Rianne’s POV

It was just a moment of recklessness, nothing more, that led to that forbidden night.

But standing there, I felt like I’d forgotten how to breathe until I realized I’d bit down hard on my lip.

After what felt like forever, I finally forced the words out, swallowing the pain in my chest.

“I forgive you, Nigel.”

What he didn’t know was—I’d only ever forgive him once.

So when I ran into him today, I knew—our marriage was over.

Once I’d gathered myself, I headed straight to the law firm and drafted the divorce agreement myself.

By the time I got home, the sun was already setting. Nigel rushed to the door, his arms wrapping around me like nothing had happened.

“Honey, where were you? I called you so many times, but you didn’t pick up.”

As he leaned in, a sharp, heavy scent hit me—strong perfume.

It was Black Opium, the one I hated most.

I gently pulled away and said, keeping my tone light, “It’s nothing. I just stopped by the law office.”

He frowned. “Next time just have Renz go for you. No need to trouble yourself with something so small—”

I cut in, “Nigel. I want a divorce.”

He froze, staring at me like he didn’t understand the words.

“What did you say? You want to divorce me?” he repeated.

“All this because of something so minor? I told you—it was an accident. It didn’t mean anything. Harley’s the one insisting on having the baby. I figured, since you can’t conceive, we could raise the child together. Once the baby’s born, I’ll bring him home for you. Then I’ll send Harley abroad. It won’t change anything.”

The moment he said I should raise his child with another woman, my chest tightened.

My hand instinctively moved to my lower belly as I replied, “I’m not joking, Nigel. This is the divorce agreement. Take a look.”

His face turned cold.

“Come on, Rianne, are you really throwing a fit over this? I’ve already explained everything, haven’t I? Honey, nothing will change. We have a child now—isn’t that what we always wanted?”

He stared at me for a moment, and then he heaved a sigh. “I’m exhausted, honey. Can you stop being unreasonable?”

I almost laughed.

‘He cheats, and somehow I’m the one being unreasonable? Wow.’

I shook my head and placed the papers in front of him.

“Nope. It’s not fine,” I said firmly. “I feel dirty, Nigel.”

That one word lit a fire in him.

“Dirty? Do you even realize how many women would kill for a night with me? God damn it, it was just once! Why can’t you let it go?”

As he spoke, he ripped the divorce papers into pieces.

“I’m telling you—I won’t agree to a divorce. Never!”

“And look at yourself, Rianne. You’re thirty now. You’re not some young girl anymore. Who else would even want you besides me, huh?”

“Let’s pretend this never happened. And I don’t want to hear another word about it, you understand?”

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him, while I knelt, picking up the torn pieces from the floor.

Just as I finished, my phone buzzed.

It was a message—two pictures of engagement rings and a question about my preference.

I glanced at them and replied. [The one on the left.]

Then, without a second thought, I took off the wedding ring I’d worn for seven years and dropped it in the trash.

The next morning, I wrapped up my last tasks at the office. I was just about to leave when my assistant Ron Harvin came running in, saying a client had asked to see me.

He led me to a private lounge.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Nigel standing in the center of the room, holding a huge bouquet of roses.

The room was full of familiar faces—even his mother, who’d never liked me, was there.

He took a step forward, knelt in front of me, and looked up with guilt written all over his face.

“Honey… I’m so sorry. I lost it and said all the wrong things. Today is our seventh wedding anniversary. Please… give me another chance.”

Rianne’s POV

I just stared at Nigel, letting him kneel on the floor.

Probably seeing me not moved by her son’s surprise, Merida leaned close and muttered sharply in my ear.

“Come on. So what if he got another woman pregnant? Nigel already apologized. What more do you want?” She scoffed in impatience. “Dear, a woman needs to know when to stop pushing.”

I gave a bitter smile. I was about to say that I didn’t want anything—just a divorce—when Nigel noticed something.

His gaze dropped to my bare hand.

“Honey, your ring… Where’s your ring? Did you forget it?” His worry was replaced with a gentle smile, like that could smooth everything over. “It’s fine. I actually bought you a new one.”

He started checking his pockets.

Moments later, a sweet feminine voice called out behind us. “Here.”

I turned. Nigel was already walking past me toward her.

He gently steadied her by the waist when he asked, “What are you doing here? Didn’t the doctor say you needed bed rest?”

She gave him a sweet smile. “I saw the ring by the bed and figured you’d need it today, so I brought it over.”

Before Nigel could take the ring, her face shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I’m a little thirsty, Nigel. Can you get me some water?”

Just like that, he nodded.

While he rushed to find the server, the young woman walked up to me, her expression polite but pointed.

“Hi. I’m Luella. Luella Myers.”

Seeing me not smiling at her, she opened the small box right in front of me.

Inside was a ring—identical… to the one she was wearing.

‘What a coincidence, huh?’

“Nigel had this custom-made for your seventh anniversary,” she said, holding it out.

But I kept my hands steady at my sides, just taking a look.

The next second, the ring slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a soft clink. Then, without hesitation, she knelt—visibly pregnant—right in front of me.

“I’m sorry, Rianne,” she said, choking up. “It was my fault! I shouldn’t have slept with Nigel when I was drunk… I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“I don’t want anything from you,” she added. “I just want to have this baby. If… if it helps, I’m even willing to let you adopt him.”

Tears filled her eyes like she’d been wronged more than anyone in the world, and Nigel returned just in time to see the whole thing.

Suddenly, the glass of water in his hand slipped and shattered on the floor.

He rushed over, gently helping Luella up. When he turned to me, his face had a coldness that I had never seen before

“She’s about to give birth, Rianne! Don’t you get that?!” he snapped. “If you’re angry, take it out on me! Why are you picking on her?”

The way he looked at her—protective, gentle—it said everything.

Even though I’d done nothing, I’d already been cast as the villain.

What was the point of explaining?

As I turned to leave, Merida rushed up and actually slapped me across the face.

“You bitch! I thought you were decent! Turns out you’re heartless—making a pregnant woman kneel like that?” She scoffed. “I swear, if anything happens to that baby, I’ll never forgive you!”

I stumbled back from the force of her slap—right into the massive tower of red wine glasses behind me.

In an instant, the whole thing crashed down. Shards of glass rained over me, cutting into my skin as I hit the floor.

Nigel froze, instinctively stepping toward me.

But just then, Luella clutched her belly and cried out.

“Ahhh—my stomach! Nigel, the baby! Help!”

His body tensed. He turned back, scooped her into his arms, and rushed out the door without even glancing back at me.

I lay there on the floor, blood seeping around me, glass digging into my skin. From where I was, I could see the giant screen playing our wedding photo.

I remembered what he once said to me.

“Rianne, I have to marry you. And if I ever make you cry or bleed after we’re married… I’ll pay for it with my life.”

But now, at thirty, even as I lay there bleeding and in tears, he didn’t care.

‘What a joke…’

After a long while, I pushed myself up, wincing at every movement. I limped out, hailed a cab, and went straight to the hospital.

Rianne’s POV

Each tug of the bandage sent a jolt of pain through me, making my whole body tremble.

Beside me, the two nurses were chatting casually.

“Did you hear? In the VIP suite upstairs, Mr. Morrison is absolutely spoiling the patient. She just said it hurt, and he had someone bring in this year’s entire luxury collection for her to pick from!”

“I know, right? He goes with her to every prenatal check-up, personally. And when she gets injections, I swear, he looks like he’s in pain himself. He must really love her.”

As I listened, I glanced down at the countless wounds covering my body. I couldn’t help but let out a soft, bitter laugh at myself.

‘So this is the difference between being cared for… and not,’ I thought to myself. ‘But it doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t want him.’

The hospital was crowded, and by the time I got home, it was already late at night.

I opened the door—and there she was. Luella. Sitting comfortably on the couch I had chosen myself.

She jumped up the moment she saw me.

“Rianne! You’re back! Nigel’s in the kitchen making chicken and collard green soup for me. Want a bowl too?”

Before I could even respond, Nigel appeared in a hurry.

“Rianne, the doctor said she’s been having some antenatal depression and hasn’t been sleeping well. I thought it’d be best to bring her here for a few days,” he explained.”

He even hurriedly promised, “I promise, once her due date gets closer, I’ll take her somewhere else. You—”

I cut him off by pulling a blank divorce agreement from my bag.

“I don’t really mind,” I said, “but you need to sign this first.”

He froze. Just as he was about to look at it, Luella called out sweetly from the living room.

“Nigel, the baby’s hungry! Is the soup ready yet?”

Without hesitation, he signed his name and turned back toward the kitchen.

I stood there, watching the man whose hands I’d always protected now awkwardly stirring a pot on the stove.

Seven years of marriage. And this was the first time he’d ever cooked.

“Rianne,” Luella said, her voice dripping with pride, “aren’t you jealous? Nigel said he’s going to take care of me and the baby from now on.”

I turned and met her gaze—bitchy and full of challenge.

All I felt was disgust.

The home that Nigel once said belonged to just the two of us… had changed beyond recognition.

I walked upstairs, eager to pack and leave as quickly as possible.

But when I got to the door, I found all my belongings shoved into a messy pile outside.

Even our wedding photo had been torn to pieces and thrown in the trash.

“Nigel said I could choose any room,” Luella said as she followed me upstairs. “This one’s big, so I picked it. He said the extra stuff could be thrown out.”

She looked pleased with herself as she added, “Oh… was this your and Nigel’s bedroom? I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. I can move my things if you want…”

A year ago, I might’ve argued, screamed, and confronted them.

But now—I was leaving. Whoever lived here, whatever happened in this villa… it had nothing to do with me anymore.

“You don’t have to,” I said calmly. “This room suits you.”

Then, right in front of her, I tossed everything else into the trash.

I was about to step into the room and take my mother’s photo with me.

But when I opened the drawer… it was empty!

In a panic, I dropped to my knees and began searching through the mess.

Then I felt a presence beside me.

I looked up. Luella stood over me, holding a familiar frame in her hand.

“Looking for this?” she asked.

I stood up, but before I could reach her, she let it go, letting the frame crash to the floor and shatter.

“Oh no—sorry! My hand slipped! Honestly, that thing gave me the creeps. I was worried it might be bad for the baby, so I told Nigel… and he said I could throw it out. Anyway, Rianne, who’s this dead person in the photo? Someone you knew?”

I looked up at her fake-innocent expression, and something in me snapped.

I raised my hand to slap that bitch across the face.