"Peter, a real man knows when to advance and when to retreat," my mother-in-law added.

I gave a bitter smile and was just about to say, “I don’t want anything—I just want a divorce,” when Andrea's eyes caught the bare skin of my ring finger and asked, “Peter, where’s your wedding ring? Did you forget to wear it? Well, It’s okay—I actually got you a new one.”

She started rummaging through her bag, but before she could find it, a man's voice sounded from behind.

“The ring’s with me.”

I turned around, but Andrea reached him first.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you were busy with work today?”

The man gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and replied, “I saw the ring on the nightstand, and thought you might need it today, so I brought it over.”

“Andrea, I’m a little thirsty. Could you get me a glass of water?”

Without hesitation, Andrea hurried off to find a server. On the other hand, the man stepped right up to me.

“Hello, Peter. I’m Harvey.”

I didn’t respond.

Seemingly unbothered, he opened a small ring box in front of me.

I glanced down and smiled wryly. What a coincidence. It was identical to the one he wore on his finger.

“Peter, this is the custom ring Andrea had made for your seventh wedding anniversary.”

Then, he held it out for me to take.

I didn’t reach for it. The next second, the ring dropped to the floor, and Harvey knelt down right in front of me.

“Peter, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have slept with Andrea, even if I was drunk. I swear, it wasn’t intentional.”

“I don’t want anything. I just beg you—please let her keep the baby. I’ll even let you adopt the child as your own if that’s what it takes...”

His eyes were filled with tears, like he was the one suffering some unbearable injustice.

Just then, Andrea returned and saw the scene—Harvey kneeling before me.

The glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the ground.

She rushed to Harvey and gently helped him to his feet. Then she turned to me with a look I had never seen from her before—cold, and guarded.

“Peter, if you’ve got a problem, take it out on me. Why are you making things hard for him?”

The affection in her eyes was unmistakable.

And I realized—even though I had done nothing wrong, in her heart, I had already been convicted.

I was done explaining, so I turned to leave. But before I could get far, her mother stormed up and slapped me hard across the face.

“Useless trash! I thought you were at least sensible. Turns out you’re nothing but a petty, vindictive man—how dare you make him kneel!”

“I’m telling you, that baby—Harvey and Andrea’s child—will definitely be born into the Hayes family. And if anything happens to it, I won’t let you off!”

The sudden force of the slap knocked me backward into a towering pyramid of wine glasses.

In an instant, glass shattered all around me—dozens of sharp shards slashing my skin as they fell.

Andrea froze, instinctively wanting to come help me.

But the moment Harvey clutched his stomach and cried out, “Ah! My stomach... it hurts so much, Andrea, help me, I don’t feel well...”

She hesitated only a moment—then turned away from me, crouched beside Harvey, and helped him up without even a second glance back.

I lay on the floor, bleeding, and dazed, staring up at the giant screen where our wedding photo was still displayed.

Back then, Andrea whispered to me, “Peter, I will marry you. And if I ever make you bleed or cry, I’ll repay it with my life.”

But now—at thirty years old—even as I bled and wept before her, I was nothing more than a stranger in her eyes.

How ironic.

Eventually, I forced myself up, swallowing the pain, and hobbled out to catch a taxi to the hospital.

During the wound dressing, every sting of the alcohol-soaked gauze made my whole body tremble.

Beside me, two nurses were chatting casually.

“Did you hear? Up in the luxury suite on the top floor—Miss Hayes is spoiling that guy like crazy. He just said he was in pain and bam—she had people bring half the city’s luxury brands to the hospital room so he could pick something out.”

"Yeah, of course I know. I was there when the pregnancy was first confirmed. Miss Hayes cried on the spot—they must really be in love."

I looked down at the countless wounds on my body and let out a bitter laugh.

So this... was the difference between love and indifference.

But it didn’t matter anymore. If she no longer love me, I didn’t want her either.

Because the hospital was crowded, by the time my injuries were treated and I made it home, it was already past midnight.

I opened the door—and saw Harvey sitting comfortably on the living room sofa—the one I had personally picked out.

Upon seeing me, he stood up quickly and beamed, "Peter, you're back! Andrea is in the kitchen making bird’s nest soup for me. Want a bowl?"

Before I could answer, Andrea came rushing over.

"Peter, the doctor said I’ve been showing signs of prenatal depression and having trouble sleeping, so I asked him to stay here for a few days to keep me company."

“I promise, once the due date arrives, I’ll take him and leave. You—”

Before she could finish, I pulled out a blank divorce agreement from my pocket and handed it to her.

“You can. But I want your signature first.”

She froze, hesitated for a moment, and was just about to flip it open when Harvey called out behind her, “Andrea, I’m hungry. When will the bird’s nest soup be ready?”

In his words, she signed the papers in a hurry, turned around, and went back to the kitchen.

I stood there in silence, watching her carefully stir the soup with hands I had once done everything to protect.

Seven years of marriage, and this was the first time she'd ever stepped into the kitchen.

"Are you jealous, Peter?" Harvey suddenly asked beside me, his voice laced with smugness.

"Andrea said she'll take care of everything for me and the baby from now on."

I turned to see the provocation in his eyes—the gleam of pride and victory.

It made my stomach turn.

This house, which Andrea once swore would belong to just the two of us, had clearly changed.

Without another word, I turned and headed straight upstairs, determined to pack and leave for good.

But when I reached the bedroom door, I was stunned.

All my personal belongings had been thrown into a messy pile at the door.

And the wedding photo that used to hang on the wall had been ripped to shreds and tossed into the trash.

"Andrea said I could choose any room I wanted," Harvey said from behind me, practically gloating. "This one seemed the biggest, so I picked it. She just threw out the extra stuff."

He paused for a moment, as if savoring my reaction.

"Wait... was this yours and Andrea's wedding room? Oh no, I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I’ll move my things out right away...”

If this had been in the past, I would have argued with Andrea on the spot.

But now, I am determined to leave. Who stayed in this room no longer concerned me.

I replied flatly, “No need. You can keep it.”

Then, without another word, I dumped the entire pile of my belongings into the trash in front of him.

I turned to retrieve the photo of my late mother and leave.

But when I opened the drawer, it was empty.

Panicked, I dropped to my knees and began searching the floor.

Harvey stood beside me, looming over me like a victor watching the defeated.

"Looking for this, Peter?" he said.

I looked up—and saw him holding the familiar photo frame.

Just as I was about to stand and take it, he let go.

The frame hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry—slipped right out of my hand,” he said, feigning guilt.

“I thought that photo looked kind of unlucky, you know? I was afraid it might upset the baby, so I told Andrea. She said I could deal with it however I wanted.”

He crouched slightly, examining the broken frame. “So, who’s the dead person in this photo? Do you know them?”

His tone was innocent, almost curious.

However, I couldn't take it anymore.

I raised my hand, ready to slap him across the face—but before I could make contact, he suddenly threw himself backward and tumbled dramatically down the stairs.

“Ahhh—Andrea! Help me!”

Clutching his stomach, he groaned in pain.

Andrea came running from the kitchen, saw him on the floor, and immediately lost it.

She stormed up the stairs, furious, and with a single kick, knocked me to the ground as she screamed.

"Peter! Have you lost your damn mind?!"

"How far are you planning to go? Do you have to destroy him—and our child—before you're satisfied?!"

Before I could say a word, Harvey’s tears had already begun to fall.

"Andrea... if I die... you have to give birth to our baby..."

"Please... promise me you’ll protect him... no matter what..."

Andrea’s face was filled with pain and tenderness as she helped him up, her voice soft and full of affection.

"Shh... don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby."

Then, without sparing me another glance, she walked toward the door.

Just before leaving, she gave an order to the guards at the entrance.

“Take him to the storage room. Let him reflect overnight. Don’t turn on the lights.”

I stared at her in disbelief and shouted hoarsely, "Andrea, have you forgotten I’m claustrophobic?! Are you trying to kill me?!"

She paused—but didn’t turn back.

“I haven’t forgotten. But you hurt Harvey. There has to be a price.”

With that, she walked out.

The bodyguards followed her command without hesitation.

They dragged me into the cramped storage room.

As the door slammed shut, darkness swallowed me whole.

Then a sharp, stabbing pain pierced through my lower abdomen like a knife.

It was only then I realized the kick Andrea had given me earlier had landed directly between my legs. And now, blood was seeping out.

I staggered to the door and began pounding on it with all my might.

“Someone—please! Help!”

“My lower abdomen hurts so much—I’m bleeding! I need to go to the hospital, now!”

One of the guards, alarmed by my screams, called Andrea for instructions.

Her voice came through the phone, cold and emotionless.

"Don’t believe him. He’s faking it."

“Listen carefully. No one opens that door without my permission.”

With that, she hung up.

I collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony, blood soaking beneath me through the night.

The next morning, a housemaid came to grab supplies and was so horrified by what she saw, she immediately rushed me to the hospital.

The moment the doctor who had previously canceled my IVF saw me, he ordered emergency surgery.

As the cold anesthesia coursed through my veins, I faintly heard nurses in the hallway cheerfully announcing, "Congratulations, Mr. Hayes and Madam Hayes—the mother and baby are both safe and healthy!"

At the same time, in the operating room where I was lying, blood was pouring out due to the delay in treatment.

The doctors were panicking.

"What do we do now? His wife is listed as deceased, and we need a family member’s signature for this operation!"

Just as they were at a loss—a sleek Maybach pulled up at the hospital entrance, drawing murmurs from the staff.

"Who is she? Even the hospital director came out personally to welcome her!"

"Did you see the man behind her? That’s the top male specialist from New York! People have offered him five million just to get an appointment!"

“Oh my god, whoever her husband is must be the luckiest man alive—power, money, connections...”

At that moment, the doors to the operating room burst open.

Helena stepped in, gently wiping the cold sweat from my forehead.

"Uncle Tobias, I’m entrusting my man to you."

"Don’t worry. He’ll come out of this without a scratch."

—

A month later, Andrea threw a lavish full-month celebration for the baby.

It was only then that she remembered Peter.

She casually snapped a photo of the child and sent it to his phone—only to discover she had been blocked.

Assuming he was still sulking over that night, she decided to soften her tone and coax him back with a few gentle words.

Just as she reached for her phone again, her assistant came rushing into the banquet hall, out of breath and holding an envelope.

“Miss Hayes—he’s getting married. The wedding is... it’s today!”