No matter how much Ella provoked her, Ariel ignored her and kept knitting.

When Ariel didn't respond, Ella lost her temper. She snatched the sweater from Ariel's hands and threw it into the pond.

"Are you deaf? Can't you hear me talking to you?"

Ariel finally snapped. She looked at the sweater floating on the water. "Get in there and pick it up for me."

"I won't. What are you going to do about it?"

"You won't? Then don't blame me for what happens next."

Ariel moved forward, backing Ella toward the edge of the pond. Just as Ella was about to shove Ariel into the water, she spotted Remi approaching in the distance.

A strange smile curved her lips. Ella grabbed something and threw it into the pond.

"Ms. Slater, no!" Ella suddenly screamed.

"That's my son's christening medal! Remi just got it for him a few days ago! He's been sick ever since you hurt him, and this medal was protecting him! How can you be so cruel?"

"What are you talking about? You're the one who…"

Ariel frowned. She knew nothing good would come from being near Ella. The woman was too good at acting.

"Ariel!" Before she could defend herself, Remi stormed over and grabbed her wrist hard.

"What did you do?"

"Remi, I really can't stay in this house anymore! Ms. Slater wants my son dead! I was just trying to say hello and told her you went to the church to get our son a christening medal for protection.

"She threw it in the pond and said my son didn't deserve to wear it, that he should be dead! She said even after you divorce her and her baby is born, my son will still just be a bastard."

"Did you really say that? Ariel, I thought you were willing to do this for Ella. Was the divorce all a lie?"

"I never said any of that!"

He gripped her wrist so hard that it hurt. Ariel shook her head. "She threw the medal in herself! It has nothing to do with me!"

"The priest said that medal can't touch water or something will happen to the child! Why would Ella use her own child's life to lie to me?"

Remi stared at her, his eyes full of disgust. "Ariel, how did you become like this? You're pregnant too. Aren't you afraid our child will be cursed for what you've done?"

A metallic taste rose in Ariel's mouth. She looked up at him in disbelief. "Remi, you'd curse our own child for the sake of Ella's baby?

"You have no idea what kind of person she is! She threw her baby from a height to frame me. What's throwing a medal compared to that?"

"Enough! Shut up!" Remi raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The blow caught her off guard. She lost her balance and fell into the pond. The moment her body hit the water, the moment the water rose over her ears and nose, Ariel thought she was going to die.

Remi didn't move. His voice was cold and hard. "Stop pretending, Ariel. You can swim. Since you threw the medal in, you can dive down and get it."

"Someone get over here." Remi called over one of his men, his tone sharp and cold.

"Watch her. Don't let her come up until she finds that medal. If she can't find it, she stays in there."

The man watched Ariel struggling in the water and hesitated. "But sir, she's pregnant…"

Ella put on a show of concern. "Maybe we should forget it. Ms. Slater probably didn't mean to. What if something happens to the baby?"

"Can't pregnant women swim?" Remi laughed coldly.

"She's using her pregnancy as an excuse. She thinks that because I love her and spoil her, she can ignore everything I say! Ella, let's go inside. Don't worry about her. If she loses the baby, it's her own doing."

Ariel floated in the pond, watching Remi walk away with his arm around Ella. She suddenly laughed.

Tears poured from her eyes.

She remembered the day she found out she was pregnant.

Remi had cried until his eyes were red and held her, saying over and over, "Ariel, we're finally having a baby! You'll never leave me now! I swear, I'll never let you or the baby suffer any hardship for the rest of our lives."

But what was he doing now? For the sake of a lying woman, he struck his pregnant wife and threw her into a pond, then made her dive for a medal for another woman's child.

The man watching felt bad for her but still urged, "Ma'am, you need to hurry and find it. You're nine months pregnant. You could go into labor any time. I'm worried something will happen to you."

Even a stranger worried about her, but Remi was this cruel. She didn't answer, just bit her lip, dove underwater, and searched for that medal again and again.

From daylight to dark, the pond water grew colder and colder. She shivered but still couldn't find the medal.

At nine months pregnant, her body felt impossibly heavy. Every dive to the bottom felt like it would tear her organs apart.

The men on shore couldn't bear to watch anymore.

"It's already 10:00 pm. If this keeps up, she's going to collapse."

"But we can't go against the Commander's orders!"

After four full hours, Ariel's hands and feet had turned white and swollen from the water. Just when she was about to give up, the baby started kicking her, over and over.

The force grew stronger before turning into sharp, dragging pains. Cold sweat broke out across her skin as something warm flowed out of her body.

One of the men shouted in alarm, "God, there's blood! Pull her out of the water! Call the Commander!"

They dialed quickly, but Ella's voice came through the line. "Your Commander is with my son. He's busy. He said if Ariel can't find the medal, she's not allowed to come up."

The line went dead. The men looked at Ariel's weakening form and made a decision. "Forget it. We need to get her to the clinic now, or the baby won't make it either."

As they carried her out of the estate, Ariel turned to look back at the house. Warm light glowed from the windows. Remi was probably inside with Ella and her son, enjoying their happy family.

And her? She and her child were dying.

It was past 12:00 am when they got her to the clinic. Pain racked Ariel's abdomen. Her vision went dark.

The medic rushed her toward the delivery room in a panic. "Hurry! The patient is bleeding. She's going into labor!"

"Save my baby…"

"Don't worry. We'll do everything we can."

The medic called out urgently, "Where's the family? Someone get the husband in here!"

The men didn't hesitate. They called Remi again. But no matter how many times they dialed, he didn't answer.

Finally, he rejected the call outright.

One of the men looked helpless. "The Commander is busy…"

The medic stared at them in disbelief. "She's in this condition and he's too busy? He won't answer and he's rejecting calls? What if something happens to her during delivery?"

"Ah! It hurts so much." Ariel couldn't hold back her screams.

She gripped the medic's hand, begging, "Please, save my baby. She's been in my belly for nine months. I need to deliver her! Don't call anymore. Just take me to the delivery room. I'll take responsibility for whatever happens."

After those words, Ariel lost consciousness completely. Before everything went dark, she remembered what Remi had said.

"Ariel, you're so heartless. Aren't you afraid our child will be cursed for what you've done?"

"If the baby dies, it's her own doing."

Those two sentences proved he didn't deserve to be her child's father. She didn't know how long she was out, but she regained consciousness briefly to the sound of voices around her.

"Hurry! Her water broke and the baby's heartbeat is weak. We need to operate now!"

"Isn't this Mrs. Callahan? Where's Mr. Callahan?"

"You mean Remi Callahan? I just heard he's throwing a party today for his son's one-month celebration!"

"What party? His wife is right here, and their baby's still in her belly!"

"It must be the mistress' kid. She had her baby here too!"

"What kind of man does that? He came to every checkup with Mrs. Callahan before. I thought he really loved her. Turns out it was all fake."

"Mrs. Callahan, hang in there! You can do this! The baby's almost here!"

When she woke again, the midwife stood beside her holding a baby.

"Mrs. Callahan, congratulations. You have a daughter."

Just then, the legal advisor from the base rushed over and handed her a document. "Mrs. Callahan, here's your divorce certificate. All the paperwork has been completed."

Ariel took the certificate and looked at the official seal. She felt completely at peace.

She looked up at the midwife. "Can you help me contact the train station? I want to leave this place as soon as possible."

…

At the celebration, Remi left early that morning with Ella. His friends arrived one after another to congratulate him.

"Congratulations! Have you picked out a name for the baby yet?"

"Commander, it's such a big day. Where's Ariel? Don't tell me she still hasn't accepted you and Ella?"

"Right? Why is she being so petty about this?"

Remi didn't answer. He felt inexplicably anxious. The banquet was about to start, and there was still no sign of Ariel.

Was she still angry? He'd lost his temper yesterday, but he hadn't meant it.

Ella held the baby and urged him, "Everyone's waiting for us to go in, Remi. Ms. Slater probably won't come. Let's just forget it."

Remi pulled out his phone to make a call. Ella tried to stop him. "Can we go in first? We're already running late."

Remi ignored her and dialed.

"Why did you keep calling me last night? Where's Ariel? Where is she? Bring her to Ella's baby's celebration right now. I don't want people talking…"

One of his men answered, "Commander, Mrs. Callahan was in the pool for four hours last night before she started hemorrhaging. We took her to the clinic.

"The medics worked on her all night to save her. And… your baby with her… was already dead when they delivered her."