I should have realized long ago that Yvonne was the one he truly cherished, the one he feared might feel pain, suffer grievances, or experience discomfort.

As for me, I was nothing more than someone insignificant.

I could endure everything in the past, turning a blind eye to it all. But now, the pain of contractions, the aching in my lower abdomen and the sound of a baby crying from the neighboring ward all told me.

“Ziva, it’s because you’re so weak and you kept giving him the chance to hurt you again and again, that you caused the death of your own child!’ I cursed at myself

I endured the pain, tears welling up in my eyes and dialed the lawyer's number. "Mr. Scott, help me draft a divorce agreement. I want a divorce."

On the third day after the baby’s death, Aaron finally rushed over.

He was still wearing the same clothes from Yvonne’s social media post and I could faintly smell the perfume on him.

"Ziva, why did you make so many calls? Is something wrong?"

Aaron approached, his hand reaching for mine, his expression clearly showing an unspoken sense of guilt.

"I was busy preparing materials for the surgery meeting on my side and didn’t see your calls."

Before the surgery, both the hospital and I had called countless times, but none of the calls were answered.

Clearly, as a doctor, Aaron never turned off or silenced his phone.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t received my calls, it was that he was too busy attending to Yvonne to care about me.

The young nurse who was changing my IV leaned forward, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something, but I quickly grabbed her hand before she could speak.

"It’s nothing, just that my water broke and I was urgently admitted to the hospital."

I nodded at the nurse, signaling her not to speak of it.

After all, the baby was already gone. It was better to just let him be with his junior, Yvonne.

As the head of the obstetrics department, Aaron naturally knew that a broken amniotic sac was no small matter.

The guilt on his face grew heavier and he awkwardly asked, "Is our baby alright?"

I silently smiled, watching the leaves fall slowly outside the window.

For a long time, Aaron had always been like this.

Whenever I needed him, he was never there and only afterward would he come to offer a few comforting words.

In the past, I could deceive myself into thinking he still cared about me.

But now, the baby was gone.

When my child was gone, he was out with Yvonne, praying for blessings. I could no longer deceive myself.

"The baby is alright."

Upon hearing my answer, Aaron’s expression finally relaxed a bit.

"Then rest well. If you want anything to eat, I’ll go make it for you."

I remained indifferent, offering no reaction.

Aaron sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling me into his arms. "Ziva, you know that Yvonne is my junior. She’s very anxious since she just got pregnant and she’s alone, so I took her to pray for blessings."

I listened to his explanation, recalling when I was seven months pregnant. My body was overwhelmed by pregnancy discomfort, leaving me sleepless for nights on end, yet I never saw him pray for our child.

Indeed, love and indifference were so unmistakably clear.

I lowered my eyelids and my heart was filled with an endless bitterness and sorrow.

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Aaron assumed he had convinced me and continued, "You’re also pregnant, so you must understand Yvonne’s feelings, right?"

"Yes, I understand." I nodded, turning my head to wipe away the cold tears on my cheek.

"In the early stages of my pregnancy, I also couldn’t eat anything because of the pregnancy symptoms. I’m fine here. You can go take care of her. There’s no need to stay by my side."

There was a hint of despair and a touch of childish defiance in those words.

A faint glimmer of hope lingered in my heart, as if I was still waiting for him to react in some way.

But Aaron simply stood up from the bedside, gently patted my head and his face was full of joy.

"Ziva, you finally understand me. Then I’ll stay with Yvonne these few days to help her with some check-ups. If you need anything, just call me. I won’t ignore your calls."

Before I could say anything, he turned and left the room.

As I listened to his footsteps fade further away, the dull pain in my chest turned into a twisting knife, causing a sharp ache that made it hard to breathe.

That last shred of hope in my heart was completely crushed.

I thought again of the child that had already taken shape. At the time the baby was delivered, the one person who could have saved him, the father, remained unreachable.

In the end, the baby died in front of me, suffocating to death.

At that moment, it would not have been an exaggeration to say that the pain was unbearable.

I bit down on my pale lower lip, gripping the blanket tighter and tighter.

A week later, I was discharged from the hospital and handled all the procedures by myself.

During that week, Aaron hadn’t called me once, yet Yvonne’s social media posts never stopped.

From the pile of supplements Aaron had bought for her, to the sweater he personally knitted for her baby, to every meal carefully prepared for her, these were all things I had never received.

After becoming pregnant, there were hardly any days when I had warm meals.

Aaron always made excuses, saying that the hospital was busy and there were many pregnant women to check on. But now, he could focus entirely on staying by Yvonne’s side.

The latest update was a photo of Yvonne, wearing a pearl necklace around her neck.

That was something Aaron had promised to buy for me when I first got pregnant.

It was strange, but seeing these things again, I found myself able to scroll past them without any emotion.

I dragged my exhausted body home, staring at the clothes and toys I had prepared for the baby in the bedroom. In the end, I couldn’t hold back the tears.

The baby was supposed to arrive in just three months.

The pain in my heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife, making every breath I took feel like a sharp, bitter ache.

I fell asleep on the bed, holding the baby’s little clothes.

In a daze, I didn’t know how long I had slept, but I was suddenly disturbed by a noisy commotion coming from the living room.

My head throbbed with pain and I peeked through the crack in the door to see what was happening outside.

Aaron had brought a group of classmates and friends to our house for a meal and Yvonne was there too. The two of them were sitting very close to each other at the table.

The shawl he had given me was now draped over her shoulders.

"Back in school, the two of you were so close. We all thought you two would end up together!"

The classmates teased them, their suggestive glances shifting between the two.

Yvonne blushed and shook her head.

"Stop joking around, we’ve both already married."

Aaron noticed her discomfort and furrowed his brows, speaking up to defend her. "You're all so old, how can you still joke around like this? Drink up!"

After a few rounds of drinks, several people were getting drunk. Trash and empty bottles were scattered all over the floor.

I couldn’t sleep because of the noise. Wanting them to quiet down, I suddenly heard someone ask Aaron.

"Aaron, you didn’t end up with Yvonne and now you’ve married another woman. Do you regret it?"

I held my breath, watching as Aaron’s lips moved, speaking.

"Not everything in life has to have the perfect ending. I won’t betray my wife. Right now, being by Yvonne's side as a brother is enough."

His gaze fell on Yvonne, who was asleep on the sofa and there seemed to be an endless tenderness in his eyes.

Even though I had mentally prepared myself for so long, hearing those words still pierced my heart like a sharp dagger.

What I had thought was mutual affection turned out to be nothing more than his second-choice option.

I took a deep breath and retreated back into the room.

In the dream that night, Aaron tightly held me in his arms at my father's funeral, promising to love and protect me for a lifetime.

When I woke up the next day, my face was covered in tear stains.

I was the only one left in the house and the living room was in complete disarray.

Silently, I packed up all the things I had prepared for the child in the room and donated everything.

In the evening, Aaron called me, "The hospital is having dinner tonight and family members are invited. I'll send you the location."

I didn't want to go, but I thought it might be the final goodbye.

When I arrived at the restaurant's private room, everyone had already taken their seats.

Yvonne was sitting beside Aaron and as I entered, he was serving her some food.

"Ziva, you're here..."

The lively conversation immediately fell silent and all eyes were on me. The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.

It was Darren who broke the silence, moving a chair for me next to Aaron.

"Ziva, please sit. The food just got served."

As soon as I sat down, Aaron quickly served me a bowl of soup, his face full of anxiety and unease.

"Ziva, don't overthink it. Yvonne was just having an exam at the hospital, so I brought her here for a meal." He gently patted the back of my hand, probably worried that I might lash out right there.

In the past, I would have caused a scene, but now I had come to terms with it. I no longer bothered with meaningless arguments.

I nodded and focused on enjoying the soup in my bowl.

I overheard a conversation from a few nurses at the next table.

"What's going on? Why did Mr. Mild bring another woman here and let his wife come alone by taxi?"

"Who knows? Mr. Mildis is really attentive to his junior. Every time she has her prenatal check-up, he's always there, watching over her, all nervous. He's never been this attentive to his wife."

I pretended not to hear and made no response.

At this point, I no longer cared about what happened between Aaron and Yvonne.

A few doctors who were familiar with Aaron spoke up to ease the tension and finally, the atmosphere lightened.

After having a bit to drink, Darren’s face turned red and he stood in front of me with his drink in hand, earnestly saying, "Ziva, don’t be too sad about the baby. You and Aaron are still young. There will be other chances."

Aaron looked confused but asked seriously, "Darren, what are you talking about? What's wrong with the baby?"

Darren immediately sobered up halfway, his hand frozen on Aaron's shoulder.

"Bro, you still don't know? That day, Ziva's water broke and she had a C-section. The baby... the baby suffocated and... couldn't survive..."