The opulent mansion was easily worth ten million dollars.

Kimberly climbed the stairs, and through the slightly ajar door, she heard moans and heavy breathing. Two naked bodies were entwined on the bed.

"Easy there. My period's not quite over yet," Lotta whined.

Richard kissed her with a tenderness Kimberly had never seen from him. He croaked, "Don't worry, babe. I won't go all the way. Just wanna hold you."

Lotta pouted playfully. "What if you can't hold back? You'd have to go home to her for that, right?"

Annoyance flashed across Richard's face. "I don't even want to touch her. Aside from the bare minimum as a husband, just looking at her makes me feel disgusted."

Kimberly stumbled back, her heart throbbing with dense, stabbing pain.

Lotta sent her a voice message: [You heard that? He'd rather cuddle me during my period and do nothing than go back to you. Oh, and you probably didn't know. We had a baby once, but it was a miscarriage.]

Kimberly's heart went numb with agony.

How could she not know? That divorce agreement spelled it out. Richard wanted her out with nothing because Lotta was pregnant.

Kimberly texted back: [Fine by me.]

Kimberly went to a law firm and drew up a new divorce agreement, asking for a fair 50-50 split. If they went to court, Richard—as the one at fault—would lose even more.

But she didn't want to drag their marriage into a messy battle; she just wanted an out as quickly as possible.

Her top priority was getting him to sign it, so she texted Lotta again: [If you can get him to sign the divorce agreement, he's yours.]

Two days later, Richard came home, looking refreshed and satiated, but when he saw Kimberly, his demeanor shifted back to indifference. "What's up? You look wiped out."

Kimberly paused, then shook her head. "Nothing."

Just then, a delivery guy knocked. "Here are your anniversary flowers. Sorry for the delay—the blue roses were out of stock the other day. Happy anniversary!"

A huge bouquet of vibrant blue roses was thrust into Richard's arms. He froze, then turned with a guilty look. "Sorry, I forgot the other day was our..."

Kimberly gave him a cold stare. "Apologies after the fact are meaningless. Some things, once missed, are gone forever."

He reached for her hand, trying to placate her. "Come on, it's just a couple of days late. Don't give me the cold shoulder. Work's been crazy. I'll make it up to you."

She ignored him and set the flowers on the table. Richard blinked, any guilt evaporating. "Kimberly, this isn't like you."

She stopped, turning to him. "And what should I be like?"

Should she cater to his every whim, hang on his words, and thank him profusely for an empty promise?

"It's just an anniversary—not Christmas or anything. Does the formality really matter that much? Fine, forget it." He waved dismissively. "I'll make it right today. Get changed—we're going to the mall."

He headed downstairs, and her grievances welled up. But maybe it was best to clear the air.

As she stepped into the elevator, the lights suddenly went out. Her heart immediately leaped into her throat.

She pounded the alarm button, but nothing happened. In her desperation, she called Richard, but the line was busy.

A text came through: [Something came up. Hang tight at home.]

She froze, and right after, Lotta's text came: [My cramps are killing me, and he's coming over to comfort me. Looks like your anniversary plans are ruined again.]

Her claustrophobia kicked in. The elevator could drop at any moment.

Desperately, she texted Richard: [I'm stuck in the elevator! Call the building manager! I don't have their number!]

[Richard, save me! It's pitch black here! Please!]

Minutes passed with no response. A rumble echoed, and the elevator plunged. She screamed and blacked out.

Opening her eyes again, Kimberly found herself in the hospital.

"You awake?" A nurse adjusted her IV drip. "How are you feeling? You were so pale when they brought you in. Scared the heck out of us."

From the nurse, Kimberly learned that the building manager had rushed her to the ER and tried contacting Richard via the owners' group chat.

"She's a grown woman," he'd snapped. "Can't she handle a minor issue without bothering me?"

He had hung up without sending a single concerned text. He'd completely forgotten about her claustrophobia.

Bitterness surged through her as memories flooded back.

In high school, when bullies locked her in a dark storage room, it was Richard who'd smashed the door open, ignoring his bleeding hands as he held her close. "Kimbie, don't be scared. I've got you."

The next day, he'd beaten the bullies senseless. "She has claustrophobia, terrified of the dark! Do you realize locking her in there nearly sent her into shock?"

He'd gone berserk, earning himself in-school suspension, but it let the whole school know the orphaned Kimberly had someone watching her back.

When had he started forgetting? Kimberly pulled out the IV needle.

The nurse yelped, "Hey, don't remove that."

"I'm fine now," Kimberly said, shaking her head. "No need for the drip."

The nurse frowned. "Come on. Don't throw tantrums like that. You're gonna be a mom."

Kimberly stiffened, turning in disbelief. "A mom? Me?"

"We drew blood when you passed out," the nurse explained. "The doctor reviewed the labs personally. You're three months along. Didn't you notice anything?"

Kimberly's mind blanked out. The nurse's lips moved, but she heard nothing.

Why now, of all times, when she was planning to divorce him? She stumbled out of the room, torn about what to do with this unexpected pregnancy.

Just then, Richard hurried toward her. She stopped, but he blew right past like she was invisible, veering into a nearby room.

She paused, then followed instinctively. To her surprise, it was the gynecology department.

Minutes later, Lotta emerged with a report in hand, her eyes red and puffy. One after another, they headed to the stairwell.

"You heard the doctor," she sobbed. "After the miscarriage, my periods have been irregular and painful. Turns out it's a torn uterine lining. I... I might never have kids again."

"Don't worry," he soothed. "We'll have children. I still dream about the one you lost because of me."

"If our baby were still here, he'd be in elementary school now," she wept. "Promise me. You'll only have kids with me."

He pulled her into a hug, aching for her.

"Only with you, I promise."

"But what if Kimberly gets pregnant?"

He paused, uncertainty flickering in his eyes, but she pressed on. "Unless, after I get pregnant, you get a vasectomy for me."

Kimberly's heart clenched. She expected him to refuse and explode in anger.

But after a brief pause, he murmured, "Okay. Anything you want."

Lotta smiled through her tears, clinging to Richard's arm as they walked away.

Kimberly let out a bitter laugh, not expecting his love for Lotta to run so deep that he'd get snipped for her.

She touched her belly, feeling the tiny life inside. This child would never know a father's love. Keeping it would only bring more pain, especially since she was moving on to a new marriage.

Wiping her tears, she made a call. "I need to schedule a pregnancy termination. As soon as possible."

The procedure was quick. Barely recovered, she received a call from Richard. "Where are you? You're not home."

"What is it?" she mumbled numbly.

He faltered at her cold tone. "Come on, don't be mad. I got you a custom anniversary gift. Come home and check it out."

Kimberly dragged her aching body back and opened the door, only to find Lotta there.

"Oh, Kimberly, you're back?" Lotta said, standing in the living room like she owned the place, directing workers as they moved things around.

In the center was a half-person-high sculpture, covered in cloth. When they unveiled it, Kimberly's eyes widened in horror.

It depicted a naked woman entangled with several men, ecstatic. It was unmistakably her face.

"You!" she gasped.

Lotta smirked viciously. "Richard's anniversary gift to you. Don't you like it? Art imitates life. I had a master sculptor create it just for you. Look at her face; it's spot-on, right?"

The sculpture depicted her past assault, and Kimberly's heart felt torn open. She slapped Lotta hard across the face, but the latter grinned triumphantly.

Spotting someone behind Kimberly, Lotta burst into tears. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what I did wrong. Please don't hit me."

"Lotta!" Richard's voice rang out.

He rushed up and shoved Kimberly to the ground. "What is wrong with you? Why did you hit her?"

Kimberly stared up at him, the love in his eyes now replaced by pure venom.

"Why?" Her voice broke, tears streaming down. "Why tell her about that? Why?"

It was her deepest, most painful secret—one Richard had sworn to keep forever. Now Lotta had weaponized it, ripping open the scar and forcing her to relive the humiliation.

He finally clocked the sculpture, but Lotta feigned innocence. "I didn't know you'd hate my choice so much. Please accept my apology."

But Richard shielded her, glaring at Kimberly with disappointment. "I chose the gift. Why take it out on her? Apologize to her."

Kimberly wanted to explain, but the post-procedure pain reminded her it was pointless. What use was reasoning with him? He only sided with the one he loved.

"Don't even think about it!" she said firmly. "She knows exactly what she's doing. And Richard, we're getting a divorce."