When I went to the hospital for a checkup to see if my fourth IVF attempt had succeeded, I saw Daniel Cooper, who was supposed to be on a business trip.

He was carefully supporting a young, beautiful woman as they walked out of the obstetrics and gynecology department.

Her belly was unmistakably round, and she looked like she was ready to give birth at any moment.

Daniel froze for just a second before stepping in front of her, shielding her from me.

He explained, "Abby, the Cooper family needs an heir to carry on the lineage. Once the baby is born, everything will go back to the way it was."

I heard the certainty in his words. So I smiled, nodded, and quietly tucked my test results away as he stared at me in surprise.

On the day she gave birth, I left the divorce papers on the kitchen table and walked out of his life for good.

When I saw Daniel Cooper at the obstetrics and gynecology department, I thought I was mistaken.

Just the night before, he had kissed me over and over, whispering that he loved me more than anything. I had even packed his suitcase myself, piece by piece, for his so-called business trip.

However, here he was, wearing the clothes I had carefully picked out for him. All while carefully supporting a young, visibly pregnant woman as they walked out of the department.

She held a medical report in her hand and said something to him. He leaned in, listening with a patience and attentiveness.

The warmth between them was palpable—anyone would have assumed they were a happy couple.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over me, instantly extinguishing every bit of joy I had left.

I stood frozen, my eyes locking with Daniel’s. He was still smiling faintly, but that smile quickly stiffened, and panic flashed across his face.

The woman beside him turned pale the moment she saw me, clutching Daniel’s sleeve in fear.

Daniel quickly composed himself. He gently patted her hand, guiding her to a nearby waiting area and whispering something to calm her down.

When he finally walked toward me, the panic of being caught had vanished. Instead, he acted as if nothing had happened.

"What brings you to the hospital? Are you feeling all right?"

He reached out to touch my face, but I took a step back to avoid his touch.

“Explain yourself,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me.

In my mind, I was pleading, "Daniel, please tell me that this is just a misunderstanding. If you say it, I’ll believe you.”

I bit my lip while forcing back my tears, but the tremor in my voice gave me away.

Seeing my pain, Daniel ignored my resistance and pulled me into his arms. "Baby, it's not what you think. Let's go home, and I'll explain everything..."

My heart sank. He did not even deny it. My eyes burned as I stared at him, silently demanding the truth.

He hesitated under my gaze, looking away before speaking with difficulty. "The baby... is mine. But I didn't mean for this to happen, Abby..."

His voice was quiet, but the words hit me like thunder. My legs nearly gave out.

Seeing me falter, Daniel reached out to steady me, his eyes filled with concern.

I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!"

I could not understand how he could betray me yet still acted as if he cared.

By now, people in the hallway had started staring. The other woman hurried over, shielding Daniel like a mother hen protecting her chick.

"Abigail, don't blame Mr. Cooper. It wasn’t his fault. He didn't do it on purpose."

Daniel shot her a sharp look, telling her to go back, but his hand instinctively hovered near her waist, protectively.

Their mutual sympathy was nauseating, making me feel like the villain. Anger, resentment, and heartbreak surged through me.

Hatred rose within me as I stepped forward and glared at her. "You shameless homewrecker!"

She flinched in fear, nearly stumbling.

Daniel’s face darkened. He shoved me aside and pulled her tightly into his arms.

He used so much force, and I was caught off guard—I was actually pushed to the ground.

The force caught me off guard, and I fell to the ground. Instinctively, I shielded my stomach. A sharp pain shot through my palm, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

Daniel had never hurt me before. He looked just as shocked as I was, staring at his hands in disbelief. Regret washed over his face.

"Abby, are you okay?" He panicked and reached out to help me up.

Behind him, the woman suddenly gasped. "Ah… Danny, my stomach hurts!"

Daniel's hand jerked back instantly. Without another thought, he scooped her up in his arms and rushed toward the examination room.

Before leaving, he glanced back at me. His handsome face was filled with guilt.

"Abby, wait for me. I'll explain everything later."

Then he was gone.

I clutched my stomach, tears welling up as my nose tingled. Deep down, I knew there would be no “later” for us.

I quietly followed them.

Inside the examination room, Daniel's voice trembled as he spoke to the doctor.

He had always been calm and composed—I’d never seen him so panicked before.

The woman clutched his hand tightly, her words spilling out in a frantic mess. “Danny, my stomach hurts so much… I’m scared…”

Daniel patiently comforted her. His voice was so gentle it could have melted into water. “It’s okay. Our baby is safe inside you, remember? The doctor said this morning that in just one more month, we’ll finally get to meet him.”

She calmed a little under his soothing words but still refused to let go of him. “Danny, do you prefer a boy or a girl? What if the baby isn’t cute? Will you stop loving them?”

Daniel let out a helpless chuckle, and his voice was filled with indulgence. "I'll love them no matter what. And with a mother as beautiful as you, our baby will definitely be adorable. Don't overthink it…"

Tears streamed down my face. I just could not watch any longer—I turned and walked out of the hospital.

I forced myself to make it home, but the pain in my heart made it hard to breathe.

Daniel and I had dated for three years and been married for seven. A third of my life had been spent with him.

When we were together, he had always been gentle and thoughtful, his eyes filled with nothing but love for me.

I came from a broken home, so I grew up sensitive and insecure. He had spoiled me, little by little, turning me into a willful princess.

His parents had never approved of me, and after our marriage, their dissatisfaction only grew as I failed to conceive.

Daniel had argued with them for my sake, insisting that our fertility issues were his fault, not mine.

He had treated me so well that I had never even considered the possibility of us parting ways. However, today, at the hospital, seeing the way he treated that woman…

I finally realized that Daniel's gentleness and attentiveness had never belonged to me alone.

He could be this way with anyone, as long as he wanted to.

I had been such a fool to believe otherwise.

That night, Daniel came home. It had only been a few hours, but he already looked visibly exhausted, his eyes were clouded with fatigue.

He walked straight to me, knelt down, and buried his head against my knees.

It was a vulnerable posture—one that would have tugged at my heart in the past.

My nose tingled as tears threatened to fall again, but I reminded myself not to soften.

"Talk to me. Who is she? How does she know me? How long have you two been together?"

With every question I asked, I felt another piece of my heart shatter.

His muscles tensed for a moment before he finally spoke, his voice strained..

"She… she's my new assistant. She saw you once last year when you visited my office."

I thought for a moment and vaguely remembered. If I was not mistaken, her name was Elena Morris. She had just graduated last year.

When I went to see Daniel, she was the one who served me tea.

I vaguely recalled her sneaking a few extra glances at me back then.

During that time, Daniel often complained about her, saying she was clueless and could not do anything right.

He had made those comments while his eyes lingered on their chat screen. Lately, he had been like this often.

I would casually remark, "She seems pretty smart. And she's quite pretty too."

Daniel would hesitate for a moment before vaguely replying that he never paid attention to any woman's appearance except mine.

I’d laughed it off back then, calling him a smooth-talker. After that, he never mentioned her again.

I assumed he had fired her, until now…

I struggled to get the words out. "So, you two started this way back then?"

"No!" Daniel hurriedly denied it.

However, I did not know whether I could trust him anymore.

"It was an accident," he explained anxiously. "Last year, when you went on that trip, I had too much to drink at a business dinner. She helped me home, and I don't know how it happened…”

"I swear, it was only that one time. I had no idea she would get pregnant. She has a unique medical condition, so she couldn't terminate it, and I…"

Daniel was still rambling in a panic, but my eyes widened as realization hit me.

"So that time when you suddenly came to see me… that night, when you were especially intense…”

"It wasn't because you missed me like you said. It was because you had slept with her, and guilt was eating you alive, wasn't it?"

Daniel's pupils contracted. His lips trembled as he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

A wave of nausea surged up my throat, and I rushed to the bathroom, vomiting until I was dizzy.

Daniel followed me, patting my back in a panic, trying to make me feel better.

"Don't touch me!" I spun around, glaring at him with pure hatred.

It was no wonder he had been acting so strangely back then. A man who had always been a workaholic suddenly abandoned his job to spend half a month with me.

I had been overjoyed, thinking it was because he truly loved me. Turns out he was just drowning in guilt after cheating on me.

What made it worse was that they had been together in our bedroom, on the bed where Daniel and I had slept for seven years…

My furious stare seemed to terrify him. He stood frozen, motionless, for what felt like an eternity.

With nowhere to vent my rage, I shot to my feet and stormed into the bedroom. My eyes scanned the room until they landed on the eyebrow razor sitting on the vanity.

I grabbed it and slashed at the duvet cover, the sheets, the pillows—like a mad woman.

Feathers from the down comforter scattered through the air like snow, leaving the room in complete chaos.

Even so, it still was not enough. Everything dirty needed to be destroyed!

Daniel followed behind me, his face twisted in pain as he tried to stop me.

In my blind fury, I accidentally slashed his hand. Blood gushed from the wound, stark against the sea of white feathers.

At last, I felt a strange sense of calm. My empty gaze landed on our wedding photo. We looked so happy back then.

Closing my eyes, I finally spoke in despair. "Daniel, let's get a divorce."

It was as if I had uttered the most terrifying words imaginable. Ignoring his still-bleeding wound, Daniel lunged forward and held me tightly.

His voice was thick with sorrow, almost suffocating. "No, Abby, we're not getting a divorce. I swear, once the baby is born, I'll cut all ties with her. Everything will go back to the way it was. You know I only love you. I can't lose you."

A cold sneer rose in my heart.

How could anything ever be the same again? The Daniel who had once loved me with all his heart no longer existed.

We became locked in a strange standoff.

No matter how much I lashed out at him, he remained patient, always smiling, always treating me with the same tenderness as before.

Yet the moment I mentioned divorce, he played dumb.

Meanwhile, his phone rang constantly, and every time, it was Elena.

Whenever I was around, he would decline the calls.

Yet late at night, he would sneak onto the balcony, whispering to her in that unbearably gentle voice, soothing her emotions like she was the most precious thing in the world.

One evening at the dinner table, his phone rang again. He rejected the call just like always.

I scoffed. "Go ahead and answer. our midnight whispering really messes with my sleep.”

I had expected him to look ashamed.

Instead, he responded smoothly, "Then I won't call her anymore. Eat more broccoli—you've lost weight lately."

I was about to call out his pretense when my own phone suddenly rang. Daniel's expression darkened the moment he saw the caller ID.

His reaction told me everything I needed to know.

I then put the call on speaker, and Elena's tearful voice came through immediately.

"Abigail, can you ask Mr. Cooper to come see me? Please, have some mercy on his child… It's his own flesh and blood…"

Daniel frantically ended the call, his face was filled with panic and fear. I simply stared at him.

Strangely, there was no hatred left inside me. Only sadness.

This man was no longer mine.

"I want to see Elena."