At the wedding rehearsal, my fiancée, Olivia, suddenly began to dry heave.

Her foster brother panicked and rushed her to the hospital.

Half an hour later, my phone rang.

"I'm pregnant."

I felt a brief flash of joy—until I heard how calm her voice was.

"It's... my brother's. That night, after he broke up with his girlfriend, he was standing in the rain. I just held him to keep him warm. I didn’t expect..."

She paused, then continued, “We can’t let Mom and Dad find out. He only came back to take care of me. Once the baby is born, things will settle down.”

“The wedding will have to be postponed for a year. Please explain and apologize to the guests.”

My throat tightened. I couldn’t get a word out.

She went on, “Also, resign from your job. I don’t want anything unexpected to happen in the next few months. My brother’s career is just taking off—taking care of me would be a burden.”

I smiled faintly. “Alright.”

She hung up, clearly satisfied.

What she didn’t know was that I’d once made a pact with that very man—if I wasn’t married by thirty, I’d marry her. And today just happened to be my thirtieth birthday.

——

Maybe my calm reaction caught her off guard.

Just three seconds after hanging up, Olivia called again.

“Alex, I’m sorry. I was wrong. But please believe me, I only ever saw him as a brother. The baby... it was a mistake.”

I smiled to myself.

“Brother and sister, warming the bed... how touching.”

There was a long pause on the other end. Then she sighed helplessly.

“I understand if you’re angry. You can yell at me, even hit me. But he’s an orphan. Even though Mom and Dad adopted him as their son. Our family would never accept this. They’d kick him out.”

“That’s why I hoped... you’d claim the baby as yours. Just resign and stay home. No one would suspect anything.”

I turned my head, blinking away the heat behind my eyes. My voice came out hoarse.

“Olivia, let’s not get married.”

“Not get married?” Her voice went cold.

A moment of silence passed, then she shouted,

“Alex, are you serious?! Wasn’t it you who begged me to get married after five years of dating?”

“Everyone knows you’re my fiancé. Do you think marriage is some kind of joke? When did you become so unreliable?”

I could practically see her brows tightly knit in frustration.

Sure enough, her next words came out like a threat. “Alex, I’ll ask you one last time—are you really calling off this marriage?”

Gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white, I gave a bitter smile.

“Yes. I don’t want you anymore, Olivia.”

She laughed coldly. “I don’t have time to play games with you. Do whatever you want!”

She slammed the call shut.

I stood in the center of the banquet hall. Surrounded by stunned guests, I tore off my corsage and walked out without a word.

Olivia’s parents rushed to block my path.

Her father spoke first, his tone stern.

“Alex, what are you so angry about? Just because her brother took her to the hospital? You’re willing to ruin the entire wedding over that? Let our family become a laughingstock in front of hundreds of guests?”

Her mother scoffed coldly.

“I warned you this wasn’t a good match. Our family is scholarly and your family? Thugs. We never matched.”

“But my daughter insisted. What could I do? Look at the mess now—what a joke!”

Her father sneered. “Fine! It’s better not to marry. With that temper of yours, you'd only bring shame to our family.”

It was Olivia who betrayed me, yet they stood here, blaming me.

Clutching the corsage in my trembling hands, I said through gritted teeth,

“The wedding was canceled by your daughter. As for the reason... perhaps you should ask her. I’m too ashamed to speak it aloud.”

Realizing this was Olivia’s decision, they didn’t apologize—they doubled down.

“Even if she canceled it, you’re the groom. Walking out without a word? Shouldn’t you apologize to everyone here?”

"How did your parents raise you?!"

Olivia’s Dad voice boomed with anger.

"You don’t even understand the most basic decency. How can someone like you marry into our family?"

I took a deep breath.

"I'm not marrying Olivia. If you're done, please step aside."

"You—!"

Their expressions shifted instantly, clearly shocked.

The always-compliant me had finally spoken with conviction.

I didn’t spare them another glance.

Stepping around them, I walked straight toward the dressing room.

Behind me, Olivia’s Mom shouted furiously, “Uncultured brute!”

Inside the dressing room, someone was already waiting.

She wore a sleek designer gown that hugged her perfect figure, the soft lighting tracing the contours of her elegant face.

Only the dark circles under her eyes betrayed her—she hadn’t slept well.

When she saw me, she approached with her usual graceful air, a familiar sweet smile tugging at her lips.

I turned my face away. “Didn’t someone swear they’d never attend my wedding?”

She stepped in closer, her warm breath brushing against my ear.

As our eyes met, I suddenly saw the stubborn teenage girl from a decade ago.

"Alex," she whispered, "a bet is a bet—you lose, you pay."

I pressed my lips together, silent.

She instantly grew anxious. “You forgot?!”

“I don’t care,” she blurted.

“Three days from now, we’re getting married. If you don’t show up..."

She hesitated, as if trying to gather courage.

"I’ll go straight to the Alex household and steal your household registry myself!”

Before I could reply, she spun on her heels and darted out, clearly afraid I’d reject her.

I couldn’t help it—I laughed.

This fool. Of course, I remembered the bet.

Our families were close—we’d grown up together. Too familiar to be lovers, or so I thought.

Ten years ago, she’d confessed to me. I told her it was better to stay friends. She was heartbroken and challenged me to a bet. I lost.

I had just changed out of my wedding suit when Olivia sent a photo.

My belongings—thrown out like trash—were piled in front of the villa.

Most glaring among them was the hand-sewn wedding quilt from my mother, stuffed into a clear plastic bag, its vibrant red fabric practically glowing under the harsh sunlight.

“Come get this immediately.”

“If you don’t, I’ll tell Mrs. Olivia to throw it all away.”

My fingers turned cold as I stared at the screen.

Olivia knew exactly where to strike. I could leave everything else behind—but not that quilt.

“I’m coming,” I replied.

My mother had worked on that quilt for three months.

She didn’t even know how to sew, yet her fingers were pricked and bloodied.

The night before the wedding, she handed it to me with a soft smile.

“My son, be happy. For the rest of your life.”

But when I arrived at the house, the courtyard was empty.

It had only been thirty minutes since her message. I told her I was coming.

Was she really in such a hurry to erase me?

Anger surged through me. I shoved the door open and stormed inside.

And then I froze.

It felt like falling into an icy lake.

Olivia sat on the edge of the dining table.

While her brother, Danny, stood beside her, one hand gently cradling her waist, his cheek pressed lovingly against her swollen belly.

His expression was so soft it pierced straight through me.

“Olivia” Danny whispered, eyes bright. “The baby just kicked.”

A smile spread across Olivia’s face—a smile I had never seen before. Her voice turned warm, tender.

“So naughty... Just like you were as a child. If only he had your eyes.”

Danny chuckled quietly.

Olivia leaned in, dropping a kiss on his lips. Then she murmured with a hint of guilt,

“Do you really want to leave after the baby’s born? You could stay... help me raise him. A baby this small deserves to grow up with his real father.”

Danny gently pressed a finger to her lips and shook his head.

“Olivia... If I stay, what about my brother-in-law?”

The word “brother-in-law” made her visibly flinch. Her smile faltered. Darkness crept across her face.

“Him? Saying 'break up' now is just a bluff. Once the child is born, he’ll come crawling back, begging to help raise it. Guys like him—sons of businessmen—only care about profit. Dignity? He doesn't even know the word.”

Olivia laughed scornfully.

“Have you forgotten how desperate he was to be my boyfriend? That smug, arrogant face of his—ugh, I feel sick just thinking about it.”

My tears rolled down in silence. So that moment—my sincere, trembling confession—had disgusted her for years.

Olivia’s family is the most prestigious artist in Oxford, and Olivia, the youngest calligraphy master, its proudest gem.

Five years ago, she approached my father for investment in the academy with her calligraphy portfolio.

My dad was so impressed, he introduced her to me.

I fell for her at first sight.

I insisted on learning calligraphy from her, using every excuse to get close.

She snapped at me. “Stupid. No talent!”

I grinned and joked, “Then be my girlfriend. That way, we’re a perfect match.”

She looked at Danny, who was bent over writing silently.

Then, all of a sudden, she grabbed my hand, smiled bitterly and said, “Okay.”

I was ecstatic. I hugged her, clueless to the way Danny suddenly stormed out, or how her body went stiff in my arms.

Only now do I realize—she never truly had me in her heart. It was always Danny.

No wonder she never taught me how to write, never let me into her study.

My chest ached. I wanted to turn and leave, but then I remembered—the wedding quilt. My mother’s quilt couldn't be thrown away.

“Alex!” Olivia snapped suddenly, turning her head and curling her lips into a mocking sneer.

“What are you doing, lurking at the door? Regretting it now? After I threw all your junk out?”

I clenched my fists. “Where’s the wedding quilt? Give it back.”

She froze for a moment. Her face darkened. “It’s just a stupid blanket. Why should I care?”

“That quilt was sewn by my mother.” My voice trembled.

“Just give it back. I’ll leave immediately.”

Her brows knit together as she looked at me like I was insane.

“You’re crying? Over that? What’s wrong with you?”

“It matters!” I shouted. The tears I’d been holding back finally fell.

Olivia groaned in frustration, rubbing her temple, clearly trying to come up with a response.

Just then, Danny suddenly chimed in, as if a lightbulb went off in his head.

“Brother-in-law, don’t yell at Olivia,” he said hurriedly. “I had the maid move your things into the guest room.”

As he spoke, his fingers gently caressed Olivia’s belly. His eyes turned red.

“Brother-in-law… if this is because of the child… I–I’ll ask Olivia to abort him. He was a mistake anyway. No one wants him...”

He broke down before he could finish.

“I won’t allow it!” Olivia’s voice shattered the air. She trembled violently and leaned into Danny’s arms, glaring at me with fury.

“You can leave. Leave as far as you want—but don’t you dare lay a hand on my child! You two are all I have left!”

“Alex, if this is why you came here—then get the hell out!”

I laughed coldly and turned without a word, walking to the guest room.

There, the wedding quilt lay crumpled on the floor, stained and covered in cigarette butts.

The embroidered dragons and phoenixes were blackened, filthy.

I pointed at it with trembling fingers. “Danny, explain.”

He shrank back, guilt all over his face.

“I didn’t mean to… I thought it was just garbage.”

He bent down. “Don’t be mad, brother-in-law. I’ll clean it up for you.”

But just as he reached out, Olivia lunged over and shoved me hard.

“Don’t touch it! Don’t get your hands dirty!” she screamed.

My head slammed into the bed frame.

White-hot pain exploded through my skull and warm liquid trickled down the side of my face.

I didn’t make a sound. I simply looked up at Olivia and smiled, wondering…

Did she even have a heart?