On the day I found out that I was pregnant, Stefan was overwhelmed with joy.

He bought all the maternity and baby products available in the city and even got tens of millions of jade bracelets to show me his love during my pregnancy.

He held me, laughing and crying and kissed my belly again and again.

"Elle, I'm so happy."

"Once this child is born, I'll give you the best of everything in the world."

Seeing his tearful eyes, I smiled but remained silent. He was unaware that this child was destined not to come into this world. There would never be a future between him and me.

——

When I visited the hospital for an abortion, the nurse looked at me in surprise.

"Are you the famous Mrs. Miller? The one who was reported on TV? You are so beautiful."

I did not respond and another nurse quickly scolded her.

"Don't speak nonsense. Mrs. Miller's body is weak. She finally got pregnant after six years of marriage. Mr. Miller pampers her and would never let her come alone to this small hospital for an abortion."

She was right.

Stefan Miller, my husband, adored and loved me deeply.

I had been frail and sickly since childhood, so after our marriage, he built a private hospital solely for me.

He even invited the best medical team to care only for me.

Later, to bring good fortune, he opened the hospital to the public free of charge.

Upon learning of my pregnancy, he was overjoyed and immediately visited a church to make offerings and fulfill his vows.

Fireworks lit up the night sky, illuminating almost the entire city.

He bought all the flowers, new mom products and baby products available in the city.

He even lit sky lanterns, filling the night sky with glowing wishes and spent tens of millions on exquisite jade bracelets as a gesture to support my pregnancy.

When he gently slipped the bracelet onto my wrist, his eyes brimmed with tears of happiness.

"We've finally reached this moment. With you and our child, my life is truly complete."

How could he know that while he was lost in his joy, I had already resolved to end the pregnancy and disappear from his life forever?

"Ma'am, please sign here."

The nurse's voice broke through my reverie, pulling me back to the present.

On the hospital TV, Stefan's interview played in the background.

A man known for his composed demeanor, his voice cracked with emotion whenever he spoke of me.

"My wife and I adore children, but when I think of the trials and hardships of pregnancy and childbirth, it breaks my heart..."

"That's why we've decided this will be our only child. After its birth, I plan to transfer all my assets to my wife and child as a token of my unwavering devotion."

The young nurse who was watching the screen sighed wistfully, admiration gleaming in her eyes.

"Men like Mr. Miller are so rare. Where could I find one like him?"

"They say he and his wife were childhood sweethearts. When her family went bankrupt, he proposed despite facing opposition from everyone. He has treated her like a queen ever since. Geez, it's more romantic than any storybook..."

Upon hearing her words, my hand immediately froze.

I could not forget the betrayal. The servant who worked in my home had sold us out, leading to the Lynch Family's downfall.

Stefan had promised to me then, "There will never be lies or deceit between us. If I ever break this promise, let me pay for it with my life."

To prove his sincerity, he had knelt in the pouring rain for an entire day and night, pleading with his family to accept me.

When they finally relented, he had been so feverish and weak that he could barely stand. Yet, trembling, he placed the diamond ring on my finger.

"Don't be worried, Elle. As long as I'm here, I'll be your shield from all the storms and hardships of this world."

For six years, he fulfilled this vow, cherishing me as if I were the most precious gem in his life.

But the day I discovered I was pregnant shattered that illusion.

That was also the day I received intimate photos of him with his lover.

It was then I learned the hospital he had lovingly named after me, in reality, had been built specially for her.

Stefan patiently accompanied me to every medical treatment and checkup at all times.

In truth, they were merely excuses for him to spend more time with her.

In the early stages of my pregnancy, I was frail to the point of collapse, often losing consciousness after relentless bouts of nausea and vomiting.

Yet, during those moments, Stefan found himself entangled in an illicit romance with Lyra Keene, his lover.

The day I saw the photos of them together, everything became painfully clear. The love I thought we shared no longer existed.

I knew this child should not be born into such deceit.

After the abortion, as I remained under observation in the hospital, I made a call to my former mentor in the research institute I had been joining.

"Sir, I've decided. I'm ready to join the restricted-access research center."

"Nonsense! I saw the news that you're pregnant. The research center is in the Northwest, where the environment is harsh and all communication with the outside world will be severed. Can you endure such conditions?"

In response, I sent my mentor the abortion report as proof of my resolve.

There was a long silence before he spoke again. "You... Have you truly thought this through? Does Stefan agree about this?"

For years, my hesitation stemmed from my inability to let go of Stefan Miller.

But now, it was his choices that had made the decision for me.

I responded with unwavering seriousness, "I don't need his permission. After spending so many years as a pampered rich lady, it's time I do something meaningful for society."

"I have just one request. Permanently erase my identity. I don't want anyone in the world to be able to find me."

Death might be swift, but forgetting someone took a lifetime.

So, I did not wish Stefan Miller to die. I wished him to live every day weighed down by regret.

"All right, Elena. You've finally lived up to my expectations. Take care of yourself and wait for my instructions."

After exchanging a few more words, I ended the call.

Only then did I notice a string of messages lighting up my phone screen.

[Honey, I bought a pair of safety locks, perfect for you and the baby.]

[I've also booked a family photo package for after the baby's born.]

[Are you feeling unwell? Why aren't you replying? Do you want me to skip my meeting and come be with you?]

***

Seeing my silence, Stefan followed up with over a dozen frantic calls.

Amid his flood of words filled with love and concern, there was a video attached.

It was from Lyra Keene.

I scrolled through the messages as a storm of emotions surged within me. In my daze, the jade bracelet slipped from my wrist, shattering into two pieces.

Swallowing the pain, I turned off my phone and left alone.

As I walked, Stefan found me in a frenzy.

Right after Stefan saw me, he held me in his arms with a look of worry on his face.

"Where were you going? You didn't reply to any of my messages. Do you have any idea how terrified I was?"

"I was feeling a bit down, so I went out for a walk. My phone battery died and shut off."

My eyes averted his gaze as I pretended not to notice the mismatched buttons on his shirt or the faint hickey on his neck.

Stefan exhaled deeply, his expression softening as he gently ushered me into the car.

"It's my fault. Sorry, I should be spending more time with you. There was an emergency meeting at the company that I had to attend, but I promise this won't happen again."

What kind of meeting required taking one's shirt off to participate?

I chose to remain silent as Stefan took out a lush bouquet of roses from the trunk.

"A gift of apology."

The roses from the flower shop near Elenadore Hospital were always the most exquisite.

Stefan had made a habit of bringing me a bouquet every time he passed by.

I once believed it was a tender gesture, a sign of his love for me.

But now, I realized that this was more like tokens of guilt after having an affair.

Suddenly, Lyra's recent video crept back into my memory.

There were traces of their affair all over her body.

"Don't think you've won just because you managed to call him away from me this time. I have countless ways to keep him by my side. Just wait and see."

I did not know what cunning schemes Lyra might do.

I just wondered about what Stefan was thinking.

He would panic over my silence, fearing for my safety when I failed to reply to his messages.

Also, moments after abandoning his lover, he would conceal his passion to rush back to me.

And still, he built a gilded cage for his little mistress in secret, where he stayed with her every single chance.

At that moment, as I gazed at the man I had loved for over ten years, I felt he now seemed like a stranger.

Noticing my silence, he grew visibly anxious.

"Honey, I know I was wrong. If you're still angry, you can take it out on me. Hit me if it helps, but please don't let your anger harm your health or affect our baby..."

Stefan grasped my hand, guiding it to his cheek.

But the image of him and Lyra touching and kissing each other flashed through my mind, so I suddenly retracted my hand and vomited in disgust.

I knew how much Stefan hated uncleanliness.

Yet, at that moment, without hesitation, he reached out to catch my nausea in his bare hands.

Luckily, I had not eaten much in days, so there was nothing to throw up.

Still, the act left me feeling weak and distressed, tears welling up at the corners of my eyes.

Through the blur of tears, I glanced at him.

I believed that the concern written in his gaze at this moment was raw and genuine.

However, the record of him cheating on me with Lyra Keene was also real.

I shifted subtly, creating a small but deliberate distance between us, curling up in the passenger seat.

The ache in my heart was sharp, but I forced myself to suppress it.

"Let's go home."

His eyes, red and brimming with distress, remained fixed on me as he bent forward to fasten my seatbelt.

In his haste, he secretly pushed a pair of stockings tucked in the corner out of view. He probably thought I had not noticed.

The scent of feminine perfume mingled with traces of cigarette smoke, filled the car. It now churned my stomach once again.

I rolled down the window and turned my gaze to the scenery outside.

Suddenly, I felt that my relationship with Stefan was just like the scenery outside the window.

Bright and dazzling on the surface…

Yet, it was irreparable at its core.

When we finally arrived home, I excused myself and claimed discomfort to avoid any conversation with Stefan.

Stefan asked the maid to prepare soup for me. Then he settled on the sofa, engrossed in a pregnancy manual.

Ever since I became pregnant, Stefan transformed from a cold, composed CEO into my personal jittery nanny.

Tasks like blow-drying my hair or bending down to pick something up were no longer permitted.

Pregnancy guides, safety precautions and postnatal recovery plans filled our shelves.

Even the maid could not help but tease, "It's rare to see a man like Mr. Miller."

"He's so protective now and Madam's just pregnant. Once you give birth successfully, I bet he'll pluck all the stars from the sky for you."

Hearing this, Stefan turned his head and stared at me.

"What's difficult about that? You don't have to wait until the baby is born. If you want, I'll contact someone to get a star for you right now."

Without hesitation, he made a flurry of calls to his connections.

For the next half an hour, his phone buzzed with activity. Finally, he sat beside me with a satisfied smile.

"It's all arranged. Tomorrow night, I'll take you to see your very own star."

Though I had little interest in this, Stefan was genuinely thrilled.

He even declined a lucrative contract worth millions of dollars just to take me to the planetarium.

Along the way, he could not stop emphasizing how special this star was.

"Honey, you've been feeling down lately. I know pregnancy is tough and there's nothing I can do to take away the burden. But I'll do everything in my power, no matter how small, to bring a smile to your face."

"Don't worry. When this little troublemaker is born, I'll take full responsibility for him so you can rest easy!"

Stefan held my hand and looked at my belly with a loving look on his face.

But there was a truth he did not know yet.

The life of the baby he longed for was already gone, killed by his own betrayal.

As the evening settled in, we arrived at the planetarium, where the curator greeted us with enthusiasm.

Yet, when his eyes fell on me, a flicker of unease crossed his face.

At that moment, Stefan was absorbed in his excitement and did not seem to notice.

"Look, the date this star was discovered matches our wedding day."

"This is fate. We're meant to be, a match made in heaven. This star is yours, a token of our love. Just like this star, our bond will be eternal..."