In the third year of my marriage to George Ratcliffe, something terrible happened. His twin brother, Anthony, died in a car accident. Anthony left behind only his wife, Arianna Green, who was three months pregnant at the time.

Since there was no one else to take care of Arianna, Mrs. Ratcliffe asked George to take responsibility for both households. The first, third and fifth days of the week belonged to me. Meanwhile, the second, fourth and sixth belonged to Arianne.

I believed everything would return to normal after the baby was born, but I did not expect George to stay with me every night. Our relationship grew quickly and became closer again.

Less than four months after giving birth, Arianne became pregnant with her and George’s child. I sat alone in my room, holding the handwritten letters he once gave me. One by one, I threw them into the fire.

The flames ate away the papers, while the words written in it slowly disappeared into ashes.

It was time for me to leave this circus of a family.

——

I watched George joyfully hug Arianne and spin her around. My face was calm, but my heart had already grown cold and empty. After all, I did not expect that just four months after giving birth to our first child, George would have another child. Not to mention, it was with his own sister-in-law.

"Arianne, you’ve worked hard to grow our family. My mother said she will find the best hospital for you. You can use the black credit card as much as you like," George said with excitement.

After saying this, he seemed to suddenly remember that I was standing nearby.

He hesitated and added, "Selena, you know my mother speaks directly. It’s not like that. She just wants a grandson very badly."

But Arianne was already pregnant with his brother’s child and had given birth. That excuse was weak and unconvincing.

"It doesn’t matter," I answered without emotion.

Last October, my brother-in-law was hit by a car and died, leaving behind Arianne, who was three months pregnant. She had been so devastated that she had almost fainted when she heard the news. She then proceeded to cry and say she wanted to take the baby and join him in the afterlife.

Mrs. Ratcliffe panicked and came up with the idea of George taking care of both Arianne and me. The birth of twins was enough to silence the rumors. As long as the Ratcliffe Family kept quiet, no one would know that George was spending time in the bedrooms of two women at once.

To make me feel better, he came to my room on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He went to Arianne on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. After the baby was born, he began visiting her even more often.

And now, I was pregnant with our child.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

"Arianne is pregnant, so her hormones cause her to be histerical. You should go and stay with her," I said.

George looked confused.

He grabbed my wrist and tried to explain, saying, "Selena, you know I’m only taking care of her for my brother."

"You’re really not angry with me?" he asked.

I gave a small smile without emotion and gently removed his fingers from my wrist. Frankly, I was tired of sharing my husband with someone else. But would he even listen to me?

Just then, Arianne frowned and held her lower stomach, saying she felt pain. As I expected, George didn’t even bother to take a glance at me again. He quickly picked her up and carried her back to the room.

The two of them stayed close, showing no concern for how it looked. I felt like my steps were floating and I held tightly onto the ultrasound report I had hidden under the bed. Earlier, I used to think this new baby was a miracle, becoming a way to win back George’s love.

But now, it seemed pointless.

I called the hospital and made an appointment for an abortion. Not long after that, I called my parents, who lived 3,000 kilometers away. In a quiet voice, I told them I missed home.

Tears burst from my eyes. I wiped my nose and tried to calm down.

"Mum, is the man you wanted me to meet still single?"

After ending the call, I took out the wooden box. This box was where I had saved the letters George had written me. Inside was also the certificate given by the Royal Astronomical Society of England from the night we watched the moon together.

We had been in love for four years and married for three. He used to write me letters on every birthday and anniversary. There were dozens of them. I had kept them all safe in the box.

But since he started taking care of Arianne, he stopped writing. I knew that I had to do something. So, I lit a candle and burned the letters until they were all gone.

I watched everything turn to ash.

The last thing I tossed into the flames was the certificate given by the Royal Astronomical Society of England.

George used to spoil me. Just because my name was Selena, he would buy expensive moon-gazing equipment and even used his connections to name an asteroid after me. Now, it was all meaningless.

As the fire crackled, George suddenly opened the door and frowned when he saw the empty wooden box.

“Arianne is pregnant,” he said sharply.

“She can’t handle the smell of smoke. What are you doing?”

Just then, George glanced at the flames. If he had looked closer, he might have seen the certificate and the letter inside. But his thoughts were filled with Arianne. He didn’t notice …. or care.

Grabbing my hand, he pulled me toward her room.

“Selena, Arianne wants to apologize to you.”

Arianne wanted to apologize? After everything she had gained?

Not long after that, Arianne stood before me. Her eyes glistening with false sincerity. It made me want to vomit.

“Arianne, I didn’t expect to get pregnant again. I guess I’m just ... too fertile,” she said, laughing softly.

“This is my second child. You’re so accepting, so I know you won’t mind, right?”

I said nothing.

George smiled awkwardly, trying to smooth things over.

“Selena’s not the jealous type. Don’t worry.”

I didn’t know when my mother-in-law had entered the room.

Her tone was as sharp and cold as ever as she added, “Hmph. She’s just a girl from an ordinary family. It was a huge privilege that she married into the Ratcliffe Family, so she should be grateful. So what if she can’t have a child? What’s there to be upset about?”

Mrs. Ratcliffe always looked down on me because of my background. In the past, George would’ve defended me without hesitation. However, he stayed silent this time.

His silence was louder than words.

George agreed with his mother. It was all because I couldn’t give him a child.

I smiled calmly, my heart numb.

“You’re right, Mom. I’ve held George back long enough. I’ll divorce him.”

The room erupted in shock. Arianne’s lips twitched into a faint smile. But George? He panicked.

“Selena, I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting you. Don’t be angry. I don’t want a divorce.”

Before I could answer, my mother-in-law grabbed my arm and slapped me harshly across my face. Pain exploded on my right cheek. But it didn’t matter.

“Selena! I tried to be nice to you! If you divorce now, their relationship will be exposed!”

I looked at George, tears brimming in my eyes. He rushed to get an ice pack for my cheek, but he never said a word to his mother. At that moment, everything became clear.

The moment Arianne announced her pregnancy, George had made his choice.

That night, I quietly returned to the bedroom. I packed my bags in silence, waiting for darkness to fall so I could slip away unnoticed. But I hadn’t expected him to cling to me like stubborn glue.

Even when Arianne faked a stomachache in the middle of the night, he stayed by my side instead of going to her. Then, my phone buzzed. It was a message confirming that my marriage status in my ID card had been changed.

I quietly deleted it.

George was obsessive. If I angered him, leaving would become even harder. What I didn’t expect was for him to see everything.

His sleepy voice came from behind me, filled with confusion.

“Selena, what are you doing with your ID card?”

I lied, saying I needed to change my ID card.

He wrapped his arms around me, murmuring, half-asleep, begging me not to leave him. And for a second … I almost believed him. Until I opened his WhatsApp messages with Arianne.

The chat with Arianne was full of sweet, honeyed words.

[George R: Selena’s too sensitive. If she left without warning, people would think we did something wrong.]

[George R: She’s not as good at pleasing me as you are. I should’ve married you in the first place.]

My heart suddenly hurt. Even though I was mentally prepared, I still could not stop the pain in my chest. I slowly fell asleep in a daze.

When I woke up early in the morning, I passed by Arianne’s room and saw George feeding her a full English Breakfast. He was blowing on the spoon gently to cool it before bringing it to her lips.

When Arianne noticed me standing there, she purposely raised her voice and kissed George on the lips.

“George, I really want you to stay with me tonight, okay?”

Her long fingers slowly slid down his shirt and George let out a soft sound that he could not control.

“Oh, such a flirt! Fine, I’ll stay with you tonight.”

I did not want to watch them flirt and be affectionate in front of me. It made me feel sick. So, I turned around and walked to the kitchen to make myself breakfast.

I needed to eat something before going to the hospital for the abortion today.

But to my surprise, Arianne appeared in front of me like a ghost. Her voice was full of sarcasm.

“Selena, you are a woman who cannot even keep a baby and you still dare to stay here. If I were you, I would have already hung myself on a broken tree.”

I said nothing and pretended not to hear her.

That only made her angrier.

“It’s so sad that some women want to get pregnant but cannot. And here I am, not even wanting this baby anymore.”

I could not understand what she meant.

“The doctor said I’m too close to giving birth. If I try to keep this baby, I might die. So, I cannot keep it. And you … you are my best option.”

Her words rang loudly in my ears. Before I could even think about what she truly meant, she suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me down. My body hit the floor hard.

A deep pain started in my lower stomach. I could not stop myself from shaking. Not long after that, I felt something warm running down between my legs.

“Selena, what’s wrong with you?” George yelled.

But he ran past me and straight to Arianne who pretended to look pained.

“I’m sorry … I couldn’t save our baby. I didn’t think Selene would hate me this much …”

Her voice trembled on purpose, as if she was scared to speak, but she clearly hinted that I was the one who hurt her.

That was when George finally noticed me, lying pale and trembling nearby. A flash of anger appeared in his eyes and his voice turned cold.

“Selena, how could you be so heartless? That was a living baby!”

George did not believe me at all. He then carried Arianne in his arms and ran toward the hospital. I used the last of my strength to grab the bottom of his pants.

“My stomach hurts so much … The baby … ”

What I got in return was his mocking voice.

“Selena, are you that desperate to have a baby? I haven’t touched you in so long, so how could you even be pregnant?”

I froze. I looked at him, completely shocked. Tears streamed down my face, but I could not stop them.

George seemed to realize that what he said was too much, but Arianne’s fake crying grew louder and louder and he hurried away without looking back. I did not stop him. So, I forced myself to call for an ambulance.

When I was about to pass out from the pain, I grabbed the doctor’s hand tightly and said, “This baby … please take it out.”

After that, I lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, George was sitting beside my hospital bed, looking worried.

“Selena, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? And why did you remove the baby? You didn’t even let me be a father to our child.”

His eyes were full of suspicion and stubbornness. I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. What right did he have to question me?

“What would this baby call you when it was born? Dad? Or uncle?”

George’s face turned pale. He let out a deep sigh.

“I can see that you still put the blame on me. Arianne lost the baby. That was the universe punishing me. Isn’t that enough?”

“Rest for two more days. Then, go say sorry to her. I’ll speak nicely about you to my mother.”

It was clearly Arianne who pushed me. But the words stuck in my throat. And I swallowed them again.

That was it.