I still hadn’t expected him to lose control so completely—for her.

I’d never seen such a sinister and devoted expression on his face. Even when we were in the heat of our relationship, when I was bullied, he only said threateningly, “I’ve called the police. I’ll talk to my lawyer later.”

It wasn’t that he was naturally indifferent. It was just that I wasn’t the one person he would make an exception for.

That night, I took a taxi to the hospital and had an abortion.

Before the procedure, Evander messaged me: Come pick her up at the police station.

I didn’t reply. I turned off my phone.

Two hours later, when I came out, I switched it back on. Over ninety-nine messages popped up instantly, all from him.

“Why didn’t you call back? I told you to come to the police station. Didn’t you see the message?”

“What do you mean? What are you doing?”

“Honey, please, come pick me up! I was just helping a little girl and couldn’t resist the urge.”

Then one message landed in the wrong place—his group chat.

“Evander, you lost! My sister-in-law didn’t come. Seventeen thousand dollars, pay up.”

“Thalia changed her gender? Evander, you’re about to fall out of favor!”

Evander shot back immediately: “Get lost! Thalia must be busy, otherwise she’d never ignore me.”

Then someone suddenly reminded him: “Damn, you sent it to the wrong group! Thalia is in here too!”

I remembered the day he introduced me to his friends and added me to this group. It had always been silent, no one ever spoke. I had suspected it was fake. Now, my suspicions were confirmed.

My heart went cold.

The messages were withdrawn one by one. Then my phone rang.

“Are you… busy? Didn’t you check your phone?”

“Yeah.”

That was all I said. He never messaged me again.

I started planning our breakup. I no longer needed the wedding house. But when I called the agent to sell it, he told me the deed had already been changed to someone else’s name.

I opened Althea’s IG Story.

There it was—a photo of my living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows, the bunny stuffed animal, the couple’s ornaments, every single one chosen by me.

Caption: This is my boy’s compensation to his mama. Not bad. I’m satisfied. I’ll forgive him just this once.

And beneath it, Evander’s reply: As long as you like it. Tonight, let’s warm up the house. Everyone’s invited.

A housewarming? How could there be one? There were no gifts.

So, I prepared one.

I went back to the hospital, retrieved the unborn embryo, and placed it inside a velvet-lined gift box.

I hired people to hang banners up and down the building: “Congratulations on the Housewarming!” “Best Wishes for Eternal Happiness!”

A neighbor asked me, “Girl, is there a happy event in your family?”

I smiled and nodded. “Yes, Auntie. My husband gave his wedding house to another woman, and I’m helping them celebrate.”

Her husband’s eyes lit up. He elbowed her and said, “See? Other wives aren’t so petty. Learn from her!”

Auntie slapped him across the face and dragged him inside by the ear.

I stood downstairs, passing out thick money envelopes. “Everyone is welcome to celebrate! One thousand five hundred dollars per person!”

I stroked my belly gently. “Consider it a blessing from our unborn child.”

In no time, the building was packed.

When the door finally opened, Evander had just lost a game and was being punished with a long kiss from Althea.

Seeing me, he shoved people aside, flustered. “Why are you here?”

I raised the little gift box, my smile calm, almost tender. “It’s a gift for you.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd behind me as dozens of phones were raised, screens flashing.