My wife, Celina Buckley, is a violinist. I've wooed her for five years before she finally agrees to date me.

After our marriage, Celina insists on staying child-free for the sake of her career. Left without a choice, I can only poke a few holes in the condoms.

Finally, Celina gets pregnant, and with twins, too!

Delighted, I make all preparations to welcome the new members of my family into my life. But I accidentally stumble across a photo of a pregnancy report posted on the social media feed belonging to Leo Kolcheck, Celina's senior at work.

"Thank you for fulfilling my wish to become a father, Celina. I can't wait to meet my twins!"

I feel as though I got struck by lightning. At that moment, I feel like a complete joke.

While Celina is at Leo's birthday party, I begin packing up. I make sure that I've taken all of my belongings with me. All that's left is the divorce agreement on the table.

I was sitting on the couch when my wife, Celina Buckley, came home. My phone screen displayed the pregnancy test result I had screenshotted from the social media page of Leo Kolcheck, her fellow music student.

With her six-month belly leading the way, Celina's footsteps were a little slow and heavy, but a pleased smile curved her lips.

Out of habit, she glanced toward the shoe cabinet, clearly expecting me to take out her house slippers for her and hand her a glass of warm water.

But this time, I didn't move.

She froze for a second, then bent down to change her shoes herself. But her swollen belly made her movements clumsy.

Her fingers barely managed to reach the laces, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't untie them.

Watching her struggle, I felt an ache in my chest.

In the past, I would have crouched down without hesitation, helped her out of her shoes, run warm water so she could soak her feet, and even massaged her swollen ankles.

But today, my hands and feet felt shackled, like invisible chains were holding me in place.

She looked at me, a trace of confusion and hurt in her gaze. "Randall Cahill, what's wrong with you today?"

Previously, whenever she looked at me like that, I would always indulge her and handle everything for her.

After hesitating for a few seconds, I finally walked over, crouched down, and helped her into her slippers.

Maybe it was out of habit. Or maybe it was because the love was still there.

My silence finally made her sense that something was wrong.

"Babe, what's wrong?" she asked again. "You seem unhappy."

I didn't answer. I simply handed her my phone. On the screen was the pregnancy report and Leo's caption beneath it.

Her eyes fell on the display, and the smile on her face froze instantly, replaced by stunned silence and unease. Then, as if she'd quickly pieced together an excuse, she spoke carefully.

"Leo has always wanted a child of his own. You know that his wife never gave him any children before she passed away. He said he doesn't want to remarry in this lifetime, and randomly impregnating someone would be illegal.

"We studied under the same mentor, after all, so we know each other very well. Besides, over the years, our mentor has helped me out a great deal without asking for anything in return. This was the only thing she'd ever brought up to me, and I couldn't refuse.

"It's just IVF. Once the babies are born, I'll hand them over to Leo, and he'll raise them himself."

A bleak chill spread through me.

I suddenly remembered those first few days when I'd just learned that she was pregnant. I'd been so excited I couldn't sleep at all.

While thrilled, I'd also been worried she'd blame me for secretly poking holes in the condoms, and that she wouldn't want to keep the twins.

Later, when I saw that she seemed happy about the news, I assumed she'd finally come around and wanted children now.

I never imagined that this was all but an utterly terrible misunderstanding.

While I was secretly patting myself on the back for how clever I'd been, had she actually been letting out a quiet sigh of relief?

I let out a bitter laugh, feeling like the biggest fool of all.

"So you chose to hide it from me?" I asked. "You let me act like a complete fool, running around taking care of you every day, even believing these were our babies?"

"Do you know how much I was looking forward to this? Do you know how happy I was? But now… now I realize I've been nothing but a joke."

Celina's tears kept falling. She covered her face with both hands, her shoulders trembling slightly.

My heart both ached and burned with resentment.

Once upon a time, she'd been my whole world—the happiness I'd chased for five years before finally winning her over. But now, everything felt like a dream that was completely shattered.

She sobbed, looking ever so fragile and pitiful.

"Babe, don't be mad. This really was just to repay my mentor's kindness. Once I deliver these babies, I'll give you as many children as you want, okay?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to storm out and leave everything behind. But in the end, all those impulses collapsed into a single, inward sigh.

I submitted to reality. I submitted to my love for her and my reluctance to let her go.

…

Later that day, she suddenly felt a cramp in her belly, her face turning sheet-white.

Panicking, I scooped her up, carried her to the car, and sped toward the hospital. Her hands gripped the seat tightly, her lips white from how hard she was biting them.

"Call Leo… Hurry, call him…"

I felt as if someone had wrenched my heart savagely, but I still took out my phone and dialed Leo's number.

When we arrived at the hospital, the medical staff wheeled her into the exam room.

Not long after, Leo rushed in, looking frantic. He didn't even glance at me. He just charged straight into the room.

I stood outside. Through the crack in the door, I saw a scene that made me feel as though a knife was twisting in my heart.

Celina was lying on the bed, her face still pale. But the moment she saw Leo, her eyes suddenly softened and filled with trust.

She grabbed his hand tightly, her voice trembling with tears. "Leo, I'm scared… Is something wrong with the babies?"

Leo leaned down and gently stroked her hair. His voice was so tender it could melt steel. "Don't be scared. I'm here. You and the babies will be fine. I promise."

I stood there like an outsider, observing their tender moment. The last bit of illusion I'd been holding onto shattered completely.

As it turned out, she had this kind of tenderness and reliance toward him—something I had never known about. My heart felt as if it'd been run over by something heavy.

I was still holding her medical records and test results in my hand, yet I found myself completely unable to step inside.

I'd barely taken a step forward when Leo turned sideways, positioning himself between Celina and me, as if I didn't belong there.

Leo's voice remained gentle, but there was an unmistakable aggression underneath it. "Celina, you need to rest. Don't get too worked up."

He turned and gave me a glance, his gaze carrying a faint sense of distance and hostility. "I've got it from here. You can leave now."

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, but Celina suddenly chimed in. "Babe, you can go home first. With Leo here, I'll be fine."

There was a hint of pleading in her voice, as if she were telling me that what she needed most right now was Leo's company.

Leo continued standing between us like a wall, separating us completely.

It felt like something had stabbed straight through my heart. I stood awkwardly, rooted to the spot, still clutching the medical records with no idea where to put them.

In the end, all I could manage was a dry, "Is there anything you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you. I can get you that seafood chowder you used to love. And your favorite strawberries, too, okay?"

But Leo suddenly chimed in, his tone carrying a faint trace of mockery. "She doesn't like those anymore. Her tastes have changed during the pregnancy. Didn't you know?"

I froze for a second and looked at Celina, hoping for some kind of response from her. But she only kept her head lowered, her fingers twisting the blanket in her hands.

"Yeah, I don't feel like eating those right now," she said, her voice barely audible. "I'm a little sick of them now."

My heart sank. Just a few days ago, I had bought those exact same things, and she'd eaten them with relish, even smiling and thanking me.

But now, she said she was sick of them.

The pain inside me nearly swallowed me whole, but I still forced myself to stay calm and asked softly, "Then is there anything else you want? I'll go get it right now."

Leo, however, beat me to it. He reached into his bag and took out an exquisitely packaged box of pastries and handed them to Celina.

"I specifically went to buy these for you. They're the flavor you've been into lately. Give them a try?"

Celina took the box, a smile spreading across her face. Even her voice became noticeably brighter. "Thank you, Leo. You really do know me well."

I walked out of the room feeling deflated. Was this what she meant when she said nothing would change?

…

While Celina stayed in the hospital for the next few days, Leo never left her side.

On the day she was discharged, I arrived early, holding a bouquet of her favorite lilies.

But when I opened the door to her room, the sight in front of me left me completely stunned.

Celina had already changed into her own clothes and was sitting on the edge of the bed, while Leo was crouched down, helping her put on her shoes.

Pamela Sanford, her mentor—the elderly lady who had once treated me kindly—stood to the side, holding a small suitcase, with a faint smile on her face.

"Celina, the car's waiting downstairs. Once you're ready, we'll head out."

Celina nodded obediently. "Okay, Ms. Sanford."

I stood in the doorway, clutching the bouquet of lilies, a sharp ache rising in my chest.

"Celina, I'm here to take you home," I said.

She looked up at me, but there wasn't the slightest ripple of emotion in her eyes.

"Babe, Ms. Sanford said I should stay at her house until I give birth. You see, I'm getting quite far along now, and it's a little difficult for me to move around.

"I'm not saying that you can't take good care of me… It's just that there'll be more people at Ms. Sanford's house, so they'll be able to keep a better watch over me."

Her tone was light and casual, as though the matter wasn't even worth discussing.

In that moment, I felt like an irrelevant bystander. She merely needed to inform me of her decision, and I would then be expected to readily agree to it.

"Celina…" I started, wanting to say more, but Pamela had already grabbed her suitcase, and Leo was helping her to her feet as well.

She finally looked up at me again, but this time, there was a hint of impatience in her gaze.

"With Ms. Sanford and Leo taking care of me, what are you still worried about? Besides, there's a housekeeper at her place. Either way, they'll be able to take better care of me than you can on your own."

Pamela cut in, her tone urging them along. "Let's go. The car is waiting."

Celina nodded and followed them toward the door. As she walked past me, she didn't even spare me a glance.

It was as though I didn't exist at all.