Damien Thorne’s colleague was pregnant, about to give birth. She showed up at my door, heavily pregnant, demanding something for the baby, right as I was decorating our wedding home. “I just donated sperm to her,” he said, sounding utterly innocent, “I have nothing to be ashamed of towards you.” With that, he actually took her to the mall to pick out baby gifts. I immediately blasted our family group chat on SnapChat, canceling the wedding. But everyone thought I was being dramatic. Mrs. Thorne said with grave seriousness, “Damien is good-looking and highly educated. Such excellent genes should be passed on. It’s almost a contribution to society, you know.” Mr. Thorne scoffed, “He didn’t cheat. Why are you making such a fuss?” My dad was so furious he almost had a heart attack. “Stubborn fool! How dare you cancel such a good marriage?” My mom cried until she nearly fainted. “If you break off this engagement, you’ll never get married in your life!” My eyes blazing red, I shot back, “Then I’ll stay single forever!” But then, a message popped up on my phone: “Scarlett Hayes, when will you choose me?”
That evening, Damien Thorne carefully helped Willow Frost through the door. They had bought a huge box of toys for their unborn child. Willow gently stroked her pregnant belly, and they exchanged a loving glance, their faces beaming with the joy of soon becoming parents. Seeing me, Willow smiled and handed me a small gift box. “Scarlett, this is a special gift I picked out for you. I just found out how much this whole thing bothered you, so consider it… a small apology from me.” I didn’t even look, tossing the gift box straight into the trash. Willow’s smile instantly froze, and tears streamed down her face like a broken necklace. “Scarlett, I… I’m so sorry.” She choked back sobs, cowering behind Damien. Damien immediately shielded her, looking at me with a helpless expression. “Scarlett, don’t be like this.” “I was just responding to a call for responsible donors. Willow is a free spirit and wants a child but not a husband.” “We’re just colleagues, truly nothing more.” “Just colleagues?” My voice trembled. “Exchanging good mornings and good nights every day? Sharing a single playlist? Shielding her from aggressive co-workers at office dinners? Driving her home the long way after late nights at work? Those are ‘just colleagues’?” He rubbed his temples tiredly. “Here we go again. Haven’t I explained all this? You’re always so suspicious, overthinking everything.” I let out a cold laugh. His explanations were ridiculously flimsy — just normal colleague interactions, a senior looking out for a junior. They were full of holes, yet I chose to believe him, time after time. But five years of a relationship… I wasn’t willing to let it end like this. Gritting my teeth, I pointed at Willow’s belly, testing him. “Fine, let’s say I’m overthinking it, that I misunderstood you two!” I stared hard at Damien, pushing him. “Make her get rid of that baby, and I’ll pretend nothing happened. The wedding will go on as planned.” “Impossible!” Damien’s voice shot up, then he forced his anger down. “The baby is Willow’s. I have no right to decide that.” Willow’s face instantly went pale. She suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me with a thud. She clutched her belly tightly, her voice choked. “Scarlett, there’s truly nothing between me and Damien. The baby is eight months along, and he was just kicking me. I can’t, I can’t…” She cried, her face tear-streaked, her whole body shaking. Damien’s face was tight, he struggled for a few seconds, but his resolve crumbled. He helped her up, offering a helpless smile. “Scarlett, asking her to terminate the pregnancy now, what’s the difference between that and tearing her heart out?” I stared at him, a cold smirk playing on my lips. “What, feeling sympathetic now?”
Damien clearly flinched, then his face contorted in pain. “I never thought you could be so cruel. If this is a condition for marriage, then we truly aren’t meant for each other… Let’s break up.” “Scarlett, Damien is innocent, don’t take your anger out on him!” Willow suddenly burst into loud sobs. “Blame me if you want, I just can’t bear to lose this baby… But I’ll prove our innocence with my life right now!” Before her words even faded, she lunged towards the balcony, as if to throw herself over. My heart leaped into my throat, and I instinctively started to rush forward. Damien, already frantic, was faster. But before either of us could reach her, Willow collapsed onto the floor, convulsing with sobs. Damien pulled her into his arms, his entire body trembling. After a long moment, he looked up, his eyes icy as he stared at me, still standing rooted to the spot. “Scarlett Hayes! Your baseless accusations almost killed Willow!” His gaze was frigid, like he was looking at a stranger. “She’s just a young woman, pregnant. You might stand by coldly, but I can’t.” His voice was shaking. With that, he carefully lifted Willow into his arms, walked up to me, and snarled, “Move!” I stood frozen, my mouth opening. “I didn’t mean to…” “Damien, the baby… I think the baby’s coming.” Willow suddenly let out a weak whimper, then fainted. “Willow!” Damien’s face instantly went ashen. He forcefully shoved me aside and rushed out the door, carrying Willow. I fell to the floor, biting down hard on my lip, but I couldn’t suppress the icy dread swirling in my heart. I stayed awake until dawn, my phone finally lighting up with a message from Damien: “Last night, I was too anxious, and my words were harsh.” “Scarlett, I’m sorry.” My nose stung, and tears instantly welled up. For years, he was always the first to apologize after an argument, and I would always forgive him. But this time was different. I couldn’t forgive this. Before I could reply, he sent another photo. It was a picture of him with a newborn. The tiny infant was cradled carefully in his arms, and he looked down at the child with eyes as tender as spring water. “Willow had an early delivery, but thankfully, both mother and daughter are safe.” “The baby looks a lot like me.” “She has no family or friends, so I need to stay at the hospital for three days.” “Let’s postpone the wedding for a week. I truly can’t handle anything else right now.” These seemingly ordinary words, every single one of them, pierced my heart. I numbly stood up, tearing down the wedding photos from the wall one by one, then picked up scissors and shredded my wedding dress. My fingers trembled uncontrollably as I packed my suitcase. Just as I zipped it shut, Mrs. Thorne pushed open the door, a barely concealed look of delight on her face. “Damien asked me to bring him some fresh clothes to the hospital. And as a grandmother, I’m eager to see my little granddaughter.” Seeing me silent, she warmly took my arm. “Scarlett, Damien was wrong this time, he shouldn’t have hidden the sperm donation from you, it hurt your pride. But it’s not some unforgivable crime, right?” “Auntie knows your feelings run deep. You can’t just throw it all away over a small thing like this, can you? What you said in the group chat yesterday was just anger talking, let’s not take it seriously.” “Come, come with me to the hospital to see the baby. Give Damien an out, and we’ll just put this whole thing behind us.” I was dragged along like a lifeless doll, and by the time I snapped back to reality, I was standing at the hospital room door. Willow lay weakly in the hospital bed, her pale face still streaked with tears, clearly having suffered a lot during childbirth.
And Damien was gently holding the baby, softly humming a lullaby. Mr. Thorne, for once, was smiling. “Damien is an airline captain. Let’s call this child ‘Skye’ then, to inherit the aviation career!” “What nonsense!” Mrs. Thorne chided him. “A girl can’t be named something like that!” She eagerly reached out to hold the baby. But Damien turned away. “Mom, you don’t know how to hold her properly. Don’t hurt her.” Catching sight of me in his peripheral vision, his eyes lit up. “Scarlett, come look at her. Aren’t her tiny hands and feet just adorable?” He leaned in to kiss the baby, then stopped abruptly, looking flustered like a naughty child. “No, no, Dad can’t pass on any germs to you.” I had never seen this childish side of him before. So this was what he was like, clumsy yet tender, as a new father. He was eager to show off his joy to the world, but I was the one person who shouldn’t have been included. I forced a stiff smile and turned to leave. But Damien quickly followed, carefully holding the baby out to me. “Scarlett, look, don’t her nose and mouth look exactly like mine?” I lowered my eyes. The tiny face did indeed resemble him, as if molded from the same clay. The resemblance stung my eyes, and my throat suddenly constricted with pain. I coldly pushed the swaddled infant away, looking into Damien’s expectant eyes, suddenly unwilling to give him what he wanted. “Take her away. She’s so annoying to look at, I can’t stand it.” The baby let out a wail. Damien’s eyes instantly turned cold. He gently patted the baby, comforting her with a pained expression. Mrs. Thorne’s gaze cut at me like a knife. “You’re the most annoying one here!” Mr. Thorne pointed directly at the door. “You’re not welcome here. Get out!” Willow, in the hospital bed, suddenly woke up. “Scarlett…” She pleaded with the Thorne family. “I’d like to talk to Scarlett alone for a moment.” Once the hospital room door closed, Willow’s face wore an apologetic expression. “Scarlett, I don’t want to break you and Damien up. He really loves you. Actually, that night, Damien was drunk, and we just…” My mind buzzed. “It wasn’t sperm donation?” She turned her face away. “Damien said he wanted to keep it from you, afraid you’d be sad.” “By the time I found out I was pregnant, it was already three months. He was very angry then, saying he’d give me a lump sum to keep quiet once the baby was born, and that I should never mention it again.” “Then why are you telling me now?” I stared at her coldly. “Why did you deliberately show up pregnant? Why didn’t you keep it from me forever?” She clearly hadn’t expected me to call her out so directly. Her face changed color several times, then she just pressed her lips together, silent. I laughed sarcastically. “Now that he and I have broken up, and your baby is born, you two can live happily ever after as a family of three. What else are you worried about?” She suddenly glared at me, an eerie smile curving on her lips. The next second, right in front of me, she deliberately rolled straight off the hospital bed, hitting the floor with a thud. Then she shrieked in terror. “Scarlett, I know I was wrong! Please, please don’t hit me!” I was utterly dumbfounded. Before I could react, a strong force pulled me away. “Slap!” My cheek burned, and I instantly tasted blood in my mouth. Mr. Thorne’s face was livid as he pointed at me. “You insolent brat! Is the hospital a place for your tantrums?” He raised his hand to strike again, but Damien quickly blocked him. “Dad, she’s my fiancée. I’ll handle this.”
He pulled me into the corridor and found some ice, carefully pressing it against my face. I mumbled, looking down. “I didn’t push her…” “Mmm.” He responded flatly, neither getting angry nor asking for clarification. I knew him too well. This silence was the loudest form of denial. If he believed me, he would have argued fiercely for me. If he didn’t, he would just stay silent like this. But if he didn’t believe me, why was he still being so gentle? Tears spilled from my eyes, dropping one by one onto his hand. He snatched his hand back as if burned, then stood up. “If you’re going to stay here and make Willow and the baby uncomfortable, then just go home.” I desperately grabbed his sleeve, a sob catching in my voice. “Just trust me this one time, please?” He sighed deeply, prying my fingers off his sleeve one by one, as if completely disillusioned. “Scarlett, I can overlook all the things you’ve done, because I love you, after all. But at least, you should be honest with me.” A familiar phone ringtone suddenly sounded – Willow’s exclusive ringtone. “How much further to enter your heart, how much longer until I can get close to you…” I once asked him, “Is it appropriate to have a special ringtone for a female colleague?” He looked genuinely puzzled. “The girl just likes that song. It was nothing, just a casual thing. Don’t overthink it.” I watched him answer the call, then walk away without looking back. I sat numbly on the bench, half my face swollen and red. I suddenly started to laugh and cry at the same time, like a patient given a terminal diagnosis. He told *me* to be honest, but had he been honest himself? I went back for my luggage, intending to go to my parents’ house, but their video call came through. Dad clutched his chest, his finger shaking as he pointed at me and cursed. “The Thornes said you ran to the hospital, throwing a fit and hurting the poor girl who just gave birth. What were you thinking? The Chief of Staff is a friend of mine, he called to ask us what was going on! You’ve completely humiliated our family!” Dad started to gasp violently again. Mom quickly gave him his medication, then turned to glare at me. “Damien explained everything clearly; he and that girl are just colleagues. Why do you have to be so extra, trying to push them together?” Catching sight of the injury on my face, she sneered, “Serves you right!” “What exactly did I do wrong that you’re all blaming me?” I took a deep breath, my voice hoarse. “Why do you all believe outsiders over me?” “Believe you about what? Tell us!” My parents spoke simultaneously. Looking at their unmoved faces, I suddenly deflated. “Never mind.” I hastily hung up the video call. I couldn’t let them see my tears again, or it would only lead to that familiar line: “What else can you do besides cry?” At that moment, I didn’t know where I could go. My phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Asher Maxwell: “Scarlett Hayes, when will you choose me?” “Now.” Without a second thought, I immediately replied. This guy, who had once been an academic disaster, barely scraping by in high school, had transformed himself in his senior year, pushing himself to get into the same university as me. After that came years of relentless pursuit. A hundred confessions, a hundred rejections from me. Who would like an academic disaster, even worse than a slacker? Even if he was sunny and handsome, with a smile that made your heart skip a beat, it was a no-go. After college graduation, Damien and I got together. Asher went to Switzerland to study, but his messages never stopped. From daily warm greetings, to sharing trivial life details, to the recurring question every few days: “When will you choose me?” I had never replied, but he was like a tireless robot, never giving up.
Thinking this, I sent another message: “Getting married in three days. You’re the groom. Satisfied?” “Bang!” The door was kicked open violently. Damien stood there, his face dark, his eyes fixed on me. “Scarlett Hayes! What the hell did you do to my clothes?!” “What…” “Shut up!” He lunged forward, grabbing my wrist and slamming me against the wall. I had never seen him like this. His eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing hitched. “I wore that shirt you sent me to hold the baby, and in less than ten minutes, she broke out in a rash and went into respiratory failure! She’s in the ICU now!” “She’s a newborn baby! Scarlett Hayes, you better give me an explanation!” “I didn’t do anything!” My wrist burned where he gripped it. I struggled desperately. “Let go of me first…” Before I could finish, he swung his fist. I instinctively closed my eyes and turned my head. There was a loud bang beside my ear as his fist slammed hard into the wall next to me. When I opened my eyes, I saw blood seeping from his knuckles. My voice trembled uncontrollably. “Damien, were you… were you really going to hit me?” He seemed to snap awake, frantically releasing his grip and pulling me into his arms. “Scarlett, I… I panicked for a moment. I’m sorry.” “I told you, I’d overlook anything you did. But this time, you’ve gone too far. Willow is crying, saying she wants to die with the baby. Go kneel down and apologize to her, please?” Hot liquid dripped onto my neck. “Just for me. I promise you, if you apologize, we can still get married.” This man, who hadn’t shed a single tear even when he broke his ribs during flight training, was crying now. Men cry when they have a weakness. Willow and the baby must be his weakness. I stared at his trembling shoulders, and suddenly, I smiled. “Alright, I’ll go apologize.” He visibly relaxed, a huge weight lifting from him. “We’ll go to the hospital right now.” He reached for my hand. I shook it off, my face devoid of expression. “I’ll walk by myself.” “Okay,” He nodded, then urged, still worried. “Hurry, I’m afraid Willow will have a breakdown…” As soon as we reached the emergency room door, Willow immediately dropped to her knees, clutching my leg. “Scarlett, please, you can take my life if you want, just let the baby be safe.” She sobbed hysterically, her whole body shaking. I was so angry I laughed. I reached down to pull her up. “Stop acting. I’m the one who should be kneeling, begging Miss Frost to let me go. I don’t want Damien anymore, you can have him.” She suddenly looked up, a flicker of triumph in her eyes. Then she instantly reverted to a terrified expression. “No, it’s not like that. Damien will always be yours. How could I ever dream of him? I just want to live quietly with my baby.” “Get up!” I completely lost my patience. She suddenly grabbed my hand. I shook it off in disgust. But she used the momentum to fall backward, hitting her head with a thud on the floor, then let out a piercing scream. “Enough!” Damien rushed over to help her up, looking at me as if I were some terrifying monster. “Scarlett Hayes, if you don’t want to apologize, then don’t come! Willow just gave birth, and the baby is still in critical condition. How can you be so cruel to her?” I lowered my head, unsure what else to say. He wouldn’t believe me anyway, would he? After a long silence, Damien laughed mockingly. “Never mind. What did I expect you to explain? I’ve seen you hurt Willow and the baby with my own eyes, time and again. Go home. You’re just making things worse here.”
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