After three years of marriage—and four months pregnant—Sharon discovered Andrew kept a second home.

"Mom, I’ve made up my mind," she said. "I'm keeping the child, but cutting the father out of the picture. I’ll immigrate and settle abroad."

"Darling, you’ve finally come to your senses. I always said Andrew’s family was ordinary, and he’s far too hung up on that ‘brothers in arms’ loyalty. Getting tangled up with his army buddy’s girlfriend was bound to cause trouble sooner or later. I’ll arrange everything. Finalize the divorce quickly and come over."

"Okay. I understand."

Hanging up, Sharon lifted her gaze toward Andrew. He was hosting a full-month celebration banquet in the ballroom, cradling a month-old infant with a tenderness she’d never seen, beaming like the doting father he pretended to be.

"Daddy… say ‘daddy’…"

"The baby’s only a month old—how could it call anyone ‘daddy’ yet!"

The woman beside him wore a simple, elegant dress, but her figure and face were utterly captivating. Together they posed for photos: the perfect picture of a family of three.

Every one of Andrew’s friends knew about today’s banquet. The only one kept in the dark was her.

If she hadn’t coincidentally been here for an interview, she would never have witnessed such an absurd scene.

Seven years loving Andrew. Three years married to him.

Now, Sharon decided she was done.

"Andrew, Sharon doesn’t know about today, right?" one of his buddies asked with concern.

Andrew merely doted on the baby in his arms. "She doesn’t know," he replied flatly. "And there’s no need for her to. If she found out, she’d overthink again. Lately she’s been harboring a lot of hostility toward Rebecca."

"Don’t any of you go whispering in her ear."

"Relax, we know the drill. Lips sealed. But she is four months pregnant… if she finds out someday, won’t the shock be too much?"

"We’ll hide it as long as we can. If she can’t accept it, we might as well divorce."

Standing by the doorway, Sharon watched his cold, indifferent expression. A chill spread from her heart straight down to the soles of her feet.

When Rebecca was five months pregnant—before she could even register her marriage—her boyfriend passed away. Just because she was his army buddy’s widow, Andrew began taking constant care of her and the unborn child.

He rented her an apartment. He accompanied her to prenatal checkups. Even if she called in the middle of the night, Andrew would rush over.

For Rebecca’s sake, he had abandoned Sharon countless times: leaving her alone in the middle of a movie, walking out during meals, cutting vacations short the moment Rebecca called.

He had time to accompany Rebecca to her appointments, but never for Sharon’s. She bore it all without complaint, believing it was just Andrew’s kind-hearted nature.

Not until she accidentally saw him and Rebecca being intimately affectionate in that rented apartment did she realize how utterly wrong she had been.

This so-called “taking care” was merely an excuse to carry on an affair.

Hearing Andrew mention divorce, Rebecca curved her red lips into a smile. "Sharon is just being childish—jealous because Andrew is so good to me and my daughter. But after all, I’ve already lost Christopher. I have no one to rely on now. If it weren’t for Andrew, I probably wouldn’t have survived."

As she spoke, she began to cry. Andrew reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Rebecca, I said I’d take care of you and your child, and I meant it. Don’t worry about Sharon. At worst, we’ll just keep it hidden from her for the rest of her life!"

"Then Andrew gets to have his cake and eat it too! Two families at once—truly enviable."

"Let’s hope Sharon knows what’s good for her. A man as exceptional as Andrew is hard to come by."

"I’ll bet even if she finds out Andrew has another home, she still won’t leave him!"

Andrew raised an eyebrow, looking utterly pleased with himself.

Rebecca playfully patted a few of the men. "Alright now, stop using that poor girl as a betting chip. It’s so cruel."

Sharon smiled. Yes, it really was cruel.

But it didn’t matter. This would all be over soon.

After finishing the interview upstairs, she was just stepping out of the elevator when she ran into Rebecca.

Rebecca had just emerged from the restroom. Spotting her, Rebecca froze for a moment.

"Sharon? What are you doing here?"

Feigning surprise, Rebecca said, "You didn't… you didn't know Andrew was here hosting the celebration for our baby, did you? And you came anyway?"

Sharon let out a cold laugh. "Is that so? Thanks for telling me."

"You didn't know?" Rebecca smirked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Honestly, I didn't want to hide it from you. But Andrew said today was a special day. He didn't want you… ruining it. You know how much he cares about me and the baby."

"…"

Sharon stared at her coldly, saying nothing.

Emboldened, Rebecca pressed on. "Oh, you probably don't know this either. To give the baby a legal father, Andrew has decided to divorce you. Then he'll marry me. That way, my child can rightfully become his."

Sharon's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Andrew to sink to such depths—he'd already planned to divorce her and be with Rebecca all along.

Her fingers curled into tight fists at her sides. A sharp pang shot through her heart, so sudden she nearly staggered.

"Move."

She tried to leave, but Rebecca blocked her path.

"What's wrong? Can't handle it? If you can't stand it, then hurry up and sign those divorce papers!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Rebecca spotted Andrew emerging from the banquet hall, looking for her. With a deliberate cry, she collapsed to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Sharon! Please don't be angry! We really didn't mean to keep it from you! But today is my daughter's celebration… Can't you just… bear with it? Don't be mad. Don't make a scene?"

Sobbing, tears streaking her makeup, Sharon was about to say something when Andrew strode over.

"Sharon? What are you doing here?"

A flicker of panic crossed his face—afraid she'd discovered something.

"Andrew, Ms. Sharon found out about the celebration today. She's a bit upset. Don't blame her, Andrew. She's still young. It's normal for her to lash out."

After Rebecca's sniffling explanation, Andrew frowned and looked at Sharon. "Sharon, you know Rebecca's situation. I'm just helping out as the child's… uncle, hosting this little party. Go home first, okay? I'll come back to you as soon as I'm done here."

"Uncle? You're sure that's all?"

Sharon's laugh was icy. Just moments ago, he'd been teaching that child to call him 'Daddy.'

"Whatever it is, the child lost her father. It's tragic. From now on, I *am* her father. You're about to be a mother yourself. You should understand how terrible it is for a child to grow up without one. Don't make a scene here. Just go home."

Sharon lifted her gaze, her expression blank as she looked at him.

When had the man who was once so gentle and attentive to her become… this?

"Andrew, if I said you had to choose—between the child in my belly and Rebecca's child—who would you pick?"

"Don't be childish, Sharon." Andrew took a deep breath, softening his tone. "Go home first. I'll bring you a gift tonight, how about that?"

"Yeah, stop causing trouble," one of his friends chimed in, having gathered at the commotion. "With so many people here today, you don't want to embarrass Andrew, do you?"

"Sharon, you're just not as understanding and obedient as Rebecca is. That's why we had to keep this from you."

His whole group of friends had come out now, all pointing fingers at her.

She knew nothing she said would make them believe her. She didn't bother explaining.

"Andrew, remember this. I gave you a chance. You're the one who didn't know how to cherish it."

With that, she turned and walked away without a backward glance.

Watching her retreating figure, Andrew's friends exchanged looks.

"What did she mean by that? She's not actually planning to divorce Andrew, is she?"

"Good riddance if she does. Then Andrew can finally marry Rebecca like he wants. I'm just afraid it's an act—playing hard to get."

"Exactly. Just a mind game. Don't worry about it, Andrew."

"Worry? Why would I worry? She's acting like a child." Andrew pulled his gaze away from where Sharon had disappeared. "It's fine. I'll smooth things over when I go home tonight."

Sharon returned to an empty house and started with the garbage.

Anything that reminded her of Andrew went straight into the trash.

Now that she had decided to leave, every trace of their shared past deserved to be discarded.

As she carried a heap of things downstairs, she saw Andrew’s car pull up. He hurried around to the passenger side to help Rebecca out.

Gently, he took the baby from Rebecca’s arms. “Tired? She’s been fussy all day. We’ll deal with the luggage tomorrow—the house has everything we need for now.”

Though his words held a hint of complaint, the smile never left his face.

Just then, a neighbor passed by, spotted Andrew, and offered a polite greeting.

“Oh, Mr. Andrew, you’re back? And Mrs. Andrew has already had the baby?”

Andrew slipped an arm around Rebecca and tilted the baby toward the neighbor.

“That’s right. Look at my daughter—adorable, isn’t she?”

“Absolutely adorable.”

Watching Andrew’s easy, unhesitating manner, Sharon froze where she stood.

It had been so long since she’d gone out with him. Lately, Rebecca had been over more and more often.

Now even the neighbors assumed Rebecca was Mrs. Andrew.

“Sharon?”

Andrew noticed her not far away and quickly approached. “It’s windy out. You’re pregnant—you should have waited inside.”

Sharon stared back, her expression blank. “When the neighbor called Rebecca ‘Mrs. Andrew,’ why didn’t you correct them?”

Andrew’s patience thinned. “It’s just a title. What matters is that Rebecca and I have a completely proper relationship. Isn’t that enough?”

Rebecca chimed in softly, “That’s right, Sharon. Andrew just didn’t want to embarrass me by making a scene. Please don’t overthink it.”

Sharon’s grip tightened around the trash bag, emotions churning inside her.

Judging by Rebecca’s demeanor, she intended to move in.

To think even her final days here would be tainted like this.

“It’s so late, Rebecca. Shouldn’t you be heading home? What are you doing here?”

Andrew cut in, “Her lease is up. She’s staying with us until she finds a new place.”

Sharon almost laughed. “If she knew her lease was ending, why didn’t she look sooner?”

“Wah… wah…”

The baby in Andrew’s arms began to cry, and with it, the last of his patience vanished.

“Sharon, when did you become like this? Rebecca’s already having a hard time. Whether you like it or not, she’s staying here from now on. If you don’t like it, you can go stay somewhere else for a while and come back later.”

Noticing the bag in her hand, he added offhandedly, “What’s that you’re holding?”

“Nothing. Just trash.”

“From now on, I’ll handle the heavy chores. You’re pregnant—you need to be careful.”

With that, he carried the baby upstairs, Rebecca following close behind.

Watching him go, Sharon let out a cold laugh.

So he still remembered she was pregnant.

This child—he had begged her for it.

He said he loved children, that he wanted her to give him one.

He called it the fruit of their love, promised to cherish her and their child forever.

Yet in just a few short months, all that devotion had shifted to someone else.

Sharon tossed the trash into the bin, then rested a hand lightly on her slightly rounded abdomen.

“Sweetheart,” she whispered. “Shall Mommy take you away from here?”