"Have you lost your mind because of pregnancy? Tara is my brother, and you’re jealous!"
"You might as well tie me to your belt like a dog. You’d suspect anyone anyway!"
"Think about it. If we really had something, would she dare speak out?!"
Something inside me snapped, shattering completely.
"Yes, you’re fine. It’s all my fault!" I screamed, my body trembling.
"I’ve endured you for so long!"
Every past grievance hit me like repeated slaps in the face.
Only I knew how much sorrow this final straw had unleashed.
"Ethan, I’m telling you, when I was hospitalized for appendicitis, you accompanied her to get her nails done. When I was bleeding to protect the baby, you went to play with her dolls. Every time I needed you, you were there for your female brother, even today!"
I gasped, tears streaking my cheeks. "She trivialized those disgusting things right in front of me, and you continued flirting with her as if nothing happened. When I couldn’t bear it and called the police, you didn’t stand by me—you called me hysterical!"
"From that moment on—"
"Ethan, we’re done."
No response.
Then Ethan’s gentle voice pierced my ears:
"Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll protect you."
I turned around.
He was wearing headphones, gaming with Tara over a microphone.
…
The sounds of their game battle continued into the night.
I sat alone on the balcony, caressing my belly, which twisted violently, and dialed the doctor.
"Doctor, I want to schedule an abortion."
The next morning,
Sharp pain woke me. I struggled to find Ethan.
He sat on the sofa, legs crossed.
The phone pinged, and he smiled brightly.
I called several times before he looked up. Seeing my pale face, he froze, then hurriedly helped me sit, his fingers lightly massaging my shoulders.
"Honey, I can’t be with you today. President Morgan is waiting to discuss the cruise ship acquisition. We need new travel routes."
His tone was calm, as if yesterday had never happened.
He always did this—let me stew in my emotions all night while he carried on.
It was as if he could simply leave me behind, ignoring the problem.
Pain surged, and I instinctively grabbed his hand, but his other hand stayed on the keyboard, utterly focused, ignoring me.
From outside the villa, Tara’s cheeky voice rang:
"Ethan, your father’s here. What are you waiting for?"
Ethan instantly released me, dropped his phone, and sprinted to the door.
I fell, knocking on his phone with my elbow.
On the screen, a group chat called “Princess Tara and Her Knights” was pinned. I clicked it, frozen.
"Nicole is so pretentious! I told you two weren’t a good match, but you wouldn’t believe me."
"Having someone else at every party is exhausting! You might as well have married Tara!"
Tara sent a tongue-out emoji:
"Lulu, it’s my birthday today. Why mention that annoying person? Ethan said he’d buy me a cruise. I want to face the sea and enjoy the spring blossoms!"
Ethan teased, "Bend over backward to your father. This life belongs to you."
Tara immediately bent over backward:
"Your life belongs to me now. I command you not to bring any family today!"
"Ethan, I saw Tara in a bikini. Whose birthday present is it? [smirk]"
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over me, suffocating every breath.
As expected, you can act, but you can’t fake your social life.
When I first tried to fit in, everyone seemed as friendly as angels.
But I took their politeness seriously. They were impenetrable fortresses, and I, forever, the unacceptable outsider.
The cramps worsened, and I trembled as I pulled out my phone, snapping pictures and saving them page by page.
By the time Ethan came in to retrieve his phone, I was already curled up on the sofa in pain.
He didn’t even glance at me, eager to leave.
"Wife, my brothers want to go on a cruise. You’re pregnant and can’t join them, so don’t get involved."
My face went pale as I tugged at the hem of his shirt.
"I have a stomachache. Will you come to the hospital with me?"
Asking questions I already knew the answers to was my last chance to give him a way out.
If he insisted on leaving, I wouldn’t want him anyway.
In the deadlock, Tara smacked her lips and urged, "Hurry up! It’s scorching!"
Ethan shook my hand off, impatience etched across his face.
"What are you pretending to? You were fine just now. I hate it when you bring up the kids."
He shoved me back onto the sofa, and my heart sank.
Tara came in from outside and grabbed Ethan’s ear.
"Are you trying to kill yourself? Why so aggressive? Aren’t all pregnant women like this? They always want everyone around. What’s wrong with being a little caring?"
Ethan snorted, disdain dripping from his words.
"If she were even a tenth as good as you, I wouldn’t be so bothered."
His gaze dropped to Tara’s shoulder straps, and he reached out, adjusting them with effortless ease.
"Little idiot! Can’t you see it’s loose?"
Tara swiped her hair aside, giggling.
"Be gentle! You’re hurting me."
Ethan pressed down on them, grinning wickedly.
"No way! It’s just an airport."
Amidst their laughter, they disappeared around the corner.
I called Henry Morgan directly: "I’ll meet you at your cruise ship later."
The other end replied, "Okay."
Ethan had no idea that Henry was my childhood sweetheart. Over twenty years of unwavering friendship—I knew better than anyone what pure loyalty looked like.
Six years of love, from school uniforms to wedding dresses.
I wanted to see for myself just how rotten this relationship had become at its root.
The sea breeze was salty and fishy.
On the deck of the luxury cruise ship, screams and laughter mingled.
I, wearing sunglasses and a mask, leaned against the railing.
I watched Tara, in a bikini, sitting close to Ethan, who was only in swimming trunks.
A cheesy game of passing tissues ensued.
Tara deliberately bit the tissue until only a corner remained, and Ethan tried to grab it but failed.
"Ethan lost! Accept your punishment!"
Someone jeered, "How about confessing your love publicly? How about Tara?"
Tara giggled and collapsed onto Ethan’s lap, punching his chest lightly.
"Oh, so embarrassing!"
Another shouted, "What’s the point of confessing after all this?"
"Tara, what exactly happened? Tell us everything!"
Everyone laughed, but Tara suddenly turned blunt:
"Look at you! A monkey stealing peaches!"
Ethan swiftly blocked her playful attack, scolding jokingly, "You’re so rebellious!"
Amid the banter, he accidentally grabbed the string of her swimsuit, and it slipped loose.
Tara screamed, and Ethan, almost reflexively, hugged her tightly and yelled, "Turn around! Don’t look!"
The waves rolled beneath them.
He gently helped her tie the string again, his fingertips brushing her bare back.
Their eyes locked, sparks flew. At that moment, I watched the man I loved, standing in the sun, become a protector of another woman.
And I, fully armed with my bitterness, hid in a shadowed corner like a cockroach, peering into someone else’s happiness.
It was pathetic to see the father of my child instinctively shielding another woman.
Beside me, Henry instinctively moved forward, but I stopped him firmly.
After a long hesitation, I called Ethan.
From a distance, I saw his phone light up.
He glanced at it.
The phone rang once, then again.
He simply stared, never answering.
Tara pouted as she read the note: “wife.”
“You promised to stay with me. Don’t be distracted, and neither can she. Otherwise, I’ll ignore you.”
Ethan smiled, raised his hand, and dropped the phone into a glass overflowing with water.
He arched an eyebrow and said, “My little princess, satisfied now?”
Seeing Tara finally nod, Ethan lifted her above his head and spun her around.
The sea breeze carried her gleeful screams.
By the time I put down the phone I had been recording with, my tears had soaked through my mask.
Six years of my relationship with Ethan had amounted to nothing.
I steeled myself for hell to come.
Tired from playing, the group sat down to chat.
Tara’s voice drifted on the wind:
“Actually, on the night of Ethan’s wedding, I got drunk and said I just wanted to marry anyone. But he got so angry, he came to me in Nicole’s wedding dress.”
“Funny, right? We just played house like we did as kids, worshipping the moon and heaven and earth.”
My heart twisted. I thought of the custom wedding dress I had been waiting for. Ethan had said it was stained, sent it to the cleaners, and then lost it.
Tara smiled:
“I was joking, saying that after praying to heaven and earth, it was true—I wouldn’t marry again. But I wanted a child, and I was scared of the pain. Guess what this idiot did?”
Ethan smiled, drinking, saying nothing to stop her.
Encouraged by the crowd, Tara added proudly,
“He actually took it seriously! Then he actually took me to get embryo culture!”
She blinked, signaling for Ethan to continue.
“Ethan, what about the child?”
Ethan tilted his head back, finishing his drink, eyes dark.
“What’s in Nicole’s belly right now is Tara and I’s test-tube baby.”
Boom—
My mind exploded, and everything went blank.
I could hear Henry cursing, “Bastard!” and see Ethan’s indifferent gaze.
I clutched my stomach. It seemed to sense my grief and moved violently.
But all I felt was irony.
From the very start of our pregnancy preparations, Ethan had lied, claiming his sperm motility was low and that IVF had a better chance.
For countless days and nights, I took medication until I felt sick, my belly covered in purple pinpricks.
On the day the pregnancy succeeded, he had gently leaned against my belly and said,
“Dear baby, Daddy will make you and Mommy the happiest people in the world.”
Those words had never been meant for me.
Tara’s voice drifted again, laced with contempt:
“Ethan is so clever! Look at Nicole, completely out of shape. Tsk tsk, I don’t want to become a shrew like her.”
I couldn’t listen anymore and turned to leave.
Suddenly, a huge wave hit, and the cruise ship rocked violently.
Tara, standing on the edge, was flung backward.
Without hesitation, Ethan grabbed the lifebuoy and jumped in, swimming toward her.
