The wedding countdown stood at twenty-two days when I walked in on Liam Hayes and his secretary, Chloe, tangled together, stark naked, in my own bed. My fury erupted, and I demanded to break up right there, cancelling our long-planned wedding. Liam fell to his knees, begging me, claiming it was just one drunken mistake with Chloe. He swore I was the only one he ever loved, that I shouldn’t negate our ten years together over a single error. My heart softened at his desperate pleas and tear-soaked face, and I decided to give him one more chance. But three weeks later, he came to me, hand-in-hand with Chloe, clutching a positive pregnancy test. “Chloe is pregnant, and it’s mine. This pregnancy is incredibly difficult for her. If she were to terminate it, she might never be able to conceive again.” “She’s still so young, I can’t let her carry the stigma of being a home-wrecker. For the wedding, she should be the bride first, just until the baby is born and officially part of the family. Then, we can have an even grander wedding for us.” What he didn’t know was that since the night he cheated, Julian Hayes, the scion of a powerful family, had already approached me. He told me he wanted to marry me. But I, swayed by Liam’s sweet talk and manipulative pleas, had rejected Julian. Julian had proposed a bet to me: whether Liam would actually marry me. If I lost the bet, the price was marrying him instead.
Watching their fingers intertwined, I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. I tossed the wedding gift I’d prepared into the trash can. “Well then, I wish you both a lifetime of sweetness and happiness.” I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, leaving painful crescent marks. Liam didn’t seem to catch my implied meaning. His entire demeanor brightened. He let go of Chloe’s hand and walked towards me. “Aurora, I knew you’d be the most understanding and mature one, you always are. You’d definitely get it.” “Chloe is only twenty, and she’s carrying a Hayes heir. We can’t let the baby be born without a mother, right?” As soon as he finished speaking, he gave a subtle gesture to Alfred, our butler. Alfred quickly moved Chloe’s luggage into *our* bedroom. Liam offered me a strained smile. “Aurora, the guest room is too small, and Chloe is pregnant, so it’s not convenient for her in there. She’ll stay in the master bedroom for now, and you can move into the guest room.” I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “So, you’ll be staying in the master bedroom too?” His words faltered, and he weakly tried to find an excuse. “Chloe is in her early stages of pregnancy, so there are many things to be extra careful about. Staying in the master bedroom will naturally allow me to look after her better.” “But don’t worry, I won’t sleep in the bed. I’ll have Alfred bring in a sofa, and I’ll sleep on that.” A bitter laugh bubbled up inside me. They’d already slept together, and now he was putting on this act? He pulled Chloe in front of me, gently instructing her. “Quick, thank your sister-in-law! If it weren’t for her acceptance, our child wouldn’t receive such treatment.” Chloe, who moments ago had seemed so innocent in Liam’s arms, was now bursting into tears, faking distress. I hadn’t said a word, yet she immediately looked as if she’d suffered a great injustice. “Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your relationship with Liam. We just got drunk…” Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. Liam saw them, and his face was etched with concern. He gently wiped away her tears. “Chloe, don’t blame yourself too much. We were just swept up in the moment, our feelings were too intense to control.” “Don’t worry, your sister-in-law is a sensible person; she already forgave us, didn’t she? Getting too upset isn’t good for the baby. You’re carrying a Hayes heir now, I can’t let you suffer out here.” But Chloe still looked terrified of me, her gaze darting between Liam and me. She looked at me timidly. “But Liam, sister-in-law doesn’t seem very happy. Her face looks quite displeased.” The next second, Liam grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of Chloe. “Aurora, it’s no use me explaining things to Chloe. Why don’t you explain it to her? Chloe is sensitive; without your permission, she’ll just overthink everything, and too much stress isn’t good for the baby.”
I watched them, a perfect duet, my gaze turning icy. I didn’t know if he was truly clueless or just pretending. My heart was seething with resentment, and he was still trying to slap me in the face like this. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I yanked my hand free from his grasp. My eyes, red with suppressed rage, fixed on him. “Liam Hayes, are you saying that you got another woman pregnant, and now I’m supposed to rush over and comfort the home-wrecker you brought back? How dare you have such audacity?” Liam’s eyes, which had been upturned in smugness, instantly darkened when he heard my words. His voice deepened several octaves. “Aurora, how could you think that? Chloe is only 20! She’s still so young. Do you have any idea how much physical harm it would cause her if we forced her to have an abortion?” “I already took her virginity; I’ve already wronged her enough. And you can’t even tolerate *this* small thing?” The way he twisted his infidelity into such a grand, righteous excuse, it felt as if I’d never truly known him. Had he forgotten? I wasn’t even twenty when we started dating. And didn’t I give him my first time too? He turned away, no longer wanting to meet my gaze. But the words he spoke were like daggers, each one drawing blood. “Besides, we’ve been together for so long, and your womb has always been silent. Now, Chloe can give our family an heir. You should be on your knees, thanking her!” I let out a cold snort, responding flatly. “So, if I went and slept with someone else, got pregnant with their child, would you still kneel and thank me?” He spun around abruptly, his furious gaze almost devouring me. “Enough, Aurora! Don’t you think your words are truly disgusting?” “I always thought you were kind and sensible, that you’d understand everything I did. I never imagined you’d be no different from those jealous women.” He gritted his teeth, looking utterly exasperated. Perhaps in his mind, I was just as he described. All that talk of me being gentle, kind, and sensible was just an excuse for him to bring Chloe home. I let out a bitter laugh. “My apologies for disappointing you.” Chloe suddenly dropped to her knees, sobbing hysterically. “Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry, it’s my fault. I ruined your relationship with Liam.” “This baby shouldn’t be in my belly. I promise you, I’ll leave right now. I’ll get rid of the baby immediately and never appear before you again.”
With that, Chloe, still crying, rushed towards the door. With a “thud,” she fell directly to the ground. Liam’s eyes filled with panic. He rushed over without hesitation. Chloe clutched her stomach, whimpering. “Liam, help me! My baby, this is our first baby, I don’t want anything to happen to this baby…” Seeing Chloe’s pained expression, Liam’s eyes instantly reddened. He quickly scooped up the whimpering Chloe from the ground. His panic was visible, his lips trembling. “No, Chloe, I won’t let anything happen to our baby, don’t worry.” “You’re still young, we’ll have many more children, as many as you want, I’ll give them to you, okay?” Listening to his touching declaration, tears streamed uncontrollably from my eyes. Five years ago, I too was pregnant with his child. But back then, he claimed it was his career’s crucial period and told me to terminate the pregnancy. We were both young then, and I didn’t think much of it, so I went through with the abortion. The moment I was wheeled into the operating room, I suffered a hemorrhage and almost died on the table. That surgery severely damaged my uterus, making it difficult to conceive afterward. Liam knelt by my hospital bed, clutching my hand, sobbing uncontrollably as he repented. “Aurora, I’m so sorry, I truly didn’t know that abortion would cause such severe damage to your body. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll never fail you again. From now on, if we have a child, we’ll keep it, okay?” “If we really can’t have children, that’s okay too. I’ll be child-free with you.” What were once such moving and heartfelt vows now felt like a sharp blade piercing my heart. I turned, wanting to leave, but he, still holding Chloe, rushed up from behind me. Suddenly, he kicked me hard in the back. I lost my balance and stumbled, falling backward. I knocked over a nearby vase, and glass shards pierced my palm. “What are you standing around for?! Get the car ready! If something happens, can you take responsibility?!” “Chloe is pure-hearted; she thinks of everything for you, yet you say such vicious things to upset her. You’re so much older than her, can’t you be more mature?!” The crushing pain in my chest made it hard to breathe. I slowly got to my feet, pulling the glass shards from my palm. Blood instantly welled up. To avoid giving him any more leverage, I forced myself to endure the pain and went to get the car for him. Perhaps, as he said, there was a life in her belly. Blood dripped onto the steering wheel, while in the backseat, Liam and Chloe’s fingers were intertwined. After dropping them off at the hospital, I felt my task was complete. Trembling, I called Julian. “What you said last time, I agree.”
Julian didn’t seem surprised to hear from me. He told me to send him my address. After I sent it, he replied with a text. “Wait for me. Ten minutes.” For some reason, receiving Julian’s message filled me with a strange sense of calm. I took a closer look at myself; I was a mess, my hand still oozing blood. I decided to head to the doctor’s office first to get some medicine and a simple bandage. As I passed Chloe’s hospital room, through the half-open door, Liam was spoon-feeding her swallow’s nest porridge, blowing on each spoonful carefully. He gently wiped the porridge from her lips. “Eat slowly, little glutton, don’t choke.” Their eyes met in the air, and Chloe couldn’t help but lean in and kiss his lips. Liam didn’t refuse; he even closed his eyes. Watching this scene firsthand, my heart twisted painfully. As I pulled away, Chloe seemed to notice me. A hint of challenge appeared in the corner of her mouth, and she wrapped her slender arms around Liam’s neck. “Liam, don’t you think it’s all my fault? It’s because I’m pregnant with your baby that sister-in-law is so unhappy.” “You don’t know how scared I was when I saw the way sister-in-law looked at me. I know she hates me, but I really don’t want to ruin your relationship, and I don’t want her to hurt our baby. Maybe I should just leave.” Liam suddenly cupped her face, gently stroking her cheek with the same hand that had once caressed mine. “Silly girl, how can you say that? It’s Aurora who’s being childish. You’re having such a difficult pregnancy, and she keeps doing things to upset you. When I get back, I’ll teach her a good lesson.” “You’re carrying a Hayes heir now; I’ll naturally give you a proper status.” Chloe said, teary-eyed and full of feigned grievance, her tears coming on cue. “But what if Aurora really gets angry and leaves? Then I’ll truly be a sinner.” Liam placed the swallow’s nest porridge aside and sneered. “She won’t leave me. Everyone knows she’s been with me for 10 years; no one would want a ‘damaged good’ who’s cohabited with another man for a decade.” “She loves me to death, she’s like a persistent shadow, impossible to get rid of. This wedding, she was the one begging me to marry her.” So, in his eyes, all my efforts were just one-sided devotion. Hearing this, my stomach churned, and I rushed to the bathroom, dry-heaving. But there was nothing in my stomach, only bitter acid. Ten years. Memories flooded my mind like a torrent. All those solemn vows played out like a movie in my head. Liam Hayes, you were the one who pursued me back then. To be with you, I even risked cutting ties with my parents. And now, all I got was a dismissive “desperate fool chasing after me.” I dragged my battered body, slowly walking towards the hospital exit.
Liam, who had come out to get water for Chloe, spotted me and called out. “Aurora Hayes!” I instinctively stopped. He walked towards me, holding the kettle, and started to speak but then noticed my hands, wrapped in bandages. He frowned, a rare flicker of concern in his eyes. “Aurora, what happened to your hands?” He reached out to touch them, but I instinctively pulled away. “It’s nothing. You should go back and care for your little darling in the hospital room, Liam.” Hearing my deliberately distant tone, his outstretched hand froze in the air, and a rare hint of disappointment crossed his features. “Aurora, stop playing games, okay? Chloe is pregnant and her emotions are unstable right now. As her sister-in-law, you should be more generous.” “Didn’t you always want to travel? After the baby is born, we can go together, okay?” Watching his self-righteous demeanor, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. In the past, whatever I did or said, he would agree without question. But ever since Chloe joined the company, he’d stood me up countless times. His promises, I no longer dared to hope for. As he spoke, his fingers were still busy replying to Chloe’s messages. I clenched my fists and looked up, meeting his cold eyes. “Liam Hayes, let’s get a divorce.” He was still engrossed in his chat with Chloe. When he finally registered my words, he froze. He lifted his eyelids, looking at me. “Aurora, what did you just say?” I repeated myself, word for word, enunciating even more clearly than before. “I said, Liam Hayes, let’s get a divorce.” Upon hearing this, he slammed the kettle to the ground. He paced wildly like a madman, hands on his hips, his bloodshot eyes fixed on me. “Aurora, do you even know what you’re saying?” “You’re overdoing this hard-to-get act, aren’t you? So what if Chloe got pregnant? Why are you sulking so much?” “You always said you loved me, but now, when our love is truly tested, you’re backing down? Do you think I’d still be a man if I let Chloe go and terminate the pregnancy? Do you want Chloe to end up like you, unable to bear children?” …He practically tore his throat screaming. Passing patients stopped to watch the spectacle of his madness. So, in his eyes, I had always been useless, a woman who couldn’t bear children. I bit my lip, trying my best to keep the salty tears from falling. My throat aching, I looked at him. “I’m not making her get rid of the baby, Liam. Listen carefully: this time, *I’m* leaving *you*.” A message popped up on my phone from Julian: “I’m in the parking lot. Come over.” I turned to leave, Liam’s furious voice echoing behind me. He ripped his throat screaming, “Aurora Hayes, go! If you leave, don’t ever come back!” “Divorce then, divorce! See how everyone will mock you, how you’ll become an abandoned woman everyone can whisper about behind your back in our social circle.” “Don’t come crying back to me for charity later.” No, Liam. From the moment you hurt me again and again for Chloe, I should have known I needed to leave. The hospital layout was unfamiliar, and I searched for a while but couldn’t find the parking lot Julian mentioned. Just as I spotted a parking sign and started walking towards it, a large hand suddenly grabbed me. A furious face appeared before me.
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