He carried me to the bed, picked up a German book, and read it slowly.

As a translator, I needed to listen to German. Ever since our marriage, Michael had read these German journals to me every night before I went to sleep.

For five years, he had never once stopped.

I did not want to waste his time, so I told him, “I already have materials and videos for this. You work so hard every day. You do not need to read anymore.”

That night, he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead and spoke to me tenderly.

“Evelyn, I’d rather do it for a lifetime.

“I want you to see me and to hear me every night before bed and every morning when you wake.”

For the past five years, he had always put my needs before his, no matter how minuscule. He handled everything himself. Even after years of marriage, he never steered close to any other woman. Even when out with friends, he never stepped into bars.

Michael was young, outstanding, and the richest man in Salt City. My mother-in-law had long wanted to push women at him when my belly showed no movement for years.

Each time, he refused. For my sake, he even fell out with his family.

During that time, his family struck back fiercely, trying to suppress him everywhere.

When I saw his haggard face, I begged him through tears more than once to separate.

But every time, he held me tight in his arms and said firmly, “We will not separate. Never. No matter what happens, we must stay together.”

I even once envied myself for having such a good partner like Michael.

The warmth beneath me was tender, and when I returned to my senses, I realized Michael had already carried me to the bed.

He tucked in the quilt for me and brushed my brow with his fingers.

I frowned and turned away from his hand.

“I’m sleepy. Stop moving.”

His hand froze in midair, then he lightly rubbed my head.

“Then go to sleep.”

The moon rose high. Beside me came steady breaths. I could not sleep, so I opened my eyes.

Michael’s familiar, steady presence wrapped around me. His large hand was locked firmly around my waist.

He was holding me in his sleep. That was real. However, his betrayal was also real.

The next day, Michael said he wanted to take me to a newly released movie.

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang.

The butler stepped in. Through the gap in the door, I thought I saw the edge of a white skirt.

“Sir, someone is here for you.”

Michael frowned. He caught sight of the figure outside, and his voice carried a faint, unsteady panic.

“Didn’t I say I am not working today? Who would show up at my door?”

I squeezed his hand to calm him.

“Don’t get upset. Maybe it’s an urgent matter from the company.”

I glanced sideways at the figure outside the door.

It was Rachel.

I asked the butler to bring her in, but Michael stopped me first.

He saw my gaze, and his eyes flickered before he explained himself, “Evelyn, I just remembered the company does have a pressing issue. I may need to head back and deal with it. Don’t worry, I will be back very soon, and then we will go see the movie together, all right?”

Hearing that, I held back the agitation in my chest.

I said firmly, “Since it’s work matters, go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”

At that, he hurriedly kissed my forehead and strode away.

My eyes grew moist as I watched the car fade into the distance.

It was the first time Michael had left me for another woman. It was also going to be the last.

After he left, the restlessness in my chest would not subside. My mind was filled with images of Michael and Rachel spending time together.

In the end, I simply told the driver to follow them.

Two kilometers from the house, I spotted a familiar car.

Rachel leaned softly against it as Michael held her in his arms.

“I told you not to appear in front of Evelyn. Why didn’t you listen?”

Tears rolled down her delicate face. She pouted and spoke aggrievedly.

“Michael, I only wanted to share some good news with you. I didn’t mean to appear in front of her.”

She lowered her gaze to her belly.

“I went to the hospital. Michael, we are having our own baby! I was too happy, which is why I couldn’t stop myself from coming. Why are you being so mean? You scared me and the baby…”

Michael froze for a long moment before he regained his senses.

“You are pregnant? You mustn’t move about so much! You’ll upset the baby.”

Rachel clung to his arm and shook it coquettishly.

“I’ll listen to you. Then, can you stay with me today? I do not know why, but after having the baby, I miss you even more.”

Michael’s voice was cold.

“No. I promised Evelyn I would take her to the movies today.”

Rachel bit her lip unwillingly. Her pitiful eyes brimmed with tears.

“Fine then. I will just sit in that cold villa with the baby and wait for the great president Michael to come home.”

A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes. He sighed helplessly.

“Don’t make me do this again.”

Her eyes lit up. She leaped with joy and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

Michael frowned at her as she bopped up and down.

“Be careful. You’re about to become a mother. How could you still be so reckless?”

Watching their intimate actions, my heart felt as though a blade had carved a gaping wound into it.

After so many years of marriage, that tender gaze of his had only ever belonged to me.

In the business world, everyone called him a ruthless, decisive, cold-faced president. Only at home would he show me his tender side.

That same tender side had emerged in the presence of another woman.

His love was no longer mine alone.

Their car sped away. I gritted my teeth and told the driver to keep following.

Michael took Rachel to many of the places he and I had once visited together.

The places tied to my past with Michael were now becoming shared memories with another woman.

By dusk, they finally headed toward a villa on the outskirts of Salt City.

Lights glowed from within, and their silhouettes appeared against the glass.

They embraced as their figures became entwined.

I stood outside the villa in silence. I did not know how long I watched.

When my eyes burned dry, I finally let them shut slowly.

Back in the car, I ordered the driver in a cold voice, “Michael must never know about today.”

On the way home, the image of Michael tenderly supporting Rachel never left my mind.

He treasured her. He treasured their child.

The thought dragged me back to the years of marriage when I never once missed the medicine laced with abortion drugs. A wave of grief swallowed me whole.

I stumbled back to the bedroom in a daze. I packed away everything connected to him and threw it all into the trash.

I threw away the necklace he had spent a fortune to win for me, the collection of handbags he had gathered, and the silly little trinkets he had hunted down just to make me laugh.

When the garbage truck carried everything away, my emotions finally eased up a little.

No.

There was still one thing.

The moment I thought of it, I rushed to the bedroom and pulled a diary from the nightstand.

It was a diary he had prepared for me after our marriage.

Every page recorded fragments of me.

The notebook was thick, and as soon as I opened it, the pages fanned open on their own.

[Evelyn talked in her sleep again today. It sounded like a nightmare.]

[Being able to marry Evelyn is a blessing I earned over many lifetimes. We must be together forever and ever!]

Those entries were his expressions of love for me.

But even the deepest form of love turned out to be finite.

I picked up a lighter and set the diary ablaze.

Through the leaping flames, my eyes caught on a picture frame lying face down.

It had been there for years, left by Michael, and I had never touched it.

Without thinking, I turned it over.

In the photo, Rachel was smiling radiantly.

My chest clenched tight, and my eyes burned hot.

When I opened the frame, I saw small words written on the back of the photo.

[I love Michael the most. April 18, 2015]

My fingers suddenly lost their grip, and the frame slipped to the floor with a crash. My tears poured unchecked.

That had been the third day after our wedding.

So even back then, Michael was already with her.

For all those years, I had remained in the dark.

Sharp pain suddenly twisted in my lower abdomen. Wet warmth spread beneath me.

I stopped crying and reached down in confusion.

When I lifted my hand, I only saw red.

“Blood… it’s blood…”

It was not my cycle. Where had the blood come from?

In a panic, I called the butler and was rushed to the hospital.

On the way, the cramps worsened. Beads of cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

At the hospital, I forced myself to stay up through the examination.

While waiting, an inexplicable dread filled my chest.

After a while, the doctor emerged with a report.

“Ms. Jones, you have had a miscarriage.”

I felt as though I had plunged into an ice cave. My lips parted, but no sound came out. That sentence echoed endlessly in my head.

I had miscarried.

Did that mean I was actually pregnant?

But…

I grabbed the pregnancy report like a madwoman, flipping it over and over.

The doctor sighed.

“Ms. Jones, it was already very difficult for you to conceive. After this miscarriage, I fear you may never be able to conceive again.”

My hands turned ice-cold. My ears no longer heard anything. My vision dissolved into pure white.