When I woke up, I was lying on the lounge sofa.

A sharp ache twisted in my lower abdomen, and my throat was so raw I couldn’t utter a word.

Miguel sat by my side, gently wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. His eyes were filled with guilt and worry.

“Baby, does anything else hurt? Why did you suddenly collapse? You scared me and Saoirse too…”

Before he could finish, the door swung open.

Saoirse walked in with a cup of warm water in hand.

“I’m sorry, Sis. It was my fault. Please drink this… and rest.”

She knelt beside me, pitifully lifting the cup to my lips.

“Don’t be angry with me, okay?”

I turned my head away, refusing to acknowledge her.

The cup slipped from her hands, and scalding hot water splashed across my shoulder.

Miguel rushed forward to catch her as she stumbled. A flicker of anger shot through his eyes.

“Belle, she’s your sister! How could you treat her like that?”

Then he scooped Saoirse into his arms and strode out.

“I’ll rinse it with cold water right away, or it’ll leave a scar.”

Watching their backs as they disappeared, I suddenly laughed.

If he had only looked closer, he would’ve seen the truth: most of the water had splashed onto my shoulder.

It was red and raw, already blistering.

I laughed until tears blurred my vision.

But at least now, I had made up my mind to stop loving him.

So, it didn’t hurt quite as much anymore.

After a while, I dragged my weakened body up and prepared to hail a taxi to the hospital.

“Belle, wait.”

Director Evan stopped me. “When are you going to tell Miguel you’re leaving?”

I paused. “In five days. After our sixth anniversary.”

At the hospital, I gritted through the pain to register and queued outside radiology.

Suddenly, my phone rang, it was Miguel’s driver, his voice urgent.

“Belle, please come quickly. Brother Miguel’s drunk again!”

If the paparazzi caught him like that, tomorrow’s endorsement banquet would be finished.

I clenched my jaw and tossed the registration slip aside.

Outside the KTV entrance, Saoirse leaned against the wall, a cigarette between her fingers, eyes clouded in smoke.

I froze at the sight. This was a side of her I’d never seen. “You… does Miguel know you’re like this?”

Saoirse blew a lazy smoke ring in my direction, her tone full of mockery. “Mind your own business.”

“Want to tell Miguel about this? Go ahead. He won’t believe you anyway.”

She seemed to revel in the sound of my dry coughing.

“Believe it or not, the moment I open my mouth, he’ll never choose you.”

Just then, the door creaked open, and a drunken Miguel staggered out.

I instinctively reached out to steady him, but he walked right past me and fell into Saoirse’s arms instead.

“Saoirse, you came to get me.”

She shot me a triumphant smile as she helped him away, slow and sweet. Miguel didn’t spare me a single glance.

I stood there like air, completely invisible.

A sharp pain twisted in my chest, so tight it stole the breath from my lungs.

Before I could move, a few rough-looking men stepped in my path. “Where’d this little chick come from? Come keep us company.”

I turned to leave, but they blocked me again. “Wanna go? Then finish this crate first.”

My body had long been weak, and tonight, I had no strength left to resist. I could only drag the crate over, open bottle after bottle, and force it all down.

Each swallow burned like glass shards down my throat.

The metallic taste of blood rose in my throat. I stumbled to the wall, leaned against it, and retched violently.

Barely holding myself upright, I staggered into the restroom. My stomach burned like fire, my head spinning uncontrollably.

With a trembling hand, I clung to a final sliver of hope and dialed Miguel’s number.

As expected, a busy tone answered me.

Tears streamed down my cheeks without warning.

Belle, you should’ve known long ago that man no longer loved you.

…

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

The sharp scent of disinfectant stung my nose and blurred my vision.

“Miss Belle, you’re awake.”

The doctor’s voice was firm, almost emotionless.

“I regret to inform you we couldn’t save your baby.”

“What…”

My voice was barely audible. I stared at him blankly, then lowered my gaze to my abdomen.

“There… was a baby?”

I hadn’t even known it existed.

I never heard its heartbeat. Never felt it move. Before I could even learn to love it, it was already gone.

My phone chimed. I grabbed it instantly. I wanted to tell Miguel. I needed to tell him.

But the screen lit up with a video from Saoirse.

In it, she stood close beside Miguel, holding up tiny baby clothes.

She tilted her head thoughtfully. “One pink, one blue… it’s so hard to choose.”

Miguel stood slightly turned from the camera, his expression unreadable. His voice, however, was soft and coaxing.

“Then take both.”

That one sentence snapped the final thread holding me together.

I broke down.

Tears fell like shattered pearls, streaming endlessly down my face.

That same afternoon, Miguel finally heard the news from Lori and rushed to the hospital.

The doctor’s disapproving gaze landed squarely on him, this man who claimed to be the father.

“Your wife lost the baby, and you didn’t even know?”

I coughed, and the glass of water tipped over with a sharp clink.

Miguel’s attention snapped to me. He rushed forward, steadying me with both hands.

“Careful, don’t burn yourself.”

He gently wiped the water off the table, then leaned in, his voice brushing against my lips.

“Sweetheart, do you want some water?”

“Hmm..”

I gave a faint nod, and he immediately picked up the cup and left the room.

As soon as his figure disappeared down the hallway, I turned to the doctor and pleaded in a whisper, “He’s in love with someone else. Please don’t tell him.”

The doctor stood still, eyes flicking toward the door, then back to me.

After a long sigh, he finally said, “Alright, such a pity for the child, though.”

He placed a sonogram gently on the edge of the bed. “This was taken just before surgery. The nurse saved it for you. The baby already had tiny hands and feet.”

I glanced at it once, just once, before I clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle the cry building in my throat.

The little one curled up in the image, so small, so soft, its tiny limbs folded close, its face scrunched in the faintest frown.

I’m sorry, baby…

My heart whispered the apology as I carefully folded the ultrasound and pressed it against my chest.

My final gift to Miguel had quietly grown by one more.

He soon returned with the water, warm to just the right degree.

He held the cup patiently, letting me sip bit by bit. The doctor said nothing more and silently stepped out.

Watching his back fade through the door, Miguel seemed to pause as if a whisper of something vital had slipped right past him. “What did the doctor say just now—”

“I’m hungry,” I said calmly.

He dismissed the unease rising in his chest as nothing more than a passing illusion.

For the next two days, he took care of me with gentleness and patience, just as he had done so many times before.

The more tender he was, the more my heart ached. It felt like someone was tearing it apart with bare hands.

One night, he said in a voice heavy with guilt, “Belle, come with me to the banquet tomorrow…”

Even though I had already handed in my resignation to Director Evan, the transition hadn’t been finalized.

I gave a faint nod. “Alright. I’ll be there.”

…

When I arrived at the venue, I immediately noticed Saoirse seated right beside Miguel.

The host chuckled into the mic, teasing playfully, “Miss Belle seems a bit nervous. Shouldn’t our movie king comfort his little girlfriend?”

I forced a smile, even though I could feel how pale and terrible I must have looked.

Sitting beside Miguel under the spotlight had been a dream I clung to for years.

When our eyes met, a flicker of guilt flashed across his face. After a slight hesitation, he reached over and held Saoirse’s hand.

The crowd below erupted in cheers.

“Kiss! Kiss!”

As the two leaned in closer and closer, my heart, one I thought had long since gone numb, suddenly clenched in pain.

I couldn’t bear another second. I stood up and rushed out of the venue.

Soon after, the product launch began.

Inside the velvet box lay a new piece from the collaboration, a blue diamond necklace worth millions, shining under the lights.

Saoirse opened the box with feigned shyness, gesturing sweetly for Miguel to put it on himself.

The flashes flared wildly.

Then, a reporter shouted, “Is that necklace fake? There’s no sparkle at all under the lights!”

The designer rushed over, took a close look, and his face darkened.

“This is a fake. It’s not the necklace we gave your team.”

When I glanced up, I caught Saoirse flashing me a venomous smile.

She turned pitiful, her voice soft. “I saw Assistant Belle backstage with the box… maybe she…”

Without thinking, I blurted out, “No! That’s not true—”

The venue’s security guards surged forward and slammed me to the ground with force.

Miguel’s face turned ashen. “She wouldn’t do something like that…”

“Ow! My foot!”

Saoirse dropped to the floor with a dramatic cry. Miguel froze, then immediately knelt to help her.

Within minutes, the police stormed in.

I faced them head-on, my voice unwavering. “I didn’t do it. It’s my job to inspect the box…”

Saoirse added lightly, “Maybe she hid it in her clothes?”

The designer’s face darkened, fury burning in his eyes. “Search her!”

The guards lunged at me, yanking at my clothes and tearing into my bag with brutal force.

My lower back burned, and the reopened wound soaked my clothes in blood.

Bruises quickly bloomed across my arms.

“I didn’t steal it! I’m innocent!” I shouted through clenched teeth, struggling helplessly.

My clothing was ripped to shreds. Only scraps and my undergarments clung to me.

A guard suddenly held up a torn piece of fabric, the stolen blue diamond glittering within.

“We found the necklace! It was in this lady’s inner pocket!”

The entire venue erupted in chaos, and Miguel stared at me in disbelief.

He took a step forward instinctively, but Saoirse clung to his sleeve.

“Miss Belle, how could you be so careless? You’re treating Miguel’s career like a joke!”

Miguel’s face darkened, his gaze heavy with doubt. “Belle, if you admit your mistake now, I might still be able to save—”

“No need.”

I bit down hard, holding back my tears.

“I didn’t know the necklace was in my pocket. Miguel, do you believe me?”

The staff snickered openly, mockery dancing in their eyes.

Some lewd stares crawled over my half-exposed body, making my skin burn.

But I didn’t care. I looked straight at Miguel, my voice trembling.

“Miguel, I didn’t do it. Do you believe me?”

His dark eyes flickered, hesitation softening his features. “Belle… Assistant Belle has been with me for years. She’s never done anything like this…”

Just then, the assistant in charge of the brand’s handover rushed over.

His face drained of color after hearing what happened.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice, “I saw Assistant Belle switch the necklace…”

My pupils widened instantly, my voice trembling.

“You’re lying!”

Miguel stepped toward me, each stride heavier than the last.

When his hand reached out, I thought he was finally going to pull me out of this nightmare.

Instead, he gripped my shoulder tightly.

“Kneel. Apologize.”

Those four words fell from his lips like stones, every syllable laced with cold fury.