In the seventh year of running my jewelry store, a woman came in to order a set of gold jewelry for her future mother-in-law.

As I introduced the designs, I noticed the gold bracelet on her wrist.

It was identical to the one my husband had crafted for me.

Just as I was about to take a closer look, her phone lit up.

The wallpaper was a photo of a couple, and the man in it was Julian Holt, my husband of seven years.

My expression froze. I walked to the far end of the counter and placed a call.

“Honey, do you remember the gold bracelet I asked you to keep when we got engaged? Can you take a photo of it and send it to me?”

There was a brief pause on the other end.

When he spoke, his tone of voice was tense.

“Why are you suddenly asking about the bracelet? I stored it in a bank safe deposit box. It’s probably too late to go get it now. Tomorrow, I’ll bring it to you.”

I smiled and agreed.

After hanging up, I returned to the female customer.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, with delicate features and a touch of youthful charm.

As I approached, she pointed at a set displayed on the tablet. “I’ll go with this one.”

I smiled and asked her to leave her contact information behind so we could reach her. The name she wrote down was Tessa Zander.

“Miss Zander, right?”

Tessa nodded with a smile.

I asked casually as I entered her details. “The workmanship on your bracelet is remarkable. I’ve hardly seen anything so finely made since opening my shop. Was it… a gift from your husband?”

At my compliment, Tessa’s smile widened.

“For now, he’s still my fiance but not for long. He said he’ll take me home to meet his parents this New Year’s Eve. After that, I’ll be part of the family.”

It all seemed perfect, if only she were not with my husband.

“Is that him on your lock screen? He really looks at you with so much love.”

I looked down and recorded the design details, letting just the right amount of envy slip into my tone.

Tessa nodded with pride.

“Right? Even you can tell! He treats me… pretty well. He always gives me whatever I want. He’s just a little too clingy sometimes, which is a bit annoying.”

She spoke as if she were complaining, but her words were almost overflowing with self-satisfaction.

I gave her a faint smile, though my eyes held no warmth.

“Can I ask how you two met? I could learn a thing or two myself about finding someone so caring and attentive.”

She seemed very receptive to my flattery.

Tessa said while stroking her chin thoughtfully, “Around three years ago, during a business trip, he clung to me from the very first meeting. I just couldn’t get rid of him…”

The phrase “three years ago” pierced my ears like a shard of ice, and all her sweet, boastful words that followed faded into indistinct noise.

Three years ago, I suffered a miscarriage while helping Julian Holt, my husband, secure a crucial deal.

The doctor informed me that my uterus had to be removed due to severe blood loss, and I would never be able to conceive again.

Julian flew back that same night. He knelt by my hospital bed and slapped himself repeatedly. His eyes were bloodshot.

“It’s all my fault! If it weren’t for me and that business deal, you wouldn’t be in this state, and we wouldn’t have lost the child… It’s all my fault!”

Over the next month, he went back and forth between the company and the hospital, visibly growing thinner by the day.

I lay in the hospital bed. Beyond the physical pain, I was consumed by fear.

Knowing how much Julian wanted children, I did not even dare ask whether he would come to resent me.

I finally understood that he would never deprive himself of what he wanted.

“Ma’am…”

Tessa’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

When I looked up, she was extending her phone toward me.

On the screen was a close-up of a gold-and-emerald amulet.

“You have a good eye. Could you take a look at the workmanship on this piece? He said… once the baby is born, he’ll put it on them.”

She rested a hand on her still-flat belly, but her face glowed with happiness.

I was momentarily taken aback.

Was she pregnant?

Also, that amulet looked painfully familiar.

Three years ago, when I had just conceived, my father had it blessed to protect the child I was carrying.

Unfortunately, the child was never born.

I had kept the amulet safely tucked away all these years. Whenever I missed the child I would never meet, I would take it out and look at it.

What was this? Had he used it to win another woman’s favor?

“The craftsmanship is excellent. That man… is very thoughtful.”

I composed myself and was about to ask more questions when Tessa’s phone rang.

She glanced at the screen. The contact name read: Dear Husband.

A sweet smile spread across Tessa’s face as she quickly stepped away to answer it.

I had no idea what they talked about, but Tessa’s expression darkened noticeably after she ended the call.

“I’ll come pick up the jewelry when it’s ready,” she said briefly before leaving in a rush.

As I watched her leave, I slowly let the last of my smile disappear.

Pulling out my phone, I called my father, Richard Quinnell.

He was Julian’s boss and the head of Quinnell Group.

“Dad, I regret it. Take back the Marketing Director position that was promised to Julian, and find me the best divorce lawyer. I want to divorce him.”

I did not want to stay at the shop any longer, so I went home early.

When I opened the door, I found Julian already there.

“Darling? Why are you home so early today?”

A smile broke across his face. In a few strides, he came over and pulled me into his arms.

“Was it very busy at the shop? I already told you not to work so hard. Just stay home and rest. I can provide for you.”

Had I not discovered his infidelity, I might have believed his warmth and care. But all his words did was disgust me.

I pushed him away.

Julian’s arms froze midair, and his smile briefly stiffened.

But just as quickly, he seemed to have figured something out.

“Are you upset because I didn’t show you the gold bracelet in time?”

He stepped in front of me, smiling.

Then, like a magician, he pulled the gold bracelet from his pocket and held it out in his palm.

“How could I dare delay anything my wife asked for? I left the meeting early and rushed to the bank, worried I wouldn’t make it in time. Here it is, safe and sound.”

He looked at me with a flattering smile, as though seeking praise.

I took the gold bracelet. My hand tightened around it until my knuckles went white.

Just as I was about to confront him, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from my father. He said he had uncovered something and wanted me to return home.

I forced back the questions that rose to my throat.

I took a deep breath and made up an excuse. Then, I headed for the door.

Julian did not suspect anything and handed me my coat.

He said gently, “Be safe on your way. Spend some time with your dad.”

Back home, I went straight to Dad’s study.

His tone was grave. He sounded frustrated and utterly disappointed.

“I told you from the start that man couldn’t be trusted, yet you foolishly insisted on marrying beneath yourself. Just look at what he’s done!”

I pressed my lips into a thin line and picked up the stack of documents on his desk. I flipped them open.

It stretched to one hundred and twenty pages. Each one documented Julian’s infidelity in detail.

In 2023, a month after my miscarriage and the removal of my uterus, he went on a so-called business trip and met Tessa. Within two hours of meeting her, he slept with her. He could not even wait until I was out of postpartum recovery.

In 2024, after I lost my child, I fell into depression. I was hospitalized for treatment and had to take strong meds in large doses. Julian used company training as an excuse, but in truth, he was traveling the world with Tessa.

In 2025, I finally recovered from depression. Julian gave me an emerald necklace, telling me it stood for luck and safety. Yet, the receipt before me clearly read “complimentary.” The real piece was around Tessa’s neck.

It felt like a void had split open in my chest, and a chill spread through it.

“Do you remember your… miscarriage?”

Dad’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“W-What about it?”

A sense of foreboding stirred within me.

Dad was silent. He slid a small recording toward me and pressed play.

A flattering male voice came through first. “Mr. Holt, are you really telling us to… deliberately get Miss Quinnell drunk?”

It was one of Julian’s business partners from three years ago.

The next voice was Julian’s. “Yes. If she gives birth, her father will invest everything into raising his grandchild. At that point, will there be anything left of the Quinnell family’s assets for me?”

My blood seemed to freeze solid in my veins.

It had been him. He had caused my miscarriage.

The recording continued.

“Mr. Holt, Miss Quinnell just had a miscarriage. Are you sure you want to sign the uterine donation consent form?”

Julian said without a moment’s hesitation, “Yes.”

The recording ended.

A heavy silence filled the study.

I stood frozen in place, unable to process what I had just heard.

The one who had destroyed my life, stolen my chance at motherhood, and pushed me into the depths of depression was the man I had once called my husband.

A violent surge of nausea hit me without warning.

I covered my mouth and rushed into the bathroom. I retched all over the toilet. Nothing came up. Only cold tears splattered against the white porcelain rim.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

It was a text from Julian.

[Darling, we’ve always had New Year’s Eve dinner at my family’s place. Why don’t you go to your dad’s this year instead? You can spend more time with Richard. I’ll be late, though. I can’t turn down a business partner.]

I read the message and sneered.

‘A business partner he could not refuse?’ I thought.

Most likely, he wanted to take his mistress to meet his family and did not want me there.

Another bitter laugh escaped me.

Still, I texted back.

[Okay.]

I wanted to see whether he could even get through this New Year’s Eve dinner.

The next day, at the Hilton Hotel, Dad contacted the manager early that morning and arranged for us to be seated in the private room next to Julian’s.

Through a concealed window, I could hear everything happening next door.

As expected, Julian did not disappoint.

I had barely taken a seat when his message arrived.

[Darling, you’re at Richard’s place now, right?]

He was testing me.