I let out a sigh of relief, holding the agreement in my hand as I prepared to head to the base to find Richard. Suddenly, I remembered that our marriage certificate was still at our house, so I turned back to grab it.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I overheard the women gossiping in the yard.

“Did you hear? After graduating from college, that Carter woman broke up with Tom the Scholar and Commander Harrison rushed to pick her up.”

“I think they were a perfect match—one a battalion commander, the other a college graduate. They grew up together, like childhood sweethearts.”

“Who would have thought Commander Harrison would marry a woman who had been mistreated? I feel sorry for him.”

As they saw me, they fell silent, casting disdainful glances in my direction.

This time, I didn’t lower my head. Instead, I lifted my chin and walked with confidence.

When my hand reached for the door handle, I heard a familiar voice from inside.

“Maggie, don’t be upset. That kind of man isn’t worth your attention.”

“As long as you come back, I’ll make arrangements for you. Don’t worry, no one will say anything. It’ll be just like before.”

Richard’s voice trembled slightly, filled with compassion.

“Rick, there's no way it's going to be the same.” Margaret’s voice was soft, almost pleading. “You’re married now and even though I’ve broken up with Tom, everyone in the village knows I was with him. They’ll all gossip...”

Before she could finish, Richard rushed forward to comfort her. “No, I won’t let anyone talk about you, I promise.”

Hearing those words made my heart ache.

When I was under attack from gossip, Richard always told me to stay at home and wait for time to heal the wounds, that eventually, it would all be forgotten.

Then when it came to Margaret, he didn't hold back. He didn't want her to endure even the slightest bit of discomfort.

So this is what love and indifference look like…

Yet, everything I’ve endured is a consequence of his actions.

I steeled myself against the ache in my heart as I prepared to push the door open, only to be surprised when it swung open from the inside.

Upon seeing me, Richard’s relaxed demeanor shifted to one of concern.

His voice took on a slightly panicked tone. “Eve, what are you doing here at the old house?”

“Don’t misunderstand,” he replied. “Maggie graduated from college and I’ve brought her back to stay here temporarily. You’ve met her before, right?”

Met her? That was an understatement!

When Thomas came to break off our engagement, Margaret stood by with a look of smug satisfaction.

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral as I intended to go inside and gather my things, but before I could,

Margaret took hold of my arm. “Evelyn, how’s your job at the textile factory going? You have no idea how stressed I’ve been trying to find work since graduation.”

“Luckily, Rick said he’d take care of it for me.”

I glanced down at Margaret’s delicate, youthful hands. They contrasted sharply with my own worn and calloused ones.

It reminded me of the time after our wedding when my mother asked Richard to help me find a job.

He agreed in front of her, but later, he privately expressed his reluctance, saying that if he showed favoritism, it would go against his oath as a soldier.

That’s why, all these years, I’d only been able to find temporary work at the textile factory.

Setting aside my feelings of frustration, I forced a smile and said, “That sounds good! If you need anything, just talk to Rick. He’ll go all out to help you.”

With that, I headed into the old bedroom to look for our marriage certificate.

As I turned around, I noticed Richard quickly following me. The moment he saw what I was holding, his expression changed.

“Eve, what do you need the marriage certificate for?”

I replied, trying to sound casual, “Oh, it’s nothing. The hospital just needs it to process my maternity paperwork.”

He visibly relaxed at my answer, but before he could say anything, Margaret’s surprised voice cut through the air.

“Evelyn, you... you’re pregnant?”

I nodded, my hand resting on my belly. “Yes, I’m three months along.”

In an instant, Margaret’s face turned pale. She quickly pulled Richard aside.

While the latter was busy comforting her, I took the divorce agreement from my bag and turned to the last page, signaling for him to sign in the blank space.

Richard tried to take a look, but Margaret clung to him and in the end, he signed without even glancing at it.

With the document in hand, I left quickly, ignoring the look in Richard's eyes that seemed to beg for an explanation.

A night passed and Richard didn’t come home. I didn’t mind at all; in fact, I exchanged everything he had given me for fifty bucks on the black market

As I stepped outside, I saw him and Margaret walking closely together down the street.

Upon noticing me, she immediately wrapped her arm around Richard’s, saying, “Hello, Evelyn! I was scared last night, so I asked Rick to stay with me. Don’t think too much of it.”

Richard quickly added, “That’s right, Eve. Don’t misunderstand.”

I nodded blankly, about to walk away when a sharp pain shot through my belly. I could clearly feel the baby kicking.

Richard, seeing me touch my stomach, looked at me with a tender gaze.

“Eve, once we settle Maggie in, we’ll be a happy family of three,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you and the baby.”

In that fleeting moment, I felt disoriented came crashing. It was as if I had been transported back to the time before the lies had come to light.

Then, out of nowhere, a car came barreling down the street, completely out of control, heading straight for us.

I heard Richard's frantic shout, “Maggie, watch out!”

Bang!

As everything spun wildly around me, I was struck to the ground by the force of the car, witnessing Richard protect Margaret in his embrace.

A sharp pain surged through me and darkness threatened to close in at the edges of my vision. My stomach twisted in agony.

Looking down, I saw blood seeping between my legs and panic gripped me.

I called out for help, but Richard remained frozen in place, wholly absorbed in comforting Margaret, who had only sustained a minor scrape.

A bitter smile crept onto my lips. So this was his version of “taking care of me and the baby.”

It felt so cheap, so insincere.

With the aid of concerned bystanders, I got rushed to the hospital.

The nurse quickly arranged for a doctor to examine me and before long, he regretfully told me, “I’m sorry, but we couldn’t save the baby.”

At that moment, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

When I opened my eyes again, I found Richard sitting by my bedside, his face filled with guilt.

“I’m so sorry, Eve. It’s my fault. I didn’t protect you and the baby. You have to understand, Maggie was right there, so I instinctively…”

“Don’t worry, we’re still young. We can have another child.”

I let out a bitter laugh. Richard, we would never have a future together.

For the next two days, Richard brought me meals regularly, spending the rest of his time with Margaret, who claimed she was shaken up by the accident.

But I didn’t care one bit.

On the day Richard left for the army, Margaret showed up before me with a smug look on her face.

“Evelyn, Rick is just like he used to be. He’ll do whatever I say!”

“I just mentioned that I didn’t want you getting pregnant and the very next day you had a miscarriage. What a coincidence, don’t you think?”

I suddenly looked up, trembling as I asked, “What did you just say?”

“Or did you really think it was just a coincidence?"

"A runaway car just happened to be at that intersection and it crashed right into you? Even as you lay there in a pool of blood, Rick didn’t even glance your way. His goal was to make sure you had a miscarriage!”

Margaret's words echoed in my ears, each one hitting me like a punch.

I couldn't believe it—Richard would go so far as to kill our own child for her! Just moments ago, he had promised to care for me and the baby…

Seeing the shock in my eyes, Margaret continued, her voice dripping with satisfaction, “And remember four years ago when you were assaulted? Rick was right outside, pretending to care. But the moment I shook my head, he let that man do whatever he wanted to you.

"Even when he heard your desperate cries, he didn’t lift a finger to help. What kind of man could do that and still claim to have feelings for you?”

I felt my body tremble uncontrollably as memories flooded back—the day I was trapped in the barn, crying for help. Richard had been just outside, yet he had stood there, watching as someone else violated me.

Just then, a nurse entered to change my bandages. Margaret shot me one last triumphant look and declared, “Rick will always be mine!” before hurrying out.

With a heavy heart, I picked up a pen and began writing a letter to expose Richard’s betrayal—how he had swapped the acceptance letters and orchestrated my assault.

The following morning, when Richard came to deliver my meal, I fixed him with a cold stare.

“Richard, you must be thrilled that the baby is gone, just as you wanted.”

He furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled. “What do you mean by that? Why would I be happy about losing my own child?”

If this were any other time, I might have believed him. But now, no matter what Richard said, I simply couldn’t trust him.

“I’m not eating. I’m checking out today; the paperwork is all taken care of.” With that, I started to gather my clothes from the bed.

Richard reached out and grabbed my hand, about to speak, when Margaret walked by and called out, “Rick, I… I’m not feeling well. Can you come with me to see a doctor?”

He hesitated for a moment, then looked at me with an apologetic expression. “You should head home first. I’ll come see you later.” He rushed out the door.

Watching him walk away, I knew he wouldn’t be coming back tonight.

Sure enough, the next morning, just as dawn broke, I got a call from Richard. “Eve, I’m really sorry. I stayed late at the hospital taking care of Maggie and didn’t make it home.”

“You know I’ve always treated her like a sister. I had to…”

Before he could finish, I cut him off. “Fine. You take care of her.”

With that, I hung up the phone.

As noon approached, I pulled out the suitcase I had packed in advance and placed the divorce agreement on the table.

I pulled out another piece of paper and began to write.

[Richard, I’m leaving. Please don’t come looking for me.

I heard everything you said to the village chief that day. And I know you’ve always loved Margaret.

I’m done with this sham of a marriage. You two can be together openly now.]

After finishing, I mailed the report and headed to the Registry Office to finalize the divorce. Once everything was taken care of, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

I boarded the bus to the station, eager to set off for the land I had long dreamed of.

***

Meanwhile, Richard, having just hung up the phone, felt a gnawing anxiety in his chest.

He regretted listening to Margaret the night before and staying at the hospital, even allowing things to get out of hand.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, guilt washed over him. After all, Evelyn was his wife and she had just suffered a miscarriage while he was tangled up with another woman.

Reflecting on Evelyn's calm response during their phone call, Richard felt a sense of unease.

He quickly got out of bed, determined to return home, but was stopped in his tracks when Margaret hugged him from behind.

This time, however, he didn’t give in. He pushed her away and rushed out of the hospital.

As Richard stepped outside, he ran into the village chief, who was panting. His granddaughter were following closely behind him.

“Rick, you won’t believe it! Evelyn heard everything I said the other day at your dorm!”