When I was six months pregnant, I was visiting the hospital when I saw my husband with his childhood friend, who had recently returned to the country.

I was left holding my own prenatal checkup report, watching as they celebrated their soon-to-be born child.

Still, Kelly Wallace appeared worried and even sounded guilty. "Quentin, you didn't have to come with me—I'm fine alone. If Jolin finds out, she'll definitely have a fight with you. She's pregnant too… it'll affect her mood and the baby."

Quentin Smith was confidently nonchalant. "No, she won't—she always obeys me and loves me too much. If she does argue, I'll just divorce her!"

My heat broke, tears of misery rushing down my cheek.

But it was true. I loved him so much that I couldn't even bear to argue with him and always obeyed him.

Even so, that didn't mean I was going to maintain this sham of a marriage after learning about his deceit.

Since he didn't want me and our child, then I could raise my baby alone.

Wiping away my tears, I called a number I hadn't called for five years. "Dad, can I come home?"

"Oh, Jo! You finally called. Of course you're always welcomed home!"

Hanging up, I booked a ticket for a flight to Switzerland that was due to depart a week later.

I'd be out of his hair, so why was he losing his mind when he couldn't find me?

When I was six months pregnant, I was visiting the hospital to get my prenatal checkup results when I ran into my husband, Quentin Smith.

He was accompanying a woman for her prenatal checkup—she was his childhood friend, Kelly Wallace.

"Quentin, won't your wife mind?" she asked with a hint of distress.

"Don't worry, she'll never find out. Even if she does, she wouldn't dare do anything." Quentin smiled, taking Kelly's hand and squeezing it.

Kelly remained anxious. "But she's your wife after all. I'm afraid she'll get upset if she knows…"

"I'll just make sure she never finds out," Quentin replied, shrugging. "I would've told her in the first place, but she's been emotionally unstable lately, and you're pregnant, so I can't let her cause you any trouble. If she dares to cause trouble, I'll just have to divorce her!"

Hearing those words left my heart broken.

Whipping out my phone, I called my father whom I hadn't spoken to in a while, telling him as soon as he answered, "Dad, I want to go home."

My father was delighted nonetheless. "I guess you've finally figured it all out, sweetie. Don't worry—you're always welcomed home. And no matter what happens, your mom and I will always have your back."

After hanging up, I remembered that I had asked Quentin to come with me to my prenatal checkup when I left the house earlier this morning, but he said he had something else to do.

As it turned out, he was accompanying Kelly for her prenatal checkup instead.

In fact, I was already six months pregnant, but not once did he come to the hospital with me.

On the other hand, Quentin had been meeting Kelly frequently after she broke off her engagement a few months ago and returned to the city.

In fact, he was always there to be at her beck and call.

I tried to get through to Quentin, reasoning that if he didn't love me anymore and had fallen in love with someone else, we could get a divorce.

He simply snorted. "Kelly has just broken off her engagement—she's in a bad mood, and she's pregnant on top of that. As a friend, shouldn't I support her? We've known each other for years, and I have a moral obligation to help!"

I was left staring at him in disbelief. "Friend? What kind of friend meets every day of the week and is always ready to help at every second?"

He promptly snapped at me, "Don't push it, Jolin! Kelly's going through a difficult time and needs help! Can't you stop being so unreasonable? You're making a mountain out of a molehill!"

At first, I was really convinced that Kelly's baby wasn't Quentin's, because she was already pregnant when she returned to the city a few months ago.

I tried to be indirect as I probed Quentin on who the father was, but Quentin would either brush it off or snap at me, telling me not to ask too many questions.

When he realized he overreacted, he'd just tell me again and again that he and Kelly were really just friends—that I shouldn't let my imagination run wild.

His sincerity had once convinced me that he was just being kind to Kelly—that they really were just friends, and I was the only one he loved.

But now, seeing the way they were pressing against each other, I finally understood that Kelly's child was his.

Even my own pregnancy was just a smokescreen to hide the real father of Kelly's baby.

I certainly didn't miss the flicker of glee in Kelly's eyes when Quentin threatened to divorce me if I didn't submit, but she remained distressed, as if blaming herself.

"No!" she cried. "You can't let your marriage fall apart because of me… If only my fiance didn't call off our engagement, then none of this would've happened. I wouldn't have survived with you, y'know… There were suddenly so many problems as soon as I came back."

With that, she started sobbing like a classical damsel in distress, while my own husband was the gentleman who would ease her troubles.

Patting her back, Quentin's voice was soft as he comforted her. "It's alright—no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. When we were kids, if it weren't for you..."

He trailed off for a moment but soon continued earnestly, "Anyway, I'm helping you and taking care of you because it's what I should do. As for Jolin, she's my wife and she should be more understanding about what I'm doing. So what if she finds out? I'm on your side no matter what happens."

My heart hurt even as I watched them frolic, with tears flowing down my cheeks.

I hence told myself that it was just a week until my divorce papers would be finalized, and I'd be gone from this city forever in two—and finally be rid of them.

At the very next instant, I saw Quentin standing up and leaving with a doctor to get Kelly's prenatal checkup report.

As for Kelly, she turned toward the pillar where I was hiding with a taunting grin. "Come on, Ms. Lester—you came all the way here, so why don't you show yourself already?"

I slowly walked out and stared at her in silence.

Kelly held my gaze and laughed as I was clearly going to keep quiet. "Do you get it now? Quentin never loved you. Have some shame and stop clinging on to being Mrs. Smith.

"Oh, look at you—can't even keep your own man in check. Don't you feel useless? Might as well hand him over to someone else… Someone like me, who has just broken off my engagement and returned from abroad. Ah, I'm just so helpless, and I have no one other than the baby in my belly…"

I simply shrugged—everything she said was just so amusing.

Sighing, I said, "Strange—you know Quentin is married, but you're still so eager to hook up with him. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"What…" Kelly was left speechless, but she soon took a deep breath and snapped, "God knows where you were when Quentin and I first met! You wouldn't even have the chance to marry him If I hadn't left the country! Now that I'm pregnant with his child, you should have the sense to back off!"

I felt a pang of pain in my chest and had to fight back my tears.

That was when Kelly saw the medical report in my hand and snatched it away, scanning through it before bursting into laughter. "So you're dying! Stage four cancer? Honestly, I wonder if you'll even make it to the delivery bed?"

She suddenly reached out and grabbed my wrist, clenching firmly as she threatened me, "So do the right thing and leave, or else..."

I was about to struggle, but at the very next second, her savage expression suddenly turned to vulnerability, and she abruptly collapsed to the floor, crying out, "No! Please, calm down! I'm pregnant too… How could you do this to me..."

I was stunned, not realizing what was happening until Quentin suddenly pushed me to the floor when he saw that Kelly had fallen.

"Jolin!" he bellowed without even waiting to find out what happened. "Why did you push Kelly for no reason?"

At the same time, Kelly rubbed her belly and feigned concern, grabbing Quentin's arm as she said, "It's alright—I'm fine, it's not her fault. The baby's fine too. I'm fine with a little push…"

That only infuriated Quentin further. "Jolin! Apologize this instant!"

I was so angry I could barely breathe, and I flung my medical report at him as I snapped, "Take a good look before you run your mouth!"

However, Quentin simply ripped it into pieces and kept yelling, "Don't bother trying to change the subject! You were out of line, Jolin! You don't get to hurt Kelly even if you hate her! And you're soon going to be a mother too. How could you do this to another pregnant woman?!"

Despair was eating me even as I looked at him in turn, and I had to wipe off the tears I couldn't fight back.

Quentin paused, and his tone softened. "Fine, I get it—I haven't been paying you much attention lately. And you're pregnant now, so I won't keep arguing. Just apologize to Kelly, and we can all put this behind us. Once our baby is born, I'll make it up to you."

I could see the triumphant gleam in Kelly's eyes and felt a gaping hole in my chest as I turned to Quentin.

Suddenly, I realized that the man who had once said he loved me and would always believe in me was gone.

And now, I shouldn't expect anything of him.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped the tears from my face again and calmed myself before I said softly, "I won't apologize for something I didn't do."

And with those words, I turned and walked away.

As I left, I saw a brief flicker of panic in Quentin's eyes.

However, just as he was about to chase after me, Kelly was suddenly howling in pain and clutching her belly. "Quentin, my stomach hurts…"

Quentin worriedly took her hands. "What's wrong?"

Kelly's face was pale, but she pretended to care more about us. "I'm alright, Quentin! You have to get Jolin back—I think she's really upset."

Quentin remained hesitant, but he soon shook his head. "She's just throwing a tantrum. Honestly, she doesn't know enough to read the room, trying to grab my attention when you're pregnant. Let's get you checked again—I'll talk to her later tonight."

And with that, he scooped her up in his arms and returned to the clinic.

As for me, I returned to my house alone.

It used to be a place of warmth and happiness, but now, it was cold and desolate.

Ever since Kelly returned to the country, Quentin rarely came home, leaving me alone in the huge house.

Still, I started to clean up.

I took my wedding photo of the wall and flung it violently into a garbage bag, and I packed all my belongings into a suitcase.

However, when I reached the door, I saw two figures approaching.

Quentin had actually taken Kelly home!

There was a hint of guilt on his face when he saw my suitcase, and he quickly said, "Kelly's sick. I brought her back so she can rest."

"Rest?" I snorted. "Is our house a hotel? Don't you know enough to send her to the hospital? This isn't the maternity ward!"

Rage appeared in Kelly's eyes for a moment, but she soon pouted miserably. "I knew you never liked me, but Quentin and I are innocent. I'm just alone and helpless, and he's the only one I can count on to take care of me. I'll be gone as soon as I deliver my baby—I swear I won't be a bother…"

It was a clear insult, and I glared at her coldly in turn. "I don't want to see your face right now. Leave."

Quentin frowned right then. "How can you be so cold?! Kelly's pregnant! Where should she stay, huh?! At least we can both take care of her if she stays with us!"

I took a deep breath and calmly said, "This is my house. I don't want her in it."

That left Quentin at a loss, but that was when Kelly grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly, sniffling, "My stomach's hurting again. Do you think the baby's really fine?"

Quentin's face dropped, and he wheeled on me, bellowing, "You're a woman too, Jolin! How can you be so cold?! Kelly's pregnant and has no one to count on, but you can't even sympathize! If you don't like it here, you can leave! I won't let Kelly's baby get hurt, one way or another!"

I felt myself dying inside even as I held his gaze, but I eventually nodded. "Fine, I'll leave. Tonight's the last night, and I'll be gone tomorrow."

And with that, I picked up the garbage bag and started out the door.

Kelly clearly saw the wedding photo in the bag and feigned surprise as she gasped, "Oh, Ms. Lester, please, calm down! How could you leave your own wedding photo in pieces?'

Quentin saw it too but snorted in disdain. "Don't bother—she's just bluffing like she always does. She won't ever leave me, and she'll calm down before long."

I trudged on silently into the cold winter night, the chill of the winds cutting into my bones.

Even so, I opened the trash chute and threw the wedding photo inside, and with it, all my love for Quentin.