While we were eating, Nick kept explaining himself nonstop.

"I don't even know that crazy woman. Pregnancy, husband—none of it has anything to do with me. Heaven knows my conscience is clear. You know I only love you!"

Yes—Nick and I were engaged.

Our families needed a business alliance, and beyond that, we'd grown up together. The elders wanted us together and arranged our engagement early on.

Very few people knew about it.

As for whether I loved Nick, I wasn't sure. Maybe I was just used to his presence. He had good character, treated me well, and honestly, there was nothing about him I could fault.

Seeing how nervous he was, I couldn't help but smile. In the end, I simply nodded.

"I believe you."

Only then did Nick finally relax. He bought me so many gifts that I could barely carry them all in one hand.

But when I returned to the dorm, Lucy lunged at me and grabbed my hair, yanking hard enough to make my scalp ache.

"Bitch! I told you to find a baby daddy too, and you pretended to be all high and mighty. Then you turned around and seduced my man and humiliated me in front of everyone! Bitch!"

Joey and Carmen rushed over to pull her off me. Lucy lashed out at them as well.

"Birds of a feather flock together! You two aren't any better. Were you planning to wait until Tricia succeeded and then become my man's fourth or fifth woman? I'll teach you to steal my man!"

When Lucy saw the designer bags in my hand, she completely lost it. She charged over, snatched them away, and screamed,

"Nick hasn't even bought me things this expensive! Shameless bitch! If I don't have it, what right do you have to?"

Considering that Lucy was pregnant, none of us wanted to be responsible for causing a miscarriage. We held back as we tried to stop her. She took our restraint as guilt, grabbed my things, and threw them straight into the bathroom, setting them all on fire.

Joey and Carmen looked at me, confusion and surprise flickering in their eyes.

I knew they were afraid I really had become what Lucy accused me of—a mistress. I simply shook my head at them.

Fortunately, I'd kept the receipts. Altogether, the items were worth around forty thousand. When Lucy finally finished her tantrum and came out, I spread the receipts in front of her.

"Pay up. Or I'll call the police. Deliberate destruction of property—at this amount, it's enough to land you in prison."

Now that I knew Lucy's baby daddy wasn't Nick, I could confront her without fear. Besides, I'd never intended to let her off the hook.

Lucy's face darkened. She slapped me hard across the face. I wasn't prepared, and the blow landed solidly.

"Bitch! This is my man's money—which means it's my money too. How dare you ask me for compensation? Where do you get the nerve?"

If not for her pregnancy, I would've fought back immediately. I let out a cold laugh.

"Then let's call the police."

Lucy put her hands on her hips, righteous and defiant.

"Go ahead! Whoever doesn't call is a coward! I want to see whether the police side with me or with you, you shameless mistress!"

The police arrived quickly. After hearing the facts, they spoke sternly to Lucy.

"Destruction of another person's property requires full compensation. Otherwise, you'll have to come with us."

Lucy broke down, disbelief written all over her face.

"How much did Tricia pay you to take her side? She's a poor university student—if it weren't for my man, how could she afford these things? Half of my baby daddy's assets are mine. Who are you to say otherwise?"

The female officer standing nearby finally lost patience.

"Are you legally married? If not, it has no legal effect. You did destroy someone else's property—that's a fact. How she obtained it is none of your concern."

Lucy went crazy. She shoved past the officers and shot me a venomous glare before storming to the door, shouting back, "I'm going to find Nick right now!"

The police were about to chase after her, but I stopped them.

Of course, I wanted to see—when Lucy had nowhere else to go—whether the person she turned to would be Nick.

Lucy didn't come back that night. But in the middle of the night, I received a call from Nick.

"Tricia… I'll buy you the things again. Just… don't make Lucy compensate you."

I froze.

Could Nick really be involved with Lucy? Could the child in her belly actually be his?

The thought struck like a bolt from a clear sky. Had I trusted the wrong person? Twenty years of affection, and I'd still failed to see him clearly.

Grinding my teeth, I replied with a single word—"Fine"—then hung up, blocking Nick immediately.

A man who betrays once deserves no second chances.

Joey must have noticed my expression. She asked worriedly, "Tricia, what's wrong? Did Lucy cause trouble again?"

It took me a long time to find my voice. I shook my head numbly, staring at my phone in silence.

In my previous life, because I stopped Lucy, she never posted for a baby daddy. Naturally, Nick was never involved. But my choices this time had changed the trajectory of everything. The story had slipped beyond my control.

There was only one thing I was certain of. I would never let Lucy get what she wanted.

The suffering I endured in my last life—she would pay for it in blood.