The day Skyler Jackson married me, he hosted the most extravagant wedding New York had ever seen. As we exchanged vows, he held my hand, tears of joy streaming down his face like a child. Choking back his emotions, he promised, “Skyler Jackson will never let Caroline Edwards down in this lifetime.”

After two blissful years of marriage, he asked me if I was ready to start a family. Seeing the hope in his eyes, I agreed. Yet, despite once being unable to imagine life without me, he strayed during my pregnancy, betraying his vows.

At six months pregnant, I attended a coffee gathering with the Manhattan society wives. Skyler gently guided me to a seat beside my trusted friend, Zainab Bryant. Even under the watchful eyes of the other women, he crouched with unwavering affection and smoothed the hem of my Victorian-style dress.

“Oh, Mrs. Jackson, you’re so lucky! Nearly three years of marriage and he still treats you like this,” one of them commented.

“Their love is famous,” added another. “Even if the diamond on your ring dims, their feelings never would.”

Skyler smiled softly and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, “Please, ladies, don’t tease me. Take good care of Caroline for me today. I’ll be downstairs at the bistro and will come up when the gathering ends.”

The wedding ring that had sparkled on my finger for over two years still shone brightly as he left. Skyler settled the bill for everyone’s coffee, sparking another wave of admiration. I smiled politely, joining in the conversation.

Shortly after, my phone buzzed with a text from “Skyler.” Mrs. Bryant noticed and chuckled, “Skyler's just left, and he’s already checking in?”

I didn’t respond, glancing at the message as my fingers involuntarily twitched. The text was from Skyler’s driver: "Ma’am, Mr. Jackson has asked to be driven to Miss Lang’s place."

Maintaining my composed smile, I turned the phone face down on the table. With Mrs. Bryant’s arm supporting me, I moved towards the large window. She had recently wed herself and was blissfully in love, admiringly asking, “Do you think my husband and I can have a love as steadfast as yours?”

I watched Skyler quicken his steps into the car. As the driver pulled away, heading in the opposite direction of the bistro, I turned my back to the crowd and suppressed any hint of happiness. Fingering the worn edges of my diamond ring, I replied, “Nothing truly remains unchanged.”

The boy who once seemed unable to live without me had inexplicably changed. During my pregnancy, he had given in to temptation and strayed.

I am well aware of how much Skyler Jackson once loved me. Our families have been close for generations, so we grew up together like childhood sweethearts. Ever since we were little, he dedicated everything he did to me. As a child, I adored the spiced honey cake from a bakery in the north of town, and he went above and beyond to hire the pastry chef just to make it for me.

When we moved to London during middle school, Skyler, who was accustomed to a life of luxury, left his comfort behind to live alone in London, just so he could attend the same school and be with me every day. Later, when it was time for university, he didn’t hesitate to turn down an offer from a Swiss institution and followed me to the Netherlands for my studies.

I remember feeling a pang of guilt and telling him he didn’t have to always stay by my side, that his kindness was something I would never forget. But he would simply say, "Caroline, don’t worry about me. Just go ahead and live your life to the fullest. I'll always be there, right behind you—that's my purpose."

It was during Thanksgiving, with fireworks lighting up the sky, that I gazed upon him, my heart full of gratitude. I whispered a wish, "Caroline and Skyler, forever and always." That was the day I decided to pause and build a joyful life with Skyler Jackson.

The day I accepted his proposal, he was so thrilled he couldn’t sleep all night. He raced around the entire city of London, ensuring every billboard screamed, "Skyler Jackson is marrying the love of his life, CE." His elite friends in London playfully teased him about it, saying that in love, Skyler was like a child in a candy store. They joked that I, Caroline, was the very heartbeat of Skyler Jackson.

When I decided to settle down with him in New York, my dad was strongly opposed. Although he thought Skyler would make a great son-in-law, he didn’t want me to move so far away. Back then, I reassured my parents with conviction, saying, "I'm Skyler's whole world—he can't live without me. I believe he won't let me down."

Looking back now, it all seems rather laughable. Who in this world can’t live without someone? How could it be that Skyler truly couldn’t live without me?

The afternoon coffee gathering dragged on for three hours. When it finally ended, I didn't even need to call Skyler; he was already waiting at the entrance right on time. He hurried over with a kind of reverence, wrapping his arm around my waist and gently clasping my left hand with his right, our rings softly clinking together. Onlookers often praised the unbreakable bond between us, but all I could sense was the sterile smell of hospitals and a cheap cologne.

Once the car started, the driver avoided meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror. Skyler handed me a takeaway coffee, its bag displaying the logo of the café downstairs. He took off the lid and gently blew on it.

"You’ve been wanting coffee lately, haven’t you? It's your favorite flavor," he said. "But just for the baby, hold off. Just take a sip, and I'll finish the rest."

Before I was pregnant, my guilty pleasure was a cappuccino from that café—half sugar. In the early days of my pregnancy, I often craved coffee in the dead of night. Skyler would tirelessly drive to the café late at night to get me a cappuccino, just so I could fall asleep to its rich aroma. Those were probably the times I troubled Skyler the most. I couldn’t control my mood swings, and giving up everything I loved for the baby made me feel aggrieved. When I was unhappy, Skyler would bear the burden with me.

After calming down, I'd apologize to Skyler, but he would hold my hand tightly, tears in his eyes, saying, “If I’d known having a child would cause you so much pain, I would never have asked you to go through with it.”

Thinking about it now, I haven't irrationally lashed out at Skyler in quite some time. When did that change? Probably since I became aware of Miss Lydia’s existence. I chuckled bitterly to myself.

Now, Skyler was actively bringing me cappuccinos, but was it out of sympathy for the struggles of my pregnancy or was he trying to cover up his recent meeting with Miss Lydia behind my back? I closed my eyes, which were stinging, and leaned in closer to the coffee cup, inhaling deeply. The soothing aroma that once brought me comfort was gone, overpowered by the sharp scent of Skyler’s unfamiliar cologne.

I couldn't hold back and gagged. Skyler immediately patted my back gently. He assumed it was just a normal pregnancy reaction and had the driver pull over.

As the acid churned unrelentingly in my stomach, I rubbed at the dull ache in my heart, feeling for the first time with clarity that the stomach is indeed a vessel of emotions. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and with a flushed face, I calmly said, “Skyler, I’m nauseous.”

He looked at me, full of concern. "Caroline, you can't even stand the smell of your favorite cappuccino now?"

I forced a smile and shook my head. "It's not the coffee. It's the smell on you that's making me sick."

Skyler froze, his eyes mirroring the tremor in mine. His voice came out dry, "What smell?"

What Skyler didn't know was that Miss Lydia and I had already secretly met.