I discharged myself from the hospital. As soon as I got to the hospital entrance, I saw Kevin. He was supporting Evelyn as she walked, his expression gentle.

When he saw me, his face flashed with awkwardness, but he soon regained his composure and asked, "Have you been discharged from the hospital, Judy?"

I nodded without speaking.

He glanced at me briefly before looking back at Evelyn.

"Be careful, Evelyn. Don't trip."

I felt a jolt of pain when I caught the tender, caring tone of his voice. He once cared for me like that, but right now, Evelyn was the only person he cared about.

Not wanting to see them anymore, I turned to leave.

When I got home, I passed some of our neighbors and overheard their conversation.

"Evelyn has such a wonderful husband. Ever since she got pregnant, Kyle has been doting on her in every way!"

"I pity Judy. She became a widow at such a young age. She doesn't even have anyone to look after her, even though she got hospitalized."

My nose prickled as I nearly started crying.

They were right. I lost my husband the moment Kevin decided to lie to me.

That evening, Kevin abruptly came back. He set some health supplements on the table and said, "Here, Judy. I got these for you."

I thanked him curtly, but my heart remained still. I no longer needed his concern.

All of a sudden, I felt a wave of dizziness and ended up fainting due to my low blood sugar levels. I wasn't sure how long I'd been unconscious. When I woke up, I was back at the hospital again.

Kevin looked immensely relieved. He dashed over and hugged me tightly, exclaiming, "Judy! You're finally awake! I'm so glad!"

His voice was agitated. It sounded as if he had been worried sick the whole time. I could sense that his body was trembling too.

Just as I was about to speak, he suddenly cupped my face to kiss me. I shoved him away and eyed him coldly, saying, "Watch it, Kyle."

Freezing up, he asked, "What did you call me?"

His eyes flickered with panic as he continued, "I'm sorry, Judy. I… I was mistaken. I mistook you for Evelyn."

The moment he finished speaking, he hurried out of the room.

I knew he hadn't mistaken me for anyone else, of course. He was just pretending. As I watched the way he fled, the last trace of hope left in me vanished for good. The man I once loved dearly was now a total stranger to me.

…

After returning to the house, I got in bed and stared dazedly at the ceiling.

Out of the blue, my phone started ringing. Mom was calling me.

"Judy, I'll send someone to pick you up in three days. Have you settled everything yet?" Mom asked caringly. "We've prepared your room as well. All that's left is for you to come back."

I nearly burst into tears. "I miss you guys a lot, too. Yeah, I'm almost done. I can leave in three days."

As soon as I got off the call, the bedroom door abruptly opened.

Kevin came in with a scowl on his face. "What's this about you leaving? Where are you going?"

Frowning, I ignored him, but he snatched my phone and demanded, "Were you talking to those friends of yours again? How many times must I tell you not to hang out with sketchy people?"

After seizing my phone back, I couldn't resist shouting back, "What gives you the right to boss me around? I'm not your possession! I'm my own person! Ever since I got back from the hospital, you've been keeping me locked up in the house. You refuse to let me work, and you won't even let me see my friends! Just how far must you push me before you're satisfied?"

Kevin was startled. His eyes flickered with panic, but he quickly regained his composure. "I'm doing this for your own good, Judy. You haven't fully recovered yet. What if you end up fainting somewhere?"

With an icy glare, I shot back, "You don't have to worry about me. You should be worrying about Evelyn instead. As for me, my husband's dead, and I have every right to dictate my own life!"

Kevin fixed his eyes on me, his gaze seemingly both torn and disappointed. After a long pause, he left.

I crumpled onto the floor and began weeping in silence.

…

That night, I tossed and turned in bed without being able to fall asleep.

All of a sudden, my bedroom door flew open, and a large figure stumbled in—Kevin. He reeked of alcohol. Clearly, he was drunk.

Fumbling over to the bed, he gripped my hand tightly and said, "I love you, Judy. I really do. Don't leave me, okay?"

His voice was choked. I could feel the warmth of his hand. However, I yanked my hand back and eyed him coldly, saying, "You're drunk."

He shook his head, his eyes bleary. "No, I'm not drunk. Do you know how much I love you, Judy? From the moment I left home for the maritime assignment, I missed you constantly. Every day, all I wanted to do was see you.

"But my hands are tied. Evelyn is pregnant. I can't just abandon her. Can you forgive me, Judy, please? Once she delivers the baby, I'll…"

Pausing mid-sentence, he started closing in to try and kiss me.

I pushed him away, shouting, "Kev—Kyle! Snap out of it! I'm Judy! I'm not Evelyn!"

Just then, I heard footsteps at the door, and Evelyn came in. The moment she saw Kevin and me, her expression turned nasty.

I quickly composed myself and explained, "Kyle's drunk, Evelyn, and I think he mistook me for you. You should take him back to your room."

Evelyn didn't speak. She threw an icy glare at me before ushering Kyle away.

The next day, just as I was heading downstairs, I ran into Evelyn. She came marching up to me with a stormy expression and slapped me hard on the face.

Blindsided, I clutched my face and stared at her icily. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Judy, you bitch!" she snarled at me, her glare as sharp as ever. "How dare you seduce my husband?"

Frowning, I corrected her, "You misunderstood the situation. Nothing happened between Kyle and me."

Sneering, she retorted, "Nothing happened, you say? Do you think I'm blind? I saw what was going on last night! I'm warning you, Judy. He's my husband. Don't even think about stealing him away from me!"

I was just about to respond when she suddenly pushed me. Caught off guard, I slipped and started falling down the stairs. She stumbled down as well, shrieking as we both fell to the bottom of the stairs.

The moment I landed hard on the floor, I felt an excruciating pain coming from my right leg. Evelyn lay motionless on the floor too.

Hearing the commotion, Kevin came rushing over. As soon as he saw us, all the color drained out of his face. He shot over to Evelyn and held her, asking, "Evelyn! Are you alright?"

His voice was panicked, and his eyes filled with concern.

He didn't even look at me. It was as if I were an unimportant stranger. Staring at him, I felt a twinge of pain in my heart. The man I once loved so deeply was behaving this coldly toward me.

I tried to struggle back onto my feet, but the agonizing pain from my right leg made it impossible for me to move. Kevin picked up Evelyn and rushed off, forgetting entirely about me.

I remained on the floor as I watched them leave. Tears blurred my vision. A memory from five years ago flashed before my eyes. It was from our wedding. He kneeled before me and promised, "Judy, I swear I'll spend the rest of my life protecting you. If I ever allow any harm to come to you, then let the harshest, most painful of fates befall me."

And yet, he was no longer the man I could rely on.

Lying there on the living room floor, I had to grit through the pain and call for an ambulance myself. I didn't know how long it took before the ambulance arrived to bring me to the hospital.

The results came back quick. I'd broken my right leg and needed a metal plate implant. After coming out of surgery, I rested on my hospital bed, my face pale.

Kevin entered the hospital room and eyed me coldly. "Judy, why did you push Evelyn? She's pregnant! Do you think you can take responsibility if something happens to her?"

I was completely stunned. Staring at him in disbelief, I asked, "You think I pushed Evelyn?"

"Didn't you?" he fired back with an icy glare. "Are you trying to deny it? Evelyn told me herself."

I closed my eyes, but my tears trickled out anyway. An overwhelming sense of despair engulfed me.

Shoving him away in fury, I yelled, "I refuse to admit to doing something I never did! Now, leave. I need my rest!"

Immediately, Kevin frowned in displeasure. "I know you're upset, but Evelyn is pregnant. Once she gives birth—"

"I said leave! I don't want to see you!"

Perhaps he didn't expect me to be that infuriated. His lips parted, but in the end, he left in silence.

Spotting the apple that Kevin had chopped up on the bedside table, I threw it into the trash.

A day later, I arranged an early discharge from the hospital. Once I got back to the house, I packed my things and prepared to return to my family.

I dragged my suitcase toward the door, but Kevin abruptly stopped me.

"Where are you going, Judy?" he questioned as he stared at me closely.

"Nowhere," I answered evenly. "I packed up some old clothes to donate."

"I see," he said with a sigh of relief. "I know you've had to suffer lately. Give it a few more months. Once Evelyn gives birth to the baby, I'll explain everything to you."

A few more months? I wasn't going to wait a single minute longer, Kevin! Your explanation no longer mattered to me.

"Fine," I replied indifferently. Just as I was walking past Evelyn, I heard her scream.

I turned around in puzzlement, only to see her slumped on the floor while clutching her abdomen with a pained expression.

"Evelyn!" Kevin cried out in alarm, his expression panicked as he scrambled over to help her. "What's the matter? Are you in pain?"

Clenching her jaw, Evelyn glared at me and said, "It was Judy… She pushed me…"

"What?" Kevin whipped his head up and glared at me furiously. "What the hell did you do, Judy?"

Shocked, I insisted, "I didn't! She fell by herself!"

However, Kevin refused to listen to me. "You've gone too far, Judy! Evelyn's pregnant! How could you push her? Just how much do you despise her that you keep trying to hurt her?"

Kevin, the man who once loved me with all his heart, was now choosing to believe someone else's word over mine and refusing to listen when I stood up for myself. Alas, I was numb to it all now.

Lowering my head, I said coolly, "Since you trust her so much, I've got nothing to say to you."

"You…" Kevin didn't seem to expect me to say that. Momentarily startled, he reined in his anger and said, "Judy, it's best if you move out right away."

Pursing my lips, I replied, "Fine."

Glancing at me, he continued, "I'll bring you back once Evelyn delivers the baby. Your presence is now a threat to her life."

"Right," I said with a nod.

However, I thought to myself that I didn't need him to bring me back. I wasn't coming back here anymore.

I walked off without turning back. A new life awaited me at my destination, along with a family who loved me—my parents and brother.