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.

I had just reached the doorway when I saw Kelly putting her things in the nursery, which Quentin had prepared for our baby after I got pregnant.

My rage flared right then—we had picked the decorations to the furniture in that room together, and everything in there was a symbol of our love for our baby.

But now, Quentin was letting Kelly sleep there?! Was he going to let her use everything in there for her baby too?!

I shook with rage as Kelly smiled at me smugly, lying flat on the small bed meant for my baby.

I rushed up, intent on dragging her off, but she was screaming as she suddenly fell out of the bed even before I reached her.

Quentin rushed into the room when he heard her and promptly grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside, glaring at me in rage as he growled, "What are you doing?!"

I glared at him in turn, tears of grief welling up in my eyes as my voice cracked in tears. "Are you letting Kelly have that room too?!"

Quentin appeared briefly apologetic but soon frowned. "What's the problem? She's just staying for a while anyway, and she likes it."

I gaped at him, incredulous. "You said it yourself! This is going to be our baby's room—"

He cut me off right then. "Just stop it! What's gotten into you lately?! Why are you being so unreasonable?! I told you she isn't staying here forever—she's just staying for a while!

"Hell, you're disappointing me so much that I'm beginning to wonder if it's a mistake marrying you! Or do you want our baby to live without a father?!"

My heart was in pieces even as I looked at him—he was threatening to leave me and my baby if I continued my antics.

I hung my head to hide my disappointment and turned to leave in silence.

I could see the hint of guilt on Quentin's face, but he quickly hid it as he spoke again behind me, his tone gentler this time. "I can just make a better room for the baby later anyway…"

A better room?

No, I wasn't giving him the chance.

I was going to take my baby away from her father who clearly didn't love her.

I continued ahead, smiling wryly.

Soon, Kelly called out meekly, "Quentin…"

Quentin stopped talking right then, and I turned to see him hurrying to her.

As it turned out, my absence didn't even matter to him.

Later, Kelly started sending me many voice messages, and Quentins's voice was ever so affectionate in them.

"Don't worry about Jolin. She's always so petty—she'll be fine in a couple of days.

"You can stay here with no worries. I'll also arrange for renovations if there's anything in your room that doesn't suit your tastes."

As I listened to all those recordings of Quention's tender voice, that was when I realized that yes, he was good to me and cared so much about our unborn child before, but it was all practice, for the sake of Kelly and her baby.

Even the nursery was made for her sake.

Tears of misery streamed down my cheeks, and my heart hurt so much I couldn't even breathe.

The love I prided myself with was a joke all along.

That was when I felt a kick in my belly—my baby seemed to sense my mood.

I quickly assured her, "It's alright, baby. You won't have to stay with a daddy who doesn't love us."