AYAH'S POV

He pushed me aside and ran toward his childhood sweetheart. The moment I stumbled to the floor, a sharp pain shot through my abdomen.

No!

Instinctively, I clutched my belly. Warm liquid spread beneath me, and when I looked down, I saw blood slowly pooling under my body.

"E-Ethan..." My voice was weak, barely strong enough to call his name.

Mia looked at me, and I knew she saw the blood. But instead of reacting, she suddenly cried out and pretended to be in unbearable pain.

"E-Ethan, my baby!" she cried dramatically.

Ethan immediately rushed to her side and carried her in his arms.

"I'll take you to the hospital," he said worriedly.

"How about Ayah? Look at her, she seems to be in pain too," Mia said, pretending to be concerned.

Ethan glanced at me coldly.

"Quit the act, Ayah. Can't you see Mia is in pain right now because of you? And now you're pretending to be hurt just to get my attention?" he said harshly. "We'll deal with this at home later. For now, I need to take care of Mia."

Then he turned away with the woman he loved first.

I was left on the floor, trembling in pain.

I didn't know what to do. I felt hopeless. No one was going to help me, so I had to save myself-and my baby.

"Baby... please hold on. Mommy will save you," I whispered to my stomach as tears streamed down my face.

Every movement hurt, but I forced myself to stand.

When I finally reached my car, my heart sank. My car keys were missing. I didn't know where they had gone.

Then I heard the sound of Ethan's engine starting.

He was about to leave.

Gathering the last of my strength, I hurried toward his car, hoping-just hoping-that he would help me.

"Ethan... please... help me," I begged.

But my cold husband simply looked at me with indifference.

"Stop being dramatic. You can take care of yourself," he said coldly. "Mia doesn't have anyone here except me."

Then he drove away.

As the car moved forward, Mia, sitting in the backseat, looked at me through the window. She smiled.

In her hand were my car keys.

"No! Give me my keys!" I shouted desperately.

But Ethan didn't stop.

He didn't even look back.

He didn't care that I was bleeding.

My strength slowly drained away. I collapsed onto the ground as the blood continued to flow.

Maybe this was my fate.

Maybe I was meant to die like this.

I was too tired to move anymore.

Just as my vision began to fade and my eyes started to close, I saw a man in a suit running toward me. My vision was too blurry to recognize his face.

When he reached me, everything went black.

"She needs to rest right now, or her condition could worsen."

Where am I?

I slowly opened my eyes. Bright white light filled my vision.

Am I... dead?

I didn't even get to see my baby.

As my vision cleared, I noticed a man speaking to a doctor. His back was turned toward me.

Is that Ethan?

Did he finally come to his senses and bring me to the hospital?

"Okay, thank you," the man said politely before turning toward me.

"Etha-Bryan?"

I froze when I saw his face.

Bryan.

What was he doing here?

"How do you feel?" he asked gently. His hand softly brushed my hair. "Don't scare me like that again."

Wait...

Was he crying?

"What happened?" I asked weakly. "How did you know I was here?"

My hand immediately moved to my stomach.

"What about my baby?" I asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry I came late," he said quietly.

A terrible feeling settled in my chest.

"Maybe it's better if you talk to the doctor."

"No," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Please tell me."

My voice trembled.

"Is my baby okay?"

Bryan looked at me with pain in his eyes.

"I'm sorry... but your baby didn't survive."

My mind refused to process his words.

No.

No.

My baby.

It felt like my entire world collapsed in that moment.

I wasn't ready for this.

I had been so excited to tell my husband that I was pregnant. I imagined his reaction. I imagined our future.

But now...

My baby was gone.

And the man I loved was the reason my child died.

"I will f*cking destroy you."

The moment those words left my lips, all the pain and anger inside me erupted.

I had endured enough.

In all the years we had been together, this was the first time I felt nothing but rage toward my husband.

I loved him for so long.

I supported his business silently, without him ever knowing. When his projects were failing, I was the one secretly funding them and making sure they succeeded.

He never knew.

He didn't know that I had my own company-not because I was part of the Russell family, but because I built it myself.

He didn't know that 70% of his company actually belongs to me.

Yes.

I am the major stockholder of Evans Corp.

Hidden under the name Zairayah-the mysterious investor with no surname.

He had always been curious about that investor, but I never revealed my identity. I didn't want him to feel intimidated.

"I am done loving you, Ethan Evans," I whispered quietly, imagining what my life would look like without him.

Everything we built together was destroyed because of his childhood sweetheart, Mia Walker.

And today-

I will be the one asking for a divorce.

AYAH'S POV

"You paid the bills? You didn't need to do that," I told Bryan. I had just found out that he was the one who saved me-and he even paid the hospital bills.

Wait... how did he even know I was there?

Just as I was about to ask him, a familiar figure caught my eye.

It was Ethan and Mia.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect our baby from Ayah," Mia said as if she truly felt guilty.

Protect the baby from me?

I clearly remember how she deliberately acted like I pushed her when, in fact, she threw herself down the stairs.

And what? Our baby?

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you and the baby from Ayah's immaturity," Ethan said. "I swear, I'll make her pay for this."

He spoke as if I wasn't his wife.

Now everything was clear.

He didn't love me anymore. The moment his first love returned, I became nothing more than a wife on paper.

This time, I needed to step back.

There wasn't even a competition between Mia and me. I already knew how it would end.

Suddenly, a tall figure stepped in front of me, blocking my view of them.

It was Bryan.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, confused.

"What? Is my handsome face not enough for you to stare at?" he said casually. "Why are you looking at garbage?"

He really hadn't changed. I thought he would be different after all these years, but it seemed like he was still the same.

I laughed.

"What? Aren't you done showing off your face to everyone and saying it looks good?" I said sarcastically, making a face at him. "Thanks for the information. We definitely didn't know that."

He clutched his chest dramatically as if my words had wounded him.

Maybe he was trying to compete with Mia's acting skills.

"You pretend not to know even though you can clearly see it? That's insane," he replied sarcastically.

Then he casually placed his arm around my shoulders and offered to take me home.

"This boastful b*stard," I muttered. "Am I blind? Because I really can't see what you're talking about."

"That's because you have terrible taste. You prefer someone who looks basic," he shot back.

We kept arguing like that all the way home. It was obviously a fake argument, but somehow it made me laugh.

I didn't even realize Ethan had arrived before us and was already waiting outside the house until he suddenly spoke.

"Is this what a married woman does?"

His voice made me stop.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were there," I said innocently, trying to suppress my sarcasm.

"Thank you for bringing her home," Ethan said coldly to Bryan. "But you don't need to do that again. I don't want this happening in the future."

Bryan didn't even bother responding.

"I'm leaving. Take care of yourself," he told me before walking away.

I watched as he got into his car and drove off.

Once he was gone, I entered the house without saying a word.

"Are you cheating on me with him?" Ethan asked as he followed me inside. "You know I hate that man, right?"

I was too exhausted to deal with his nonsense, so I ignored him.

My silence only irritated him more.

"What? Why won't you answer me?" he demanded. "Did you two go on a date? Did you sleep with him to get back at me? For heaven's sake, Ayah, Mia and I are just friends."

His voice alone was enough to make my head ache.

Furious, I turned to face him.

"Seriously? You're accusing me of cheating on you?" I snapped. "Have you forgotten what I witnessed?"

"Ayah, I'm not accusing you," he replied. "What you saw at Mia's place isn't what you think. I was just letting my frustrations out because you've been so annoying these past few days. I'm sorry you had to see that, but let's just forget about it."

Then he added coldly,

"Actually, you're the one who did something wrong. Mia had a miscarriage because of your immaturity and unreasonable jealousy. You have no right to be angry at her."

There he goes again.

Ignoring the fact that they cheated and blaming everything on me.

"I didn't push her down the stairs," I said firmly. "She did it herself to gain your sympathy. And look-she succeeded."

Why was I even explaining myself?

"You know what? This is pointless," I said before turning away.

I went upstairs to my room-not our room.

He kept calling my name and telling me to come back, but I ignored him.

I was done listening to his nonsense.

The moment I entered my room, I walked straight to the safe where I had hidden everything about my pregnancy.

Then I suddenly remembered something.

Bryan knew about it.

No way.

I quickly grabbed my phone and sent him a message.

"Don't you dare tell anyone that I was pregnant and had a miscarriage!"

Sent.

A few seconds later, he replied.

"You were? I don't remember."

I smiled.

That meant he would take that secret to his grave.

After some time, I left my room and walked to Ethan's office.

Everything was still neat-just the way I used to keep it.

Then something on his desk caught my attention.

A photo frame.

Our wedding picture.

I walked closer and picked it up.

Back then... we were happy.

As I was about to put it back, I noticed another photo hidden behind the frame.

Curious, I pulled it out.

The moment I saw it, my heart froze.

It was a picture of Ethan and Mia when they were still together.

Did he secretly love her all this time?

I quietly placed the photo back where I found it.

Then my eyes drifted to the papers lying on his desk.

My heart dropped the moment I read them.

Divorce papers.

With my husband's signature.

AYAH'S POV

I secretly took the divorce papers to my room. So, he was planning to leave me? Don't worry. I'll make it happen. After thinking carefully, I signed them. Tomorrow, I would take them to court. I placed the papers inside the safe and hid the key beneath the carpet. When I opened the door to leave my room, I was startled to see Ethan standing there, waiting.

"It's late. Why aren't you sleeping? Come to bed with me," he commanded. Not wanting to argue, I went to our bed-but sleep wouldn't come.

"Ayah, you should apologize to Mia. She lost her baby because of you. That's serious," he continued. If I had known he would just annoy me, I wouldn't have come. I didn't answer. I pretended to be asleep. If he knew I was carrying his baby when he chose to save her... would anything have been different? I laughed bitterly at the thought.

He didn't apologize. He didn't ask. Why was I still hoping for that? He was the one who caused our baby's death.

"I know you did it out of jealousy," he said calmly. "But I hope you realize your mistake. Mia is out of your league. She's rich, famous, beautiful, talented, gentle, sweet, and knows how to captivate everyone-even in bed. And you... you're just a housewife with no assets of your own. You only have my money. We had a baby in one try, while you struggled all these years. If you had accepted that the baby was mine too, we could have been happy. Even though it wasn't yours, it was still mine. I bet Mia wouldn't mind if we raised the baby together. You want a child, don't you?"

"Did you bring me to bed just to insult me?" I snapped. He was startled, thinking I was asleep.

"No, Ayah. I'm just being honest."

This is the problem with me. I never fight back. I hardly recognize myself anymore. If this had been ten years ago, I would never allow anyone to bully me. I stood up and grabbed my pillow.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'll sleep in my room," I said coldly, leaving without waiting for his response. I went to my bedroom and sat in front of the mirror, feeling numb and defeated.

Maybe I should just escape it all. All my dreams... wasted. I wrote letters to my family, friends, Ethan, Bryan, and even for myself, pouring my heart onto the pages.

I paused. My hands trembled. I wrapped them around my chest, trying to calm the storm inside. I wasn't going to harm myself. I just... needed to vanish, even for a moment.

A minute later, I grabbed my phone and dialed Isaac's number. Surprisingly, he answered on the second ring.

"Can we meet?" I asked.

"What's wrong? It's so late," he said.

"So what? In front of the coffee shop we used to go to," I replied and ended the call.

I grabbed my car keys, locked the bedroom door, and hid the key inside the teddy bear inside our bedroom. Ethan was asleep. I quietly went outside and froze when I saw Ethan's mother, Lady Elodia, talking to someone near the gate.

"What are you doing here, Mom?" I asked. She looked startled. "Why aren't you inside?"

"I planned to visit, but I ran into someone. Where are you going?" she asked.

I made an excuse-that I was buying food because I didn't want to eat at home. Lady Elodia, being the considerate mother-in-law she was, didn't question me and let me go. I didn't even ask why she was visiting so late because I noticed the man she was talking to. I bowed slightly and left.

While driving, I realized my phone wasn't with me. I couldn't contact Isaac. Frustrated, I tried to stop the car, pressing the brakes.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

I pressed the brakes again. Nothing. The car didn't slow down.

"Oh no..." Panic surged. I slammed the brakes again. Still nothing.

Then, bright headlights blinded me. A deafening horn blared. A truck barreled straight toward me.

Without thinking, I swerved sharply. The car spun out of control. My head slammed against the steering wheel, vision blurring.

When I came to, the car had stopped. But my heart sank.

The edge of a cliff.

The car teetered dangerously, the front wheels barely gripping the ground.

No...

I had no energy to scream. Every slight movement made the car shift, gravel tumbling into the darkness below.

Then I saw a figure approaching.

A figure.

Relief rushed through me.

"Help me..." I whispered weakly.

The person stopped behind my car. For a moment, I thought I was saved.

But instead of helping-

The figure placed both hands on the back of the car-and pushed.

Horror exploded as the car rolled forward.

The ground vanished beneath me.

The car plunged down the cliff.

The impact was violent, deafening. Metal twisted, glass shattered. My body slammed against the seat.

Then... everything went black.