I loved Blake for ten years, and finally, after his first love dumped him, I became his wife. I overestimated Blake’s love for me, and I underestimated the devastating impact of the woman who still held his heart captive. When I was pregnant, he was accompanying her to prenatal check-ups. When the doctors gave me a death sentence, he was taking care of her, ensuring her pregnancy was safe. When I miscarried, he was by her bedside, waiting for her to give birth. But when I wanted a divorce, he regretted it! Mia Thompson’s giggling on my phone was jarringly loud in the hands-free clinic. Mia was the one Blake had always held a torch for, the one he could never truly have. I was just the desperate wife who had practically begged him to marry her when he was down on his luck. Blake’s tone, as always, was impatient. “You’re already at the hospital, what are you stirring up now? You know Mia’s pregnancy is delicate and she needs someone to look after her. If you’re sick, go see a doctor. Can I cure you? I’m hanging up, bye!” Before the dial tone, I heard Mia’s voice, sweet and faint: “Blake, I’m not feeling well…” A chill swept through my entire body. I put my phone away and looked at Daniel Davis, whose brows were tightly furrowed across the desk. “I’m keeping this baby,” I said. Professor Daniel, looking grim, was my childhood best friend and now a renowned OB/GYN specialist at this hospital. Daniel held my report, his face somber. “Stomach cancer. If we terminate the pregnancy now and pursue aggressive treatment, there’s still hope…” I cut him off before he could finish. “No! No termination. I’m giving birth to this child.” I was terrified of dying, but I couldn’t bear to give up the child in my belly, Blake and my child. When I got home and pushed open the door, I saw Blake massaging Mia’s legs. Watching the two of them, a picture of domestic bliss, it hit me. He’d merely claimed he wanted me to go stay at his family’s estate for my pregnancy so I’d vacate the space. “Don’t overthink it, she’s just staying for a little while,” Blake explained dismissively when he saw me suddenly return. The discomfort in my stomach made me nauseous again. Seeing me clutch my chest, my face pale, Blake’s movements as he propped a soft pillow under Mia suddenly faltered. Maybe it was my imagination, but for a split second, I thought I saw a hint of concern in his eyes. “Serena isn’t that petty, Blake. Saying that makes Serena sad!” Mia’s sweet, teasing complaint made him quickly adjust the pillow for her again. Watching his careful attentiveness, my heart twisted painfully. It felt like ages since he’d been that gentle with me. Mia, who had left Blake to impulsively marry a wealthy man years ago, hadn’t had an easy life. Her husband was known for having multiple mistresses. Every time they argued, she’d call Blake, pouring out her heart to him, tearfully claiming she’d sacrificed her feelings back then just to ensure Blake and I could be happy. No matter how I explained, Blake never believed me. Every time Mia called, Blake would rush to her side without hesitation. In this marriage, I gave everything, yet I still loved him so pathetically. My gaze fell on the pillow in Blake’s hand. It still had our sweet wedding photo printed on it, now propped behind another woman by the very man in the picture. A dull ache settled in my chest. Mia, meanwhile, was delicately holding Blake’s arm, her eyes meeting mine with a triumphant, challenging smirk. “Oh, Serena, I’m so sorry. I just asked Blake to pick you up from the hospital, but he was worried about my health and couldn’t leave me alone. It’s all my fault, don’t be angry with him…” It was laughable. Mia was acting like she was fighting over a man with someone on her deathbed. Her voice was still so sickeningly sweet, exactly as hateful as I remembered. “Why bother with her? Can’t a grown woman get home by herself?” Blake snapped. Mia’s smirk widened. “I need to talk to you. Come up when you’re done.” I bypassed the two on the couch and headed straight upstairs. This marriage, tainted by a third person, had dragged on for too long. I was dying soon, and stubbornly, I wanted an answer. An answer about me, Mia, and him.
Mrs. Jenkins brought up some chicken soup. “Mrs. Stone, please have some chicken soup first. Mr.—Mr. Blake will be here in a moment.” Mrs. Jenkins was an excellent cook; I loved her chicken soup most, but now my body couldn’t even enjoy it. The oil on top of the soup slowly solidified, and I watched it, lost in thought. The door opened. “What can’t you say downstairs? Mia isn’t an outsider.” Blake’s tone was impatient, his face showing clear disdain. “Blake, did you ever love me?” I gently asked, clutching my stomach, trying to suppress the nausea. “Oh, here we go again, being unreasonable. Serena, when did you become so heartless? Mia just got divorced and has nowhere to go; I’m just taking care of her for a while!” “A while? How long? Six months? A year?” I met his gaze, pressing him, question after question. *You know the doctor said I have less than six months left.* I didn’t voice that last part. “You weren’t like this before, what happened to you?” “Can’t you be more understanding, like Mia? Stop making a big deal out of nothing. You’re both pregnant women, wouldn’t it be better if you were considerate of each other?” It was always like this. Whenever Mia was brought up, I was the unreasonable one. Five years ago, when his company faced a crisis and was on the brink of bankruptcy, Mia abandoned him and impulsively married some rich guy. He spiraled into despair and self-harm, and I stayed by his side day and night, caring for him, and he never said I was unreasonable. When I pleaded with my father for three days, risking his disapproval, to get the funds to help Blake through his crisis, he never said I was unreasonable. Now, I was dying, and he brought Mia, the woman who had abandoned him, back into *my* home, letting her stay in *my* bedroom. I hadn’t even shown any anger, and he was calling me unreasonable! The thought sent a chilling realization washing over me, making me tremble all over. The pain in my body made it impossible to stand upright. “Blake, did you ever love me?” I curled up by the desk, large beads of sweat beading on my forehead. “That’s enough! Are you always going to use these pathetic tricks to get my attention?” With that, he turned to leave. My vision swam, and I collapsed to the floor. “Are you serious?” Seeing my pained face, he rushed over and scooped me up. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I saw a flicker of concern on his face. “Blake, did you ever love me?” I touched his face, asking one last time, waiting for an answer. “I—” Suddenly, an urgent cry for help interrupted his words. “Blake, my stomach hurts so bad! Come quickly!” Mia’s shriek echoed from downstairs. I saw Blake’s half-opened mouth tighten instantly. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dropped me and rushed downstairs, leaving only a panicked glimpse of his back. Lying on the floor, feeling the waves of excruciating pain in my stomach, my heart felt hollow. Blake’s words were unfinished, but I heard the answer. Between Mia and me, I was never even an option in his mind. I never had a chance to be chosen. Not then, not now. 4 The three of us were high school classmates. If there was a first in line, it was definitely me who noticed Blake first. Mia was the daughter of Mrs. Jenkins, our housekeeper. My parents felt sorry for her, so they arranged for her to attend the same school as me and covered all her tuition. She was beautiful, outgoing, and wildly charismatic. She attracted the attention of many boys the moment she enrolled, and Blake, who always had a high opinion of himself, was no exception. Standing next to Mia, she looked more like the pampered daughter of a wealthy family. Blake used to always say, “Serena, can’t you be more outgoing and lively, like Mia? Who would like someone so quiet and withdrawn, always lost in thought?” He was right. Quiet and withdrawn me couldn’t express my feelings, and I didn’t win his affection. Later, Blake always insisted on walking to and from school with Mia and me. The three of us walked together, but each of us held our own silent thoughts. On the day of high school graduation, Mia became Blake’s girlfriend. It was an August evening, with a gentle summer breeze. Under the maple tree, the young couple passionately embraced, their kiss lingering. That night, two hearts were stirred, but three people suffered from insomnia. After that, I faded from their sight, only hearing updates about them during summer and winter breaks from Mia. Then, one day, Mia suddenly asked, “Serena, do you like Blake?” My face burned crimson, all the way to my neck, but I flatly denied it. “No, you’re overthinking. You two should stay together. High school love is rare and precious.” “Love? My mom says love is the cheapest thing there is. You have to find a rich man. I don’t want to be a housekeeper my whole life like my mom!” Mia said, looking at her new phone, engrossed in her own thoughts. My face stiffened. “Then you and Blake…” “Blake used to be the richest person I knew, so of course I was with him. But now I’ve seen a wider world, and I should have better options!” “Look how nice this phone is, it’s the latest model! My friend gave it to me!” “Friend?” I looked at her in disbelief. The Mia I knew before wasn’t like this. Mia’s words pierced my heart like a thorn. I didn’t want Blake to be kept in the dark, and I worried about him getting hurt. After tossing and turning all night, I tapped on Blake’s SnapChat icon and subtly hinted at what was happening. But the next day, Blake called me out. In front of a dramatically sobbing Mia, he loudly reprimanded me: “Serena, how could you be so vicious? I won’t allow you to slander Mia. If there’s a next time, don’t blame me for being unkind.” Mia leaned into Blake’s embrace, feigning distress, but shot me a triumphant look as she choked back her “tears.” Watching those two, I honestly wanted to slap myself. Later, after college graduation, Blake, despite his family’s objections, defiantly got engaged to Mia. However, when Mia learned that Blake’s family business was facing a financial crisis, she abandoned him alone at their wedding venue. The very next day, she had a lavish wedding with a wealthy man. The man who had lived in my heart for ten years was discarded by the woman he loved most. I couldn’t bear to see him wallow in despair and self-pity. I was constantly by his side, working tirelessly for him. Perhaps it was his disillusionment with Mia, perhaps his gratitude for my unwavering presence, or maybe he truly fell in love with me. A year later, he proposed to me. After marriage, I didn’t hold high hopes for Blake’s love, after all, my feelings for him had always been unrequited. But he was gentle and attentive towards me, meticulously thoughtful. He remembered my period dates every month and had small surprises for me. When my parents passed away, he worked during the day and stayed by my side at night, barely sleeping. If it weren’t for Mia constantly calling him out, I might have truly believed he had fallen in love with me. Then, three months ago, Mia, freshly divorced, appeared at my doorstep. That night, Blake slept with his back to me for the first time, tossing and turning all night. I knew my happiness was about to be snatched away. After that, he grew increasingly distant. He couldn’t even be bothered to make excuses when he went to see Mia. He came home later and later each day, carrying the scent of Mia’s favorite perfume. 5 I woke up on the floor to an empty upstairs. Perhaps Mrs. Jenkins heard my movements, as she came into the study. “Oh, Mrs. Stone, you haven’t had a drop of this chicken soup. Mr. Blake truly… he doesn’t even care about you. Look how thin you’ve become, sigh…” I offered a bitter smile. Even Mrs. Jenkins noticed I’d lost weight, but the man who slept beside me didn’t. I leaned against the wall, intending to rest, but after only a couple of steps, my vision went black, and I passed out. When I woke again, I was in a hospital bed. “What drama are you stirring up now?” Blake’s voice cut through the air. “Do you have any idea that because of picking you up, Mia was alone doing her check-up? What if something happened?” I collected myself and saw Blake by my bed. My heart ached as I then noticed Mia standing by the foot of it. So, Blake had left me to take Mia to the hospital. He was worried about Mia doing a check-up alone, but it never occurred to him that I might die alone at home at any moment. “Blake, you mustn’t speak to Serena like that. She cares about you too!” Her words were laced with feigned concern; I couldn’t even be bothered to respond. Now that I had my answer, I no longer held any illusions about the man before me. “Let’s get a divorce,” I said, looking out at the birds flying past the window, my voice weak. “Serena, do you always have to compete with Mia? Do you know there are no beds available in the hospital? This bed you’re lying in, Mia gave it up for you! When will you ever be considerate?” I painfully propped myself up and got out of bed. “Doctor, I want to be discharged!” “Serena!” Blake roared. I stared blankly at the man before me, whose veins were bulging in his neck from anger. He never used to yell at me like this. Even when I angered him, he would just gently touch my forehead and say, “My dear Serena is being naughty again. You need to be a good girl.” But now, ever since Mia returned, all his tenderness was for her. I was like a shameless, ungrateful shrew. “Yes! This bed was hers, and now I don’t want it! I’m giving it back to her!” “My husband was also someone she didn’t want, and gave to me. Now, I don’t want him either! I’m giving him back to her!” “Is that enough?!” I screamed, using every last ounce of my strength. The commotion in the room drew Daniel, who was doing his rounds. When he saw me, his brows furrowed even deeper than they had that morning. “You shouldn’t get agitated now. Your condition—” “What condition? What condition could she possibly have, being pregnant?” Blake interrupted Daniel. He glared at me, his eyes blazing. “Serena, you’ve really improved, haven’t you? First, you lied about Mia being a gold-digger, and now you’re dragging a doctor into your lies to deceive me. Are you really that unloved?!” Yes, I was that unloved. Years ago, to revive his failing business, I pleaded with my father for three days and nights, risking his disapproval. I secured ten million dollars for Blake’s working capital. That ten million dollars, however, severed my last connection to my parents in this world. After my parents gave me the money, I was constantly by Blake’s side, working tirelessly for him, being a supportive wife and partner, helping him get back on his feet. But my parents, due to the sudden withdrawal of capital, had their financial chain broken. Unable to withstand the pressure from their investors, they both jumped to their deaths. By the time I rushed there, I only saw their cold bodies. At the time of the incident, Blake’s company was at a critical juncture, and I didn’t want to distract him, so he knew nothing of this. He only knew my parents had passed away, and I handled their funerals alone. In this world, apart from the child in my womb, I had no family left. Daniel was enraged by Blake’s attitude. He sharply said, “Her condition is very—” Mia’s wail interrupted Daniel’s unfinished sentence. “Ah—ah—Doctor, my stomach hurts so bad! Come quickly, please! Did giving up the bed just now stir things up and cause early labor?!” Blake strode towards Mia, glaring at me. “If anything happens to Mia, I won’t forgive you!” With that, he picked her up and rushed towards the doctor’s office. Even though my heart was completely cold towards this man, seeing my unborn child’s father abandon him for someone else’s child, I couldn’t help but feel an agonizing pang. As soon as Blake left, a warm gush flowed down my legs. I looked down. It was blood! “Daniel, Daniel, save my baby!” As the blood gushed out, searing pain ripped through my stomach, and I panicked. In the emergency room, machines beeped and whirred. I felt like I was losing so much blood.
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