1 At our wedding, my husband’s young intern assistant took the stage to offer her congratulations, then turned to me with a troubled look. “Mrs. Hopkins, I have a confession. I’ve been in love with a man for a very long time.” “He treats me wonderfully. He brews me warm ginger tea when I’m on my period, and he takes me on weekend trips to cheer me up when I’m down.” “But now, because of family pressure, he is marrying someone else. Do you think I should give up on him?” I listened to her patiently, offering a gentle smile. “If he is just as committed to choosing you, then I believe that if you both hold on, you will find a beautiful outcome.” “Actually, when Mr. Hopkins and I first got together, we faced many obstacles of our own. But look at us now, aren’t we happy?” “I hope you find your happy ending too.” She let out a joyful squeal, leaped twice, and then threw herself directly into my husband’s arms. “Bennett, did you hear that? Your wife just gave us her blessing to be together!” “Tomorrow, you can accompany me to my ultrasound openly, right?” A collective gasp rippled through the banquet hall. Dozens of mocking, pitying eyes locked onto me, pinning me to the floor. “This is insane! Look at her face.” “What a joke. The bride was just bragging about their beautiful love story, and she gets humiliated seconds later!” My head throbbed, my eyes burning as I stared at the two of them clinging to each other on the stage. Bennett reached down, affectionately pinching Daisy’s nose. “Stop teasing. Didn’t I already promise to go with you?” Daisy pouted, her voice dripping with sweet childishness. “But the last two times, you lied to Fiona, claiming you had urgent corporate meetings. This time, I want you to accompany me openly.” Bennett, who usually maintained a cold and dignified composure, looked down at her with a tenderness so deep it made my stomach turn. “Fine, fine. Whatever you say.” Daisy shot me a triumphant, mocking smirk before leaning in to press her lips against his in a deep, passionate kiss. The scene felt like a fever dream. I stood there in my white gown, looking less like a bride and more like a clown. The officiant, realizing the disaster unfolding, hurried to end the ceremony. As we walked off the stage, Bennett’s mother grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the dressing room. “Don’t you dare make a scene! Do you want our family to become the laughingstock of all our relatives?” I looked at her, stunned. She avoided my gaze, as did Bennett’s father. In that moment, the cold truth washed over me. They had known all along. They knew Bennett was sleeping with his young intern, and they knew she was pregnant. So what was I? Today was supposed to be our wedding. I sat in the dressing room, numb, when Bennett walked in, casually offering me a small plate of cake. “You have a weak stomach, eat something first.” His voice was light, as if we were discussing the weather. “Daisy is still young and foolish. I apologize on her behalf.” The breath caught in my throat, a sharp pain squeezing my chest. “An apology? Is that all you have to say? She is pregnant with your child?” Bennett lit a cigarette, his expression distant. “There is nothing to explain. Fiona, we’ve been together for twelve years. I got bored. You are thirty-two, and Daisy is twenty-two. She is young, beautiful, and full of life. You simply can’t compete with that.” A thick mist covered my eyes, blurring his face. “Fiona,” he sighed, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “I didn’t want to hurt you. If you want a divorce, I won’t stop you.” Before I could find my voice, his phone rang, the screen flashing with the name Daisy Baby. Bennett glanced at me, seemingly deciding there was no longer any need to hide it, and picked up. Her soft, whimpering voice echoed through the quiet room. “Bennett, where are you? My stomach hurts. Can you take me to the hospital?” His features softened instantly, and he stood up to leave. I reached out, my fingers catching the edge of his jacket. “Don’t go…” Bennett looked down at me, impatience flickering in his eyes. “Fiona, the baby is important. You’re thirty-two, not a child. Stop acting out.” He pried my fingers away and walked out without a backward glance. I let my hand fall, staring at the doctor’s report peeking out from my handbag. I touched my lower abdomen, a bitter laugh escaping my lips as tears splashed onto the sofa. Yes, a baby is important. But Bennett, we have a baby too. I had planned to give him the test result as a wedding surprise, but he had managed to surprise me first. I picked up my phone with trembling fingers and dialed the clinic. “Dr. Simmons, I’d like to schedule an abortion.” 2 Surrounded by the heavy, mocking stares of our relatives, I returned to our new apartment alone. The walls were still covered in red wedding banners and happy decorations. Now, they felt like a thousand tiny needles pressing into my chest. I wanted to rip them all down, to tear the room apart, but my limbs felt like lead. I collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, but sleep refused to come. Memories of our past kept flashing before my eyes. Bennett had loved me once. We had started dating when I was twenty, and he had confessed that he had loved me in secret for four years before that. He used to say I was his sunshine. During one hot summer when I was ill and couldn’t sleep, he had stayed up all night, gently fanning me to keep me cool. When my mother passed away and my father tried to sell our childhood home to settle his gambling debts, leaving me on the streets, Bennett had searched for me in the middle of the night. He had held me tight against his chest, whispering, “Don’t be scared, Fiona. You still have me. We will build our own home.” Now, just as we were about to have that home, he had torn it to shreds. Twelve years of promises had popped like bubbles in the sun. The next morning, I sent him a text: Let’s get a divorce. He replied: Are you sure? We just had our wedding yesterday. If we divorce today, our families will be humiliated. So he did care about humiliation. I laughed bitterly, typing back: I am already the biggest joke in the city. Draft the agreement and send it over. We can sign it at the attorney’s office. He took hours to reply: Sorry, Daisy threw a tantrum and broke some dishes. She’s very delicate, and it took me a long time to calm her down. Fine, let’s do it. Then, another text popped up from him: Fiona, don’t blame me for this. I gave you plenty of hints about the affair, but you were too blind to notice. Remember when you were in the hospital with stomach pain and I left at midnight, claiming there was an emergency at the office? Daisy was jealous that I was with you, so she demanded I go comfort her. The baby was conceived that night. My pupils dilated, a cold sweat breaking out over my skin. I had waited for him all night, twisting in pain on that hospital bed, refusing to call him because I didn’t want to disrupt his “important meeting.” And he was with her. I walked into the clinic like a ghost. Dr. Simmons asked me repeatedly, “Are you absolutely sure about this? I remember how long you and your husband have been trying to conceive, and didn’t you just get married?” Yes, we had tried for so long. And yet, another woman had managed to get pregnant first. I gave a weak, hollow smile, insisting on the procedure. The abortion was quick. An hour later, I dragged myself out of the recovery room, leaning against the cold wall. My abdomen felt empty and sore. I was looking for a bench to sit down when a familiar figure appeared. Bennett walked up to me, his brow furrowed in annoyance. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me toward the exit. “Come with me. Daisy wants to apologize to you.” 3 He shoved me into the passenger seat of his car. The sudden movement sent a sharp pain through my abdomen, and my vision went black for several seconds. Bennett started the engine, his voice cold and furious. “Fiona, you went too far!” “Daisy was just playing a harmless joke at the wedding, and you let someone record it and post it online? She is still young, how is she supposed to handle that kind of public harassment?” I gasped for air, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “She actually cares about her reputation?” He finally noticed how pale I was. “Are you sick? Your stomach acting up again?” He reached into the glove compartment, pulling out a bottle of stomach medicine and a thermos of hot water. These were habits he had built because of me. He used to say that since I only had him, he had to take extra care of me. Now, the medicine and the water were still here, but we were gone. My eyes burned, and I turned my head away, refusing to touch them. He scoffed, tossing the bottle back into the compartment. “Fine, don’t take it. Just don’t touch the things in the car. Daisy will be upset if she finds out.” “Fiona, you are at your age now. Why do you still act like a petty schoolgirl? It’s pathetic.” I kept silent, curling my body into a tight ball to protect my lower abdomen. When we reached Daisy’s apartment, Bennett gave me a warning look. “Don’t make things difficult. Just make her feel better, and I’ll agree to whatever terms you want for the divorce.” I let out a weak chuckle. The moment we walked in, Daisy dropped to her knees in front of me, sobbing. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Hopkins. It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so reckless and ruined your wedding.” “You can curse at me or slap me, but please stop the online harassment. People were pointing fingers at me when I went out today. I’m so scared…” Bennett immediately pulled her into his arms, glaring at me with eyes like ice. “Fiona, make a public statement. Say the video was a misunderstanding, generated by AI because you were jealous of Daisy’s youth.” “All of our wedding guests saw it happen!” I snapped, my voice shaking. “I will handle my relatives,” Bennett said dismissively. “Fiona, I know you’re just jealous. I don’t even have to divorce you. We can stay married, and we can raise Daisy’s child together. It won’t be any different from our own.” The sheer disgust of his words gave me a sudden burst of energy. “In your dreams!” Bennett froze. “What?” “I will never make a statement, and Daisy deserves every bit of harassment she gets! She is a homewrecker!” Slap. The force of his hand sent my head spinning, my cheek burning. Before he could say another word, Daisy clutched her stomach, crying out in pain. “Bennett, it hurts… my stomach…” “The baby… it hurts…” In a panic, he scooped her up in his arms. “Don’t worry, sweetie, I’m taking you to the hospital!” Before he ran out, he shot me a dark look over his shoulder. “Fiona, I will make you pay for this.” My abdomen throbbed violently, and the energy from my outburst vanished, leaving me unable to stand. I slowly slid onto the floor. After a long time, I gathered enough strength to pull out my phone. The internet was already filled with articles about me. 4 The headlines were horrific. They claimed I had slept around in high school and had undergone multiple abortions, that I had traded my body for grades in college, and that I had been unfaithful to Bennett throughout our relationship, which was why he had turned to Daisy. There were even doctored, explicit photos of me attached to the articles. The public opinion turned overnight. She deserves it. If she’s that dirty, of course her husband went looking elsewhere. I feel bad for Bennett. Imagine being married to a woman like that. Daisy isn’t a homewrecker, she’s an angel saving him from this nightmare! It was Bennett. Because I refused to clear Daisy’s name, he had decided to destroy mine instead. A surge of anger rushed to my head, and I reached for my phone to call him, but a call from my father came through first. “Fiona, I saw the news online.” “You need to stop being so stubborn. It’s normal for men to have affairs. Go apologize to Bennett and don’t ruin your chance of marrying into a wealthy family over this.” A cold dread settled over my skin. “I am your daughter. I am being publicly humiliated, and all you care about is his money?” My father’s voice became defensive. “Look, if you won’t do it, don’t blame me.” He hung up. A few minutes later, a video notification popped up. It was my father, publicly apologizing to Bennett, stating that he had “failed to raise a decent daughter” and confirming the rumors about my past. The pressure in my chest became unbearable, a heavy weight crushing my lungs, and I coughed up a mouth of dark blood. I dialed Bennett’s number. His voice was as cold as ever. “Have you seen the news?” “Twelve years, Bennett,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “This is how you treat me?” There was a brief pause on the other end. “Fiona, I didn’t want things to go this far.” “Come to the hospital and apologize to Daisy. She’s been having complications because of the stress. Once she forgives you, I will make sure your name is cleared.” I wanted to throw my phone against the wall, but I forced myself to take a deep breath. I had to live. I could not let them destroy my future. I dragged my exhausted body to the hospital. Inside the VIP room, Daisy was resting in Bennett’s arms, and he was gently feeding her soup. It looked as though they were the ones who had been married. I walked in slowly, looking at Daisy. “I’m sorry.” Daisy shot me a subtle, triumphant smirk before bursting into tears. “Mrs. Hopkins, I know you hate me. If you don’t want to apologize, you don’t have to force yourself. Please don’t put on a show!” Bennett’s face darkened, and he grabbed my arm, forcing me to my knees on the cold floor. “Daisy got on her knees to apologize to you. Show some actual sincerity!” My knees hit the tiled floor, the coldness traveling up my legs and sending an agonizing pain through my abdomen. I clenched my fists, my face turning white. Daisy noticed my expression, gasping dramatically. “Oh, is Mrs. Hopkins unwell?” Bennett gave me a look of pure disgust. “Ignore her. She always plays the victim to get my sympathy. It’s sickening.” He guided Daisy out of the room. Seconds later, a group of reporters armed with cameras and microphones burst into the room, crowding around me. The flashing lights were blinding. “Mrs. Hopkins, are the allegations about your past true? Have you been unfaithful to your husband?” “Your father publicly apologized for your behavior. Do you feel any remorse?” “Is your husband divorcing you because of your promiscuity? Please give us a statement!” The shouting voices came from every direction, suffocating me. The cameras were shoved directly into my face, and the pain in my abdomen grew so intense I could no longer sit upright. I felt something warm and thick trickling down my leg. The copper scent of blood filled the air. Just as my vision began to fade, a familiar figure pushed through the crowd, shielding me in his arms. “Get the hell away from her!”
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