The night before Valentine's Day, a notification popped up on my phone—a booking confirmation for a five-star hotel suite.

Ever since Dominic's bankruptcy after our marriage, we'd been scraping by, funneling every penny toward his crushing debt. Valentine's Day had become a distant memory.

My heart ached watching him slave away at the construction site day after day. I'd spent hours standing in the bitter wind, handing out flyers, and managed to earn eighty dollars.

I made his favorites—braised pork belly and poached shrimp—and headed to the site to bring him dinner.

I also planned to gently suggest he cancel the suite. We could save that money, pay off the debt faster, and finally start building our life together.

But standing before that gleaming high-rise, I saw Dominic Thorne in a suit worth more than we supposedly had to our name, his arm wrapped around his first love—his so-called "idealized love."

Rodney Nguyen, the construction foreman, was lighting his cigarette with an obsequious smile.

"Mr. Thorne, don't you worry. With me covering for you, the missus will never find out about you and Clementine."

Dominic's eyes crinkled with amusement. He peeled off a thick stack of bills and pressed them into Rodney's palm.

"Mildred Fox's too suspicious. If I hadn't faked the bankruptcy to distract her, how else could I have rekindled things with Clementine?"

"But wild flowers can't compare to the one waiting at home. I've had my fun. Time to reclaim my identity and return to my dutiful wife."

The surgical consent form slipped from my fingers. The lunch box shattered against the pavement.

I laughed.

My hand drifted to my lower abdomen, still hollow with phantom pain.

There's no going back. I killed our child with my own hands—for him.

1.

I sat by the river, picking grains of sand and grit from the meat and rice, one by one.

Every time Dominic's lips pressed against Clementine's face flashed through my mind, the tears came faster.

How could he betray me? Betray everything we had?

My abdomen cramped violently, as if a thousand blades were twisting inside me. I could barely breathe.

I remembered our first year of marriage. Dominic had pressed his cheek to my stomach, our fingers intertwined, his voice soft with wonder.

"Mildred, let's have a baby. A little girl who looks just like you. I'll give her everything beautiful this world has to offer."

But when that tiny life actually arrived, the timing couldn't have been worse.

I refused to be a burden to him. I wanted to pour every ounce of energy into paying off his debt. So I scheduled the procedure behind his back and let them take our child.

Turns out I was nothing but a fool dancing on his strings.

Tears splashed onto the rice. I chewed the meat I hadn't tasted in months, laughing at my own stupidity. My own blind devotion.

I sat there until the sky turned black, until Dominic's call finally came.

His voice through the speaker was bright with excitement.

"Honey, I got paid today! Hurry home—I bought you that little cake you love."

I wiped my face dry and rose on unsteady legs.

When we married, I had made one thing absolutely clear to Dominic.

I would never forgive betrayal. I would never forgive deception.

He had committed both. Which meant we were about to reach the only possible destination.

Divorce.

When I walked through the door, the floor was strewn with crushed red roses, petals torn and scattered.

Dominic grabbed my hand, practically bouncing with pride.

"I didn't waste any money, I promise! I found these in a dumpster. Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, so consider them my gift to my beautiful wife."

I met his eyes. My lips curved into something that might have been a smile.

Earlier today, I had followed him in secret. I watched him escort Clementine Short to the most exclusive district downtown, casually pointing at two villas and buying them for her on the spot. Nine hundred and ninety-nine red roses accompanied the gesture.

These few mangled stems he'd brought home? They were the ones Clementine had accidentally dropped and damaged.

In his heart, I only deserved another woman's garbage.

Dominic noticed my mood. His arms slid around my waist, gentle and warm.

A slip of paper fell from my pocket and landed at his feet.

He picked it up before I could react.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I lunged to snatch it back.

But his eyes were already glistening. He pulled me into his arms so tightly it felt like he wanted to absorb me into his very bones.

"Mildred, you're carrying our baby—is this your Valentine's gift to me? I love it so much."

I froze, my gaze dropping to that worn, dog-eared test result.

Dominic grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door, his voice brimming with the excitement of a first-time father.

"Come on, let's go pick out baby clothes and a crib right now."

I didn't move. My voice came out cold—terrifyingly so.

"Dominic, we're broke. We can't afford a child."

His spine went rigid. He'd finally remembered the bankruptcy charade he'd so carefully constructed.

Panic flickered in his eyes. He crouched down, pressing his face to my belly, and spoke with forced conviction.

"Just give me a few more days. Things might turn around soon."

A dense, stinging ache spread through my chest. I pulled my lips into a bitter smile, watching his pathetic performance.

A shrill ringtone shattered the moment.

I caught a glimpse of the name flashing on his screen: Kitten.

Acid churned in my stomach.

Dominic silenced the call and flashed me a smile.

"Babe, the little cake I ordered for you is here. I'll run down and grab it—wait for me."

He didn't even glance my way before rushing out.

Tears flooded my eyes. I stood in the doorway.

From the dark stairwell landing came the sound of breathless moaning—and Dominic's low, teasing voice.

"Didn't I just satisfy you? Why are you here again?"

"I'm warning you—my wife is pregnant now. You can't come looking for me anymore. If she finds out and it affects the baby, I won't let you off easy."

A girl's kittenish whimper drifted up, her voice so sweet it could melt bone.

"How won't you let me off? Keep me in bed forever? Make sure I can never leave you?"

His breathing grew heavier. Then came the sound of stumbling footsteps.

I clenched my fists, wanting to storm out and demand answers. Why had he betrayed me?

All these years of marriage, I'd used every connection my parents left me to build him into the respected Mr. Thorne everyone admired.

When his funding fell through, I sold every piece of my dowry and every memento my parents had left behind without a second thought.

Even after he pretended to go bankrupt, I stayed. Through every storm, I stood by his side.

I even gave up the baby I'd wanted so desperately.

I wanted to cut open his chest and see for myself—was his heart made of stone?

The clock on the wall ticked. Rain poured outside.

The ceiling grew damp, water seeping through. The whole room felt cold and hollow.

One in the morning. Dominic still wasn't home.

Three in the morning. Still no sound at the door.

I laughed at myself. I couldn't believe I'd still held out hope for him.

Four in the morning. My phone buzzed.

Even I didn't notice how desperately I grabbed for it.

But the screen didn't show an explanation for his absence. It showed a photo—intimate, unmistakable.

Dominic had his arm around a slender waist, fingers working at the clasp of her bra.

Suddenly I remembered our first time together.

He'd kissed my lips so tenderly, placed my palm over his heart, and whispered his promise.

"Mildred, my heart beats only for you. I will never betray you. You're the one I love most in this life."

Those words, once so full of devotion, now felt like a slap across my face.

They finally woke me up.

I dug out a phone number I'd sworn never to use again and typed a message.

"Uncle Raymond, I've changed my mind. I'm ready to come home and stay by Grandmother's side."

The reply came quickly. Just one word.

"Good."

Five years ago, my entire family opposed my marriage to Dominic Thorne.

My parents refused to let me marry a penniless nobody with no family background.

Grandmother tried gentle persuasion, warning me that in this world, only money never changes. Promises, no matter how sincere, fade with time—dissolving into nothing but empty bubbles.

I ignored them all and eloped with Dominic anyway.

Grandmother's blood pressure spiked so severely she nearly died.

Yet I was too afraid to visit her—terrified they'd lock me away and keep me from seeing Dominic.

I laughed bitterly and slapped myself hard across the face.

I sat motionless by the bed for an entire day and night before Dominic finally came home at five in the afternoon.

He carried a pot of steaming chicken soup, nuzzling his face against my neck.

"Had to pull an all-nighter at the construction site. It was so sudden I didn't get a chance to explain. My darling wife won't hold it against me, will she?"

I shook my head calmly, pulling away from his touch.

The cloying sweetness of perfume clinging to him made my stomach turn.

Satisfied that I wasn't angry, Dominic let out a long breath of relief.

He poured a bowl of the fragrant soup, blowing on it to cool it down before lifting it to my lips.

"Now that we have a baby on the way, we need to be extra careful about everything. You need proper nutrition."

My eyes fixed on the faint red marks peeking out from beneath his collar. I let out a silent, scornful laugh and took the soup.

His eyes curved into crescents, filled with anticipation.

"Is it good?"

I rested my hand on my belly and answered softly.

"It's good."

Love spilled from Dominic's eyes—but in that moment, I couldn't tell how much of it was real.

If he knew that the lie he'd told to reunite with his first love had killed his child...

Would he even grieve?

Night deepened. Fireworks bloomed brilliant outside the window.

Dominic took my hand, his other arm hovering protectively over my stomach.

"It's Valentine's Day. Let's go for a walk."

I shot him an amused glance.

"Not busy today?"

The first Valentine's Day after the bankruptcy, I scrubbed greasy dishes in a restaurant kitchen, worrying about rent—while he accompanied Clementine on shopping sprees across the city.

The second Valentine's Day, debt collectors cornered me in my cramped rental. They broke my wrist. He was with Clementine, chasing the Northern Lights in Norway.

The third Valentine's Day, I'd finally scraped together some money from delivery runs and bought discounted steaks for a candlelit dinner at home. He spent the night learning to cook Clementine's favorite foie gras from a Michelin chef. He never came home.

...

Dominic finally had time for me now.

But I no longer wanted it.

A cool breeze stirred my hair as Dominic led me through a narrow alley.

From deep within came a girl's piercing scream.

Dominic's spine went rigid. We both recognized that voice.

Clementine.

He dropped my hand instinctively and sprinted into the darkness.

I patted my pockets, cursing myself for forgetting my keys. I had no choice but to follow.

Clementine cowered in a corner, tears glistening in her eyes. Dominic's expression turned savage as he threw a punch that sent a man stumbling backward.

He was like a man possessed—each blow harder than the last, his voice trembling with barely contained rage.

"Who gave you the nerve to touch her?"

I didn't miss the flash of triumph in Clementine's eyes.

She preened like a proud peacock, showing off the massive diamond on her ring finger and the latest Hermès bag draped over her arm.

None of that mattered to me.

My nails dug deep into my palms. My gaze locked onto the jade pendant hanging at Clementine's throat.

My mother's favorite necklace.

I still remembered exactly how much it sold for—three million dollars.

The startup capital for Dominic's first business.