My eyes were wet as they opened. The pain in my body made me remember what happened. Yes, I had miscarried.

My heart ached even more when I heard my husband, Matthew Christopher, talking to the doctor at the other end of the room.

“Remove the uterus! Make sure that Kate won't be able to get pregnant again!”

I bit the corner of my lip. I glanced at Matt and the doctor who still had their backs to me. Next to them, there was a woman who was holding Matt's hand so intimately.

“Give Hannah the best. I don't want her pregnancy to be interrupted or have any problems. I want that child to be the heir to the Christopher family,” Matt said as he stroked Hannah's stomach. Yeah, who I knew very well was a brand ambassador for Matt's company.

I started crying when they came out. My heart was breaking like a wave. After five years of living together and our desperate attempts to have a baby, Matt had betrayed me. Even so, I wouldn't let my pride be trampled on by the two of them. So I decided to leave Matt and let them live in sin.

***

I cried silently. How could Matt be so heartless? The five years we had spent together, his excitement about having a child—all of it—felt like it had meant nothing.

Flashes of memories came rushing back: Matt rubbing my belly before bed, comforting me through my tears whenever I saw a negative result on the test pack, and showing his love through words and actions. All of it made his current behavior feel unbelievable.

My mind was still swirling with questions when a nurse came into the room carrying a tray of food.

“Lunchtime, Ma'am.” She approached me and was about to feed me, but I shook my head in refusal.

“Where's my husband?” I finally asked. I realized Matt hadn't come home last night. I had tried calling him a dozen times, but he never picked up. Eventually, I asked the maid to take me to the hospital.

“In the doctor's room. Your husband has been talking a lot about your condition,” she said.

I turned away, especially when the nurse mentioned that Matt had been crying his eyes out because he couldn't be there with me. He was so sorry and kept blaming himself.

The nurse also said Matt hadn’t slept since he arrived. He stayed by my side, keeping a close eye on me and fussing over the nurses. Nothing could be overlooked during my treatment. Matt always wanted the best for my health.

“You're very lucky, Ma'am. Mr. Matt is so protective. His love for you is pure and sincere. I saw him crying non-stop until the doctor came to check on you an hour ago.”

My silence was enough for her to stop talking. She excused herself, leaving me alone, and I felt like screaming in anger.

Why was Matt so cruel? The sincerity of his love for me had always felt real. Yet, when he had the heart to tell the doctor to remove my uterus, why did he still pretend to love me?

“Babe, are you awake?”

Matt suddenly walked in before I could wipe away my tears. His soft voice no longer stirred my heart but filled me with disgust instead.

I didn’t react as he approached. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at his face. Matt gazed at me with a semblance of compassion, wiping away my tears as he pulled me into an embrace.

"It’s okay. You can’t let sadness consume you—it will only hurt you more. You have to believe that a miracle will come," he said gently.

I wanted to fight back, but my body felt like it was collapsing in on itself. I didn’t have the strength to speak; the pain I felt had multiplied beyond comprehension.

“You need to eat, Babe,” Matt urged, forcing me to take a few bites. I ate reluctantly, and when he handed me my medication, I refused, pushing his hand away.

“You have to take your medicine if you want to get better. Don’t you want to recover quickly and have a child? Please, don’t be stubborn!” His voice rose slightly, betraying his frustration. I knew Matt must be upset with me.

Even so, I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t sure if the medicine would truly heal me. Deep down, I suspected Matt might already be plotting something to break me even further.

“I don’t want to!” I refused weakly, my voice trembling.

“Kate, please—”

“Where were you all night? I called you dozens of times, but you didn’t pick up. What kind of job makes you work all night?” Although I was furious, my voice didn’t rise. I had completely lost my strength. All I could do was cry.

“I’m sorry, Babe. Work keeps getting in the way. And last night, I still had a few things to take care of,” Matt admitted while gently stroking my cheek.

I didn’t believe him, not really. Maybe he was busy spending time with Hannah and their soon-to-be baby.

“Come on, Babe!” Matt coaxed, gripping both of my hands. His touch made my body recoil, and I fought back as hard as I could.

“No!” I shouted, though my voice cracked. Overwhelmed, I broke down, my sobs pouring out uncontrollably. Maybe crying hard would dull the ache in my chest, even just a little.

But as my tears fell, a wave of darkness suddenly swept over me. Everything went silent. Everything disappeared.

(To be continued)

I woke up the next day feeling weak and exhausted. I didn’t know if I had done anything, but my entire body felt like it had been beaten to a pulp.

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled, signaling that I was hungry. I had been neglecting my meals since yesterday, eating carelessly as if my stomach was full.

There was food on the table. However, before I took it, I realized something. I lifted my shirt to check if there were any surgical incisions on my stomach.

I let out a sigh of relief. What I feared hadn’t happened. My stomach was intact, without any incisions. It just felt empty because my baby was gone.

I was glad Matt hadn’t done anything sneaky yesterday. I thought that while I was unconscious, the doctor might have removed my uterus.

I wouldn’t let Matt do that to me—for her.

"Hi, honey," Matt greeted me with a big smile as he entered the room. He picked up the tray of food as if he knew I was starving.

Matt sat on the edge of the bed, helped me sit up, and said, "You fainted yesterday. The doctor said you were weak and stressed. That’s normal, but I beg you, don’t let your sadness consume you. I don’t want to see you like this anymore."

I didn’t respond. Every act of kindness from Matt felt like a slap in the face. I just couldn’t move past it. He could seem to love me so genuinely while harboring a plan to destroy me completely.

He started to feed me. I didn’t refuse because I was genuinely hungry. Matt was so painstaking and skillful, as if he truly cared. He told me a lot about his work yesterday—though I wasn’t sure if he had really gone to work.

"You’re probably still upset that I didn’t accompany you through such a difficult time yesterday. I’m really sorry. I can’t imagine the pain you must be feeling. I’m sorry, honey," Matt said.

I gave him a faint smile—of course, it was fake. I nodded slightly to appease him, letting him continue his charade. I wanted to see just how far Matt could go with his lies.

"Aren’t you mad at me? Don’t you want to blame me?" I asked, baiting him on purpose.

"I’ve never thought about that. I love you more than anything. Your health matters more to me than anything else. As for children, I can wait. And if God doesn’t grant us the chance, we can always adopt. Please don’t feel discouraged. I’ve never hated you," Matt said earnestly.

I smiled sadly. No wonder Matt didn’t feel disappointed—he was going to have a child with another woman.

The way he tried to get rid of me hurt me deeply. His pretense of kindness felt like he was pushing me off a cliff, little by little.

"Won’t your love fade?" I asked, my voice trembling with doubt.

Before Matt could answer, the door suddenly swung open. Hannah stepped inside, smiling at me. How ironic. Matt hadn’t even answered my question—and yet, deep down, I already knew his answer wouldn’t matter.

"Sorry to interrupt. I sympathize with what happened to you, ma’am," Hannah said with a sincere smile. That smile made my heart sink.

Hannah was very beautiful, and she was younger than me. Perhaps that was why Matt had turned away from me.

I didn’t respond. I simply stared at her long enough to make her nervous. Then, I glanced at Matt, who looked just as uneasy as Hannah.

"Are you sweating, honey?" I asked, gently caressing Matt’s damp temple. My affectionate gesture was deliberate—to make Hannah uncomfortable.

"Why do you look so nervous?" I pressed further, watching Matt grow more agitated by the second.

"Nothing. I’m fine, honey. Maybe I’m just tired," Matt finally said, his voice shaky.

I didn’t stop there. I turned my gaze back to Hannah, this time more intently, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

"How come your belly is growing? Are you pregnant?" I asked bluntly.

Hannah’s face turned pale, and she immediately pulled her cardigan tighter around her. It was clear she was uncomfortable with my question. Stammering, she finally replied, "No, ma’am. I’ve just been gaining weight. Please excuse me."

Without waiting for a response, Hannah hurriedly excused herself.

As soon as she left, Matt turned to me, visibly upset. "Honey, you shouldn’t have said that. You made her uncomfortable."

I glared at him but held back my retort. I wanted to argue, but I didn’t want things to escalate further.

After making sure I was full, Matt excused himself to run an errand. He kissed my forehead affectionately. "Get some rest, honey. I have a little business to take care of. I'll be back soon."

Two hours passed, and Matt still hadn’t returned. My heart began to grow restless. Had he really gone to work, or was he with Hannah?

I picked up my phone, unable to shake the uneasy feeling. Even though I hated being with a man like Matt, jealousy still gnawed at me.

"Hi, honey. Where are you?" I asked as soon as the call connected.

I could hear Matt’s ragged breathing on the other end. He let out a soft whimper before finally answering. "I’m... at the office, honey. There was a little problem, uhhh..."

I frowned, surprised by his hesitation. My suspicion grew stronger—was Matt with Hannah?

"That’s fine. I’ll wait for you," I replied, my voice trembling slightly.

"I love you, baby," he said. But before I could respond, I heard a loud crash, like something had been thrown. It sounded like Matt had deliberately tossed his phone.

I didn’t hang up. My instincts told me something was wrong, so I kept listening. Soon, my fears were confirmed.

Through the phone, I heard Hannah’s sultry voice. "Are you sure you still want to be with that wife of yours? I’m more beautiful and skillful."

Her words made my hands shake as anger and hurt swirled inside me. I could hear the passion in her voice as she tried to satisfy my husband. And then, as if to twist the knife deeper, Matt moaned her name with an intimacy that shattered my heart.

I couldn’t bear to hear it any longer. My hands trembled so violently that I dropped my phone, unable to hold onto it anymore.

Tears streamed down my face as I cried—broken and alone in the suffocating silence. But amidst my anguish, a single thought burned in my mind.

I swore to myself, Matt, you will regret this. One day, you’ll regret everything.

(To be continued)

Until I fell asleep and my tears dried up, Matt still hadn’t come. It had been almost four hours since he left.

In a semi-conscious state, I replayed what I had heard earlier. I cursed Matt and Hannah for what they had done.

Not long after, he finally came. I suppressed my disappointment, staring at him with a blank expression.

"Sorry for making you wait so long. I had a sudden meeting earlier." Matt hugged me tightly, even though I didn’t return the gesture.

Immediately, I caught the scent of a woman's perfume clinging to his shirt. I quickly pulled away from his embrace and glanced down at his crumpled white shirt.

"I smell a woman's perfume on you." A flash of Matt and Hannah’s lovemaking played in my mind, as if I had seen it firsthand.

Matt stiffened slightly. He instinctively brought his shirt to his nose, checking for himself.

"That’s not my perfume. It’s too feminine. You know I don’t like that kind of scent, right?" I pressed him, making it clear that he couldn’t claim it was mine.

Matt immediately tapped his forehead. "Ah, right. I bought some perfume for you after the meeting. I think I left it in the car. I tried it on earlier, Kate, so the scent must have stuck to my shirt."

Matt was an exceptional liar. His gentle words and convincing expression might have been believable—if only I hadn’t heard him sighing with Hannah on the phone.

I looked away, making Matt tug on my chin to force me to face him. "You're not satisfied with my answer, Babe?"

I met Matt's sincere eyes and finally voiced the question that had been weighing on me lately. "You still remember our relationship agreement, right?"

Before we got married, Matt and I agreed: if either of us fell in love with someone else, we had to be honest and separate. If anyone cheated, one of us would leave forever.

Matt didn't even pause to think; he just nodded. "You think I tricked you?"

I swallowed hard as his face hardened, his voice trailing off as if he were trying to contain his anger.

"My colleague just launched a new perfume. I bought it instead of accepting it for free. I respect him as a fellow businessman. Please don’t complicate our relationship," Matt said, this time unable to hide his irritation.

Unfortunately, I couldn't be sure if it was Hannah's perfume—I'd never smelled it. But what else could I trust about Matt?

I said nothing. Balancing love and hate was exhausting. I wanted to be angry, but the weariness in my heart felt like shackles.

"What's wrong with you? Who are you jealous of?" Matt pulled me closer, lifting my chin again to make me look at him.

"Hannah," I said without hesitation. I wondered how Matt would respond. I wondered how far he could lie.

"Hannah? Come on, Babe! I've never even had a conversation with her. She's just a brand ambassador. We only talk business once in a while," Matt said, frustration evident in his voice.

I nodded. After all, there was no point in pressing him, because Matt would just keep lying.

Matt rubbed his face with both hands, then took a deep breath as if trying to calm his emotions. "Why are you so suspicious? Even if you miscarry, I won’t leave you."

In the end, that sentence really hit me. I couldn’t stop thinking—why would he stay with me if he was having an affair with Hannah? Was it because all his assets were transferred to my name? Ah, of course.

I smiled wryly as Matt hugged me. He apologized in a voice that was almost a whisper. "I love you so much, Kate. No matter what happens in this marriage, we’ll get through it together. Don’t make things worse for yourself with negative thoughts. I’m not going anywhere."

I returned Matt’s hug reluctantly, mirroring the same lie he had told me.

He then released me from the hug. His face looked troubled.

"Why?" I asked.

"Kate, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow, so I can’t be with you during this recovery period. But don’t worry, I’ve already told the doctors and nurses to keep a close eye on you."

I nodded. "All right. Take care."

He rubbed my head before adding, "You can call me whenever you want. It’s hard because I can’t always be with you, but I promise I’ll be back soon."

If I didn’t know how cruel Matt was behind my back, I might have been touched by his words.

Finally, he kissed my lips and left the room. But somehow, as the sound of his footsteps faded away, something in my chest felt off. Something I couldn’t explain. Something... wrong.