On the day of our wedding anniversary, I found out I was pregnant.

I slipped through the rain to the private lounge where Daryl was spending the evening, wanting to surprise him.

Outside the door, through the gap left ajar, I heard him talking with his friends about a surprise he had planned for our wedding.

"Josephine still has no idea she's been sleeping with both of us. Every winter, I send my twin brother to take my place with her."

Through the crack in the door, amid the roar of laughter, I caught sight of a man who looked almost identical to Daryl.

"Imagine the look on her face at the wedding when she sees that video of my brother on top of her."

I clutched the pregnancy test results in my hand, ready to storm in and demand to know why he'd done this to me.

But then I heard Daryl's voice again:

"Sarah's career has taken off. Josephine's served her purpose."

"Sure, she lost her family and her career because of me, but I gave her a few good years of the high life. I'd say we're even."

The casual indifference in his tone sent ice through my veins.

A man who had done everything in his power to hurt me for the sake of another woman. I was done with him.

And everything he had stolen from me, I would take back. Every last piece.

——

Inside the private lounge, the men kept egging each other on.

"Come on, Daryl, you've lost three rounds of dice in a row. You owe us something juicy."

"What's this big surprise you've got planned for Josephine at next week's makeup wedding?"

I stood outside the door, heart brimming with sweetness.

Three years since we'd signed the marriage certificate, and Daryl had been so consumed by work that the wedding kept getting pushed back.

Now I was going to bring our baby along and finally make it complete.

"Ha! Bro, Josephine is such a fool. She has absolutely no clue you've got an identical twin brother!"

"What do you guys think? If she finds out at the wedding that the man keeping her warm every winter was actually me, and then she sees our little bedroom video, will she lose it right there on the spot?"

The laughter inside swelled even louder. My legs buckled, and I nearly collapsed.

I stepped forward, pressed myself against the door frame, and peered through the gap. Beside Daryl sat a man with the exact same face.

Daryl leaned back on the sofa and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Vincent Sanchez, I owe you for these past two years. Your visits made it possible for me to be with Sarah."

The man exhaled a stream of smoke, the haze blurring his features.

"I don't get it, bro. Sarah was your college crush, so why'd you marry Josephine?"

"Even in bed she's boring as hell. I'm so sick of her."

The men who usually greeted me with fawning smiles and called me "Mrs. Sanchez" were now leering and cracking vulgar jokes.

I stood frozen, struck as if by lightning, unable to move, but the fury inside me burned hotter with every second.

I drew a deep breath, gripped the door handle, and steeled myself to charge in and confront Daryl.

Then the words from inside stopped me dead.

"I was only ever with her for Sarah's sake."

At the sound of that name, my fingers tightened around the pregnancy report until the paper crumpled.

There was a tenderness in Daryl's voice I had never once heard before.

"Sarah went abroad right after college to chase her dream of becoming a jewelry designer. By the time I wanted to go find her, she'd gotten married."

"Later, when the International Jewelry Design Competition came around, Sarah was so anxious about Josephine entering the same contest that she couldn't sleep. It broke my heart. I knew I had to help her."

Gasps of admiration erupted around the room, everyone praising his devotion.

I stood outside the door, and the memory of that accident years ago crashed over me. Cold sweat soaked through the back of my dress.

The man on the sofa wore an expression of pride and tender indulgence.

"None of you would ever guess. I personally planned Josephine's car accident so she'd miss the competition. Sarah sailed to victory using the designs I gave her."

"Josephine's so stupid. She even saw the winning piece afterward and said it looked familiar, but she never figured out I'd stolen her work."

"The only regret is that I accidentally killed her parents too. After that, I couldn't leverage their connections in the jewelry world anymore."

The last shred of hope inside me shattered.

I felt the blood in my body turn to ice. I couldn't breathe.

After the accident, my hands were so badly injured that I gave up my dream of being a jewelry designer entirely. The trauma left me with severe psychological damage.

And all of it, every single piece of it, had been orchestrated by the man I loved most.

Fat tears fell from my eyes. I couldn't accept that any of this was real.

The voices inside the lounge continued:

"So, Daryl, how come you didn't go abroad this winter?"

At the mention of it, warmth spread across Daryl's face.

"Sarah's divorced now. She's coming back to the country soon. From here on out, I can be with her whenever I want."

"And what about Josephine? If you're tired of her, Daryl, how about you let us have a go?"

Another round of laughter.

"Enough." Daryl cut them off. "After the wedding, I'll give her a generous settlement. That should square things."

"Bro, don't tell me you've actually gone soft on her?"

I stared at that man through the gap, unblinking.

"What about you?" Daryl turned to Vincent. "You've been sleeping with her every winter for three years. Don't tell me you caught feelings."

Vincent shook his head without a moment's hesitation.

"What are you talking about? I'm so over it. She keeps asking me when we're having the wedding. Drives me insane."

"Good thing I'm leaving the country tomorrow. Never have to see her again."

Daryl let out a derisive laugh, his face settling into a coldness I had never seen before.

"Good. The money I'm giving her is just to keep her from clinging to me and Sarah. I don't want her ruining Sarah's mood."

"Since the wedding was her idea in the first place, I might as well make the surprise extra special."

"One week from now, I'm going to destroy her reputation at that wedding. And then I'm going to propose to Sarah."

I don't remember how I made it away from that door.

When I came to my senses, I had already crashed into someone. Expensive whiskey splashed across my clothes, leaving me a mess.

I kept my head down, stammered an apology, and fled before the person could say a word.

The winter rain hammered against my skin. I felt none of it. The voices from that room echoed on and on inside my skull.

For the past two years, Daryl had taken me abroad for treatment, accompanied me on trips to lift my spirits.

Even when he was clearly exhausted, he would smile and reassure me:

"Josephine, as long as you're okay, I'm okay."

But now I understood. All of it had been nothing more than a tool to keep me useful.

The rain fell harder. The bone-deep cold jolted me fully awake.

At that wedding in one week, the ones left in ruins would be the Sanchez family.

I got into my car, pulled out my phone, and did three things in rapid succession:

I scheduled a termination procedure, hired someone to uncover the truth behind that car accident years ago, and accepted the collaboration offer from the luxury jewelry brand Bellerose.

The moment I finished, a notification popped up on my social media: someone had followed me.

Along with it came several direct messages:

Mrs. Sanchez, I know today is your anniversary with Daryl. I told him he didn't need to come pick me up, but he insisted. So I can only tell you this way: what we have is a pure friendship between a man and a woman. Nothing more.

At the end, she'd sent a cat sticker, the same one Daryl always used.

It was Sarah Simmons.

I tapped into her profile, and it all clicked. The cat Daryl was so fond of was a birthday gift he'd given her.

A message from Daryl arrived on my phone:

Babe, sorry, something came up with an important client. I'll make the anniversary up to you later.

I let out a bitter laugh and didn't bother replying.

When I got home, the housekeeper greeted me at the door.

"Ma'am, the food's gone cold. Would you like me to reheat it?"

"Even the best dishes don't taste the same after reheating. Throw it all out."

Ignoring the housekeeper's startled expression, I turned and went upstairs to wash up and rest.

I didn't sleep well that night.

In the haze of half-sleep, the scent of roses drifted to my nose.

My heart ached. I pulled away from Daryl's embrace.

"Josephine, what's wrong?"

"You've been coming home later and later." My throat tightened. "Daryl, is work really that busy?"

Daryl sat up and pulled off his shirt. The marks on his neck and shoulder, unmistakably intimate, stung my eyes.

"I know you've got a lot on your plate with the wedding planning, and it's easy to overthink. But trust me, okay?"

I bit down hard on my lip, rolled over with my back to him, and said nothing.

After a long silence, a delicate, glittering bracelet dangled before my eyes.

"Are you angry?"

Sensing something was off, Daryl leaned in, wrapped his arms around me, and pressed a soft kiss to my temple.

"I had your anniversary gift ready ages ago. Try it on?"

He clasped the bracelet around my wrist.

His warm breath brushed against my neck and shoulder. I looked down at the bracelet, and tears blurred my vision before I could stop them.

In Sarah's latest social media post, she was wearing the full jewelry set from this exact brand.

This bracelet was nothing more than a freebie, a gift-with-purchase thrown in after a thirty-million-dollar spending spree.

So that was what I was worth to Daryl.

And there was something else. When my mother died, the force of the crash had caused her bracelet to sever her wrist completely.

Even now, bracelets still cast a shadow over my heart.

"Josephine, you're so beautiful."

Daryl's thumb traced circles on my wrist, and his other hand moved to slide my robe off my shoulder.

I turned away, my voice flat.

"I think my period came early. I've been too tired lately."

He opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang at just the right moment.

Within minutes, he'd changed his clothes and was heading for the door.

"Something urgent came up. I'll explain everything later, Josephine."

Seeing my silence, he paused mid-step and added:

"Tomorrow I'll go with you to try on wedding dresses. Consider it making up for our anniversary."

"I've also got a surprise for you."

The word "surprise" struck me like a bolt of lightning.

I forced a smile. "Okay. Sounds good."

The room fell silent again.

I buried my face in the pillow and let the tears soak through.

All those years of love had been nothing but a lie from start to finish.

And I was only seeing it now.

When I lifted my head, I unclasped the bracelet and tossed it into the trash.

A notification lit up my phone: my appointment with a divorce attorney had been confirmed.

The name of the law firm struck me as oddly familiar, but I couldn't place it no matter how hard I tried.

A flicker of unease passed through me, but given that this firm was the best in the city for divorce cases, I dismissed the thought of switching.

The next morning, I was woken by commotion downstairs.

From the hallway landing, I looked down to see Daryl on the sofa with his arm around Sarah, his face soft with adoration.

Sarah was directing a row of models to parade outfit after outfit while a sales associate stood by, awaiting her orders.

When she saw me coming down the stairs, she leaned closer to Daryl, pressing herself tighter against him.

"You must be his wife? I'm sorry for moving in without asking. I barely slept all night worrying about it. You don't mind, do you?"

She wrung her hands, looking up at me with wide, anxious eyes.

I smiled faintly.

"You've already made yourself at home and called in a personal shopping team. Do you really still need my permission?"

Daryl cleared his throat and was about to speak when someone who looked exactly like him walked in from outside.

"Josephine, don't get the wrong idea."

"Let me formally introduce you. The one sitting with Sarah is my twin brother, Vincent. He's the surprise I mentioned last night."

The three of them exchanged a glance and broke into laughter.

I stood rooted to the spot, feeling like a complete fool.

That night at the lounge, Daryl had told everyone how to tell the brothers apart.

Vincent had a tiny mole at his hairline, nearly invisible unless you looked closely. Daryl didn't.

So I knew with absolute certainty: the man sitting with Sarah right now was Daryl.

"Vincent is the most important family I have. His work was classified, so he couldn't appear publicly before. That's the only reason I never told you."

Vincent stepped forward and took my hand.

"And Sarah is like a sister to us. She just got back to the country and hasn't found a place yet. She's staying with us temporarily. You won't be upset, will you?"

All three of them performed flawlessly.

I swallowed the nausea rising in my stomach and forced a smile.

"Of course not. She can stay as long as she likes."

Sarah's smile turned smug. She finished picking out her clothes and began ordering the staff around to rearrange the house, every inch the lady of the manor.

The Sanchez brothers hovered around her, catering to her every need, as if I didn't exist.

Right on cue, my attorney sent a message: the divorce papers were ready.

I slipped back to my room to review them. When I stepped out again, the staff were carrying armfuls of my old design sketches out of the house.

"What's going on?"

"Ma'am, Ms. Simmons liked your old study. Mr. Sanchez ordered us to clear out all the clutter before he left to see Mr. Vincent off."

Clutter.

I stood there, stunned, and tears fell before I could stop them.

Every sheet of paper in that study was the product of countless sleepless nights.

More than that, everything my parents had left me was stored in there.

That room held all my memories of them, and everything I'd once been.

But to Daryl, it was all just clutter.

Out in the courtyard, flames leaped high in the burn barrel. Sarah picked up my parents' framed photograph and hurled it to the ground.

"Are there more of these morbid things in the house? Get them all out. I want everything burned."

My heart splintered along with the glass of that frame.

"Sarah Simmons! You have no right to touch my things!"

I wiped my tears and rushed over, snatching the photo from her hands.

"You live in Daryl's house, you spend Daryl's money. Everything in here belongs to him." She stepped closer. "As long as he allows it, who are you to say no? Give it back!"

I shielded the photo against my body and twisted away from her reach.

Sarah glared at me with pure venom, but the corner of her mouth curled into a vicious smile.

"Ahh—!"

A sudden flare from the burn barrel scorched her arm, and she cried out in pain.

"I really didn't mean to touch your things! I already apologized! Do you have to shove me into the fire before you're satisfied?"

"Sarah!"

Daryl came rushing over, pulled Sarah into his arms, and slapped me hard across the face.

"Josephine! Have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea what you just did?"

The burning sting on my cheek confirmed that all of this was real.

"I didn't push her. She was burning my old design sketches and about to destroy my father's photograph."

"Daryl, don't I even have the right to be angry in this house?"

A second slap landed on my face.

Then the photo was ripped from my hands and tossed into the flames.

"Your hands are useless anyway. The sketches are gone, so what? Consider it supporting Sarah's career."

"And the photo? I'm the one who told Sarah she could get rid of it. They're dead. What's the point of keeping a memento? You just wanted to bring bad luck down on Sarah!"

"All this over something so small, and you still won't admit you attacked her. Josephine, you're a vicious woman! Apologize to Sarah. Now!"

The taste of blood spread through my mouth. I stared at the man raging in front of me, tears blurring everything.

After a long moment, my shoulders dropped, and I burst into laughter.

"Daryl Sanchez, don't you ever expect me to apologize to that woman!"