I hid behind a pillar, watching Daniel. He had been too busy with work to attend a single prenatal check-up with me during my entire pregnancy. Yet here he was, running around the hospital, registering, picking up medication, and gently helping another woman in and out like the perfect husband.

At that moment, I realized it wasn't that he was too busy. He didn't want to make an effort for the wife he'd been married to for seven years.

In the bustling hospital lobby, Daniel held the woman close, reminding her, "The doctor said you should eat less tonight and try to stay active. In the early stages of pregnancy, digestion can be tricky, so let's follow the advice this time, okay?"

"Aww, fine, I got it!" she replied, pouting playfully. But it's your fault! You bought way too many dumplings."

"Alright, alright, I'll take the blame," he said with a smile. "It's my fault for making my sweetheart eat too much, okay?"

"That's better." She smirked. "Fine, I'll forgive you... this time."

As I watched them, they bantered like a real couple, close and inseparable, while I stood under the hospital's harsh fluorescent lights, feeling like an intruder in my own life. I was invisible to them.

With a heavy heart, I held my belly and slowly shuffled out of the hospital. Outside, the scene was no less cruel. The rain had started. The cold autumn wind blew against me, and the rain felt like it was trying to drown the world in its chill. Through the mist, I watched as Daniel draped his coat over her, shielding her from the rain and gently helping her into the front passenger seat.

The woman smiled up at him, grabbing his tie and pulling him in for a kiss. My husband cupped her face and kissed her deeply right there in the rain. When they finally pulled apart, he tapped her nose playfully, and she tugged on his tie again, biting his lip hard.

To my surprise, instead of getting upset, he just smiled like he was thrilled. Then, he got into the car. As the car was about to pull away, the woman rolled down the window, locking eyes with me.

She gave me a smug, taunting look and said, "Olivia, you've lost."

I smiled and shook my head. A strange calm washed over me. "It's okay, Olivia."

Then, I whispered to myself, "He's just a man, nothing more."

As the car turned the corner, I waved. "Daniel, I don't want you anymore. You're hers."

In that decisive moment, standing under the hospital awning, I calmly sent all the evidence I had gathered to my mentor, a well-known divorce lawyer. I was going to secure the best future for my child, no matter what.

By the time I finished, the rain had already soaked the hem of my dress. Oddly enough, I barely noticed. Just as I put my phone away, it rang.

It was Mom.

"Olivia, I made some soup for you and brought it to the house. Where are you and Danny? Why aren't you home?" Her voice was filled with warmth and concern.

Before I could respond, she continued, "Oh, that Danny. You're this far along, and he's still taking you out? You really need to be careful right now."

Hearing my mom's voice felt like a blow, like opening a floodgate I had been trying so hard to keep closed. All the pain I had been holding in grew into an overwhelming weight, pressing down on my chest. I bit down hard on my lip, fighting back the sob rising in my throat. The pain of suppressing it sent a shiver through my entire body.

"Mom, don't worry," I said, forcing a smile even though she couldn't see me.

"We're just out having dinner." I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. "Oh, we're being careful. Danny's right here with me."

I had to keep it together. I couldn't let my mom hear me cry. I wouldn't.

"It's raining, Mom. Drive home safely, okay? Text me when you get there."

I hung up quickly before my voice could betray me. Once the call ended, I took a deep breath and tried to hold everything in, but no matter how hard I tried, the tears finally spilled over. I cried quietly, my body trembling under the weight of it all.

There I stood, a heavily pregnant woman, belly aching, surrounded by strangers coming and going from the hospital. And in that cold, indifferent world, I cried until I had no more tears left in me.

Daniel didn't come home that night. Instead, he only sent a text:

'Hey Olivia, I'm working late tonight and crashing into the office. It's getting cold and rainy, so don't forget to close the window before bed. Love you always, your husband.'

I read the message without feeling anything. In the past, I would have worried, replied, or waited for Daniel. Now, I didn't even bother to respond. I used to think I was the happiest woman in the world because I had the best husband. But reality hit me hard. It had all been a ridiculous facade. People's hearts are hidden behind their ribs, and their lies are scribbled on paper.

A few days later, I received the divorce papers my lawyer had drafted. I printed them out, signed my name, and started packing up my things to move back to my mom's place. Just as I was getting ready to leave, my phone rang with an unknown number.

It was Cara.

We met at a café downstairs. Cara arrived with an air of confidence, sitting across from me with a smug smile, a supermarket shopping bag by her side. Three months pregnant and balancing on thin high heels, she looked at me as if she had already won.

"I thought you wouldn't come," she said, a smug lilt in her voice. "After all, you never replied to my messages."

I smiled calmly. My heart was steady, not a flicker of emotion breaking through. "Why wouldn't I come? I haven't done anything shameful that I need to hide." I leaned back, still smiling. "Besides, Daniel and I are legally married, so I have nothing to hide. Unlike some people who, no matter how hard they try, will always be the hidden third."

"You—!" she snapped, but I cut her off again.

"Oh, and thank you, by the way," I said, my voice steady. "For sending me all the evidence of your little affair with Daniel. Collecting all that would've been much harder on my own."

I smiled, this time more dismissively. "So, this coffee's on me."

I placed some cash under my cup, stood up slowly, and rested my hand on my belly.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked through clenched teeth as she grabbed my arm.

"It means I don't want him anymore," I replied, pulling my arm free. "If you want him, he's all yours."

Her eyes narrowed, and she threw my arm aside angrily. "What game are you playing now? Don't think I'm buying this for a second!"

The force of her shove sent me stumbling backward, and I fell to the floor. At that moment, it felt like a knife had ripped through my belly. Pain shot through me, and I felt my body convulsed.

Blood poured from between my legs, and I screamed in terror, "Save my baby!"

I barely registered Cara fleeing in panic. Forcing myself to stay calm, I asked the café staff to call an ambulance. By the time they lifted me into the ambulance, my dress was drenched in blood.

As my consciousness began to slip away, I heard a nurse asking for my phone password. I unlocked it for her, and they called my emergency contact, my husband, six times.

Finally, he picked up on the last call.

"Olivia, there's an emergency at work," Daniel's sharp and impatient voice said. We're in the middle of a critical meeting. I'll call you back later, okay? Be good."

The line went dead. But I could hear Cara's voice clearly in the background.

I turned away from the nurse's pitiful eyes and wiped the blood from my hands with my dress. My fingers shook as I took the phone and dialed my mom.

I had to sound calm.

"Mom, I… I'm going into labor." I swallowed hard, fighting through the pain.

My mom replied, "Don't panic, okay? Just listen. Go to my place, grab my ID and the hospital bag, and take a cab to Riverside General. Whatever the doctors tell you to do, do it."

"I'm fine, Mom, really. Don't worry about me." I reassured her before quickly hanging up.

Right then, the contractions hit me like a tidal wave, and I screamed.

Cold sweat poured down my face, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I used the last bit of strength I had to grab the doctor's hand.

"Please, save my baby!" I gasped.

I couldn't lose my baby. Not again.