No wonder he got off work at eight every day. From six to eight o'clock, two hours every day. He sneaked out to meet his mistress for a secret rendezvous.

No wonder he had rarely shared a bed with me since three years ago. I only thought he was busy with work, but he found me boring.

When images of Sean passionately kissing and holding Yelena came to me, I couldn't help but puke. I smeared Sean all over, but he didn't get mad. Instead, he patted my back with concern.

There wasn't a hint of disgust on his face. He just knelt there, quietly cleaning up the mess I made.

He truly didn't care about how messy I looked, but it was also true that he found me dull in bed.

I pretended to be sick and shut my eyes as tears threatened to spill over. Sean was so distressed. He kept wiping my face.

Once I finally calmed myself down, I opened my eyes to see his face full of worry. I suddenly felt confused about what Sean was thinking.

He would ditch an important press conference because he was angry with me. He would also take away his mistress's right to be a mother and give the child to me. Still, at the same time, he was also hiding his affair with another woman, fathering children with her.

For a while, I thought the man before me was a stranger.

I crept into his study while Sean slumbered peacefully. I remembered the housekeeper once mentioned that Sean kept something there.

At the bottom of a drawer, I found a stack of hotel records and intimate photos that shattered my heart. In the photos, Sean and Yelena hugged each other with dazzling smiles. The hotel records spanned several months—each date like a dagger stabbing my heart.

After crying until my tears dried, I lay back on the bed. I looked at Sean, who was still calling me in his sleep. I suddenly realized that sharing a bed and dreaming different dreams were nothing more than this.

Because of yesterday's conflict, Sean spent the following day with me instead of going to the company.

He asked the housekeeper to make soup while he stood in the kitchen, watching cooking videos.

My health had been extremely frail since I fell seriously ill three years ago. That's why Sean hired professionals to care for me and never let me go near the kitchen.

Even the housekeeper couldn't help but tease. "Mr. Cadwell truly loves his wife. It's rare to see a successful man personally cooking like this and if Madam has a child in the future, I bet Mr. Cadwell would make a great father, too."

Hearing this, Sean turned to look at me. "Nicki's body is fragile. Pregnancy would take too much of a toll on her. I can't bear to let her suffer. For her, I'd rather never have children."

As if to prove his sincerity, he pulled out his phone and asked his secretary to schedule a vasectomy for him. Half an hour later, he handed me the confirmation message with the appointment details.

I stared blankly at this man, who seemed so deeply devoted.

Almost as if he couldn't wait, he took me to the hospital that afternoon. He kept comforting me along the way. As though certain I'd feel touched and guilty over his sacrifice.

"Nicki, don't worry. I only want you. Children don't matter." Sean held my cold hand with his warm hand.

I forced a faint smile. I never realized the man I had loved for seven years could act so convincingly. Perhaps even he didn't know that he already had two children.

At 3 PM, we arrived at the hospital. The doctor later conducted the pre-operative examination for his procedure.

Sean didn't show any fear before his surgery. Instead, he gave me a reassuring smile. "Nicki, be a good girl and wait for me. I'll be out soon."

Sean was wheeled into the operating room.

I needed to follow his instructions or stay where I was. Instead, I turned around and headed toward the obstetrics and gynecology department. I had already scheduled an abortion online two days ago.

Just as I was about to enter the clinic, my phone buzzed with a message. It was a provocative text from Yelena. The photo showed her heavily pregnant belly alongside an array of rare, expensive supplements.

"He said that after getting a vasectomy, we could go without condoms. That it would feel better."

"Do you really think he loves you? Why would he want my child to be his only heir If he did?"

"If you're smart, you'll leave on your own. I'm the only one who can be Mrs. Cadwell!"

Disgust churned in my stomach again. "Sean, you're utterly filthy."

A man like him didn't deserve my child.

Lying on the hospital bed, I gently touched my belly as tears streamed down my face. "Baby, please don't blame Mommy."

The doctor handed me the consent form for the procedure. My hands trembled as I signed, each stroke of the pen feeling like it drained all the strength from my body.

Two hours later, the procedure was over. By the time I opened the ward's door, there would be no sign of Sean left in my womb. I cried quietly as my heart ached while lying numb from the anesthesia on the hospital bed.

Sean got the news from somewhere, rushed into the ward like crazy and hugged me. "Nicki! Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? Why did you have an abortion without telling me? It was our child!"

I struggled free from his embrace. "Sean, you have no right to talk about the baby. Do you even realize what you've done?"

Panic flashed across Sean's face for the first time. "Nicki, are you listening to rumors? I've never done anything to hurt you!"

Even now, he was still lying. I pulled out my phone and showed him the provocative message Yelena had sent me.

Sean's eyes widened in shock. His face turned ashen as he saw the damning "evidence" from his mistress.

Fury burned in my eyes as I hurled the phone at him. "Sean, I trusted you! I gave up my career for you, treating you as my only family. And this ... this is how you repay me? With betrayal?"

He collapsed to his knees with a thud, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Nicki. I was blinded by lust, I made a terrible mistake. Please, give me another chance."

I shook my head firmly. "Impossible. I'm done with your lies."

Sean had just undergone surgery and was weak but insisted on kneeling. After three hours, he fainted.

Yelena showed up shortly after, having caught wind of what happened. She gritted her teeth, glaring at me with resentment. She glanced at the unconscious Sean. Her eyes sparkled with smug triumph.

"Nicole Sawyer, you're finally getting it. The one he doesn't love is just a side chick. If your child were born, it would just be an illegitimate child. At least you've got the sense to hit him."

Before I could say anything, she dropped to her knees and started slapping herself.

"Ma'am, it's all my fault. I was delusional and I foolishly tried to get involved with Mr. Cadwell. If you need to hit or punish someone, let it be me. Just ... don't make me abort my child!"

Her twisted words enraged me. I raised my hand to slap her, but the sober Sean grabbed my wrist.

"Nicki, she's pregnant. Don't do anything rash!"

I scoffed repeatedly. "You're still defending her now, really? Sean, it's over between us!"

Sean's face darkened as he kicked Yelena out.

"Nicki, stop it. I was with her because someone drugged me. She's nothing more than a tool for me to vent my desires. You're the one I truly love."

"You're the only one in my heart, always. I don't blame you for the child. Let's go back to being the loving couple we used to be, alright?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his audacity, but I was no longer interested in arguing with him. After all, the plan to fake my death was finally going to be executed tonight. What harm would it do to let him hold on to a shred of hope?

I wiped away my tears and stopped making a scene. I let Sean pull me into his arms.

The entire afternoon, he acted as if we were newly in love again. He fussed over me and expressed his affection. However, I just looked at him coldly the entire time until his phone buzzed again.

I caught a glimpse of the screen. It was a message from Yelena.

"Babe, the baby misses you. Do you really have to ignore me for so long?"

"Tonight, you can pick the positions."

Sean instinctively turned the phone face down on the table. Five minutes later, he still couldn't hold back. "Nicki, there's an urgent issue at the office. I need to go handle it."

I nodded in silent agreement. "Sean, I would be nothing more than ashes when you returned."

That evening, a team disguised as nurses entered my ward. They placed a life-like mannequin in front of me. It wore clothes similar to mine and styled to look almost identical.

In the dead of night, the flames jumped up instantly and burned the entire ward. Sean had reserved a private room for me. So, there was no risk of hurting anyone else.

I hid in the shadows, watching the fire grow larger. Then, I called the emergency hotline with a husky voice, reporting that someone was trapped in the hospital fire. Once that was done, I quickly left through the emergency exit.

I got into a mysterious car and disappeared without a trace. As we drove away, I caught a glimpse of Sean's car. He seemed to have just left his office.

That man ran a red light and headed straight for the hospital.

I wiped away the last tear from the corner of my eye and silently said goodbye to him in my heart. "Goodbye, Sean. May we never meet again."