I was the last one to find out that Rowan River was going to be a dad.

When I arrived at the hospital, I saw him giving orders to his staff. "Don't let the news of the baby leak out. If Angela finds out, she'll definitely come back and cause a scene."

I had liked him for ten years, and a year ago, I confessed my feelings to him.

At the time, he said, "Wait until you finish school and come back, then we'll be together."

I found it laughable.

This time, though, I didn't react like before. I didn't yell at him or ask why he had lied to me.

Instead, I boarded a plane and left the country, agreeing to marry the guy who had been pursuing me recently.

From that moment on, I no longer loved Rowan.

The woman standing by the window in the hospital room spoke to Rowan, "Rowan, blocking the news won't help. If Angela suddenly comes back, she'll find out anyway."

Rowan was holding a baby in his arms, his gaze full of affection.

At her words, his expression hardened with indifference.

"If she comes back, then so be it. If she finds out, I'll make things clear with her. I just don't want her to come back and make a scene because she can't handle it. You know how much she loves me. She caused a lot of trouble before."

I froze at the door of the room.

Yes, I used to love him deeply.

If there was another woman around him, I'd immediately try to get rid of her.

If he spoke to another woman, I'd ask him if he didn't love me anymore.

"True, everyone knows what she's like." The woman laughed, but her expression quickly shifted to one of concern. "So, when you get married, will you block the news then too?"

Rowan kissed the baby on the cheek, his voice calm as he replied, "We'll see when the time comes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Samantha Punter walked out of the bathroom.

Rowan quickly put the baby down and rushed to support her.

"Samantha, hey, take it easy."

"Oh, Samantha, you're so lucky. You've got such a good fiancé. No wonder you're willing to have a child with him before marriage."

My heart stopped for a beat.

Samantha used to be my best friend. Before I left the country, I had asked her to look out for Rowan.

But now, she was Rowan's fiancée.

I never imagined that the melodramatic scenarios I'd seen on TV would happen to me.

I suddenly wasn't sure whether I should walk in. If I did, what right did I have to confront Rowan? After all, we'd never officially been together.

A year ago, all he'd promised me was, "Wait until you finish school and come back, then we'll be together."

I pulled out my phone and opened Rowan's contact.

He hadn't contacted me in a long time. The last message he sent was a week ago, asking if I'd had dinner. I replied that I had and shared some interesting stories from my time abroad.

I told him about a kitten I had seen on the side of the road.

But he didn't reply.

I typed out a message to him. [Rowan, what are you doing?]

Just as I sent it, I heard Rowan's phone ring in the room.

He picked it up, glanced at it, then immediately turned it off without replying.

The friend sitting next to him saw the message and laughed. "Aren't you going to reply to that?"

Rowan gently held Samantha's hand, his tone dismissive. "Nothing worth replying to. I've always disliked her. If she weren't my father's adopted daughter, I wouldn't even bother with her. The only person I've ever loved is Samantha."

...

I had no idea how I managed to walk out of the hospital. I just remember stumbling and bumping into several people along the way.

When I reached the door, I ran into another one of Rowan's friends. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, and when he saw me, surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Angela, when did you come back to the country? What are you doing here?"

His two questions made me remember everything that had happened recently.

I had just finished my year abroad and came back.

After I landed, I felt a bit unwell, so I came to the hospital.

I didn't expect that I'd pass by the very room where Rowan was.

I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what to say.

So, I ran.

After I got into a cab, the cruel truth hit me—the person I loved no longer belonged to me.

He had lied to me. My best friend had lied to me too.

I didn't understand why.

Just then, Rowan's phone call came in.

"Angela, you're back?"

His voice was as gentle as always.

If I hadn't walked in on everything today, I probably would've stayed in the dark.

"Yeah, I'm back," I replied softly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I would've come to pick you up. My friend said they saw you at the hospital. What were you doing there?"

"Just getting checked out."

For some reason, I didn't want to confront him just yet. Maybe a part of me still hoped he'd say it himself, confess everything to me in his own words.

"Well, I'll come find you. I'm actually near the hospital," he said.

It wasn't long before Rowan's car pulled up smoothly in front of me.

He'd changed into a new set of clothes and even fixed his hair.

When he saw me watching him, he quickly smiled and said, "We haven't seen each other in a year, and you're still as beautiful as ever. But I seem to have gained some weight. Angela, you're not disappointed in me, are you?"

I didn't rush to reply because my eyes had caught a tattoo on his collarbone.

SP 03.08.1997. It was Samantha's initials, followed by her birthday.

A cold shiver ran through me.

Just a year ago, Rowan had made a promise to me.

He had acted like he really loved me, even took me to his room and kissed my cheek.

He had smiled and said, "Angela, we've grown up together. You must know how I feel about you. Don't worry. I'll wait for you to come back."

But now, he had betrayed me.

"I'm not," I answered finally.

Hearing my response, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good, I'll take you out for dinner to welcome you back," he said.

Once we were in the car, I noticed a woman's shirt and a baby's bottle in the backseat.

"That's from when my friend and his wife came to visit. It got left in my car," Rowan explained hurriedly.

I remembered what he had said in the hospital room earlier.

I couldn't understand—why would he say he loved me, then be with someone else, have a child with her, and lie to me?

I didn't say anything and just stared out the window.

The whole ride, he kept talking, asking me how I'd been doing for the past year.

I didn't really listen, because I didn't want to hear that. I wanted to hear him confess everything.

Feeling a little under the weather, I reached for a tissue to wipe my nose.

I opened the car's glove compartment and found a beautifully packaged box of tissues.

Just as I was about to grab one, Rowan stopped me.

"Use the tissues in the bag next to you. They're scented. I remember you like the ones with fragrance."

I froze.

I didn't like scented tissues. Every time I used them, I'd sneeze.

Once, he had seen me sneeze and told me, "I'll remember you can't use scented tissues."

I pulled my hand back and stared at the tissues with exquisite packaging. Suddenly, I remembered seeing these tissues online. They were quite expensive and meant for babies.

So, he couldn't bear to let me use them. How ridiculous.

"I don't like scented tissues," I said firmly.

"Since when? You used to like them," Rowan said, still unaware that something was off.

I didn't want to say anything. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Rowan ordered three dishes.

"Eat more. You must be tired from your trip back," he said.

I glanced at the dishes on the table but couldn't bring myself to touch any of them.

Every dish had mushrooms in it.

I hated mushrooms.

He used to remember that I didn't like them and would always make sure to take them out for me.

He didn't notice my reaction, continuing to eat while asking, "By the way, what are you planning to do now that you're back?"

"You haven't graduated yet, have you?"

He had forgotten everything.

He'd forgotten the foods I didn't like, forgotten the type of tissues I preferred. Now, he had even forgotten the promises he made to me.

I picked up a piece of meat, forcing myself to chew and swallow it.

"I graduated—"

Before I could finish, his phone, which was sitting on the table, suddenly rang.

The name on the screen flashed: Honey.

A flash of panic crossed his eyes, and he quickly grabbed the phone, lowering the volume. I couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but his reply was quick. "I'll be right back."

He hung up the phone and looked at me.

"My friend ran into some trouble. I need to go. Do you mind eating by yourself for now? I'll make it up to you tomorrow and throw you a welcome-back dinner."

Before I could respond, he grabbed his keys and left.

Watching him walk away, I felt as though a sword had stabbed straight through my chest.

All year long, I had been counting down the days, eagerly waiting to return home, to be with him. But now, everything was gone. His promises to me were as fragile as bubbles, vanishing into thin air.

When I was ten, the River family adopted me.

My father and Rowan's dad, Patrick River, had been good friends. When my father was diagnosed with cancer, he entrusted me to Patrick before he passed.

When I first arrived at the Rivers household, everyone except Patrick was cold to me. Since I was adopted, the maids and even Rowan's mother thought it was unnecessary to show me any respect. I had to tiptoe around, just trying to survive in that house.

I couldn't eat much at meals for fear of being scolded. I had no pocket money for school, and I didn't dare ask for any.

I remember one time, I hadn't eaten all day, and I sneaked into the kitchen late at night to find something to eat. The maid caught me and scolded me, but Rowan came to my rescue.

"How dare you treat my sister this way!"

That was the first time I saw him.

Later, I learned that he was the heir to the River family; he was six years older than me and already in high school.

From then on, he came home every day, and no one dared to bully me as long as he was around.

He always said, "Angela, I'll protect you."

Then, on the day I turned eighteen, he barged into my room, drunk.

He kissed me and said he wanted to marry me.

And so, I kept thinking about marrying him.

As I recalled this, I received a message from Samantha.

[You're back? I have something to tell you—Rowan and I have a child now, and we're getting married next month.]

Normally, she would pretend to be considerate, saying she was taking good care of Rowan for me. But now, she didn't bother to hide anything anymore.

If this had been before, I would have gone straight to Rowan and confronted him.

Because in my heart, I always remembered what he had said to me on my eighteenth birthday.

I thought he had feelings for me.

Every time I threw a tantrum, he would distance himself from the other women around him.

But this time, I didn't want to make a scene. I was just so tired.

I turned off my phone and checked into a hotel.

Then I sent a message to a talent scout who had contacted me before. I told him that I was ready to become a singer.

He had noticed me when I was living abroad and had been inviting me to join his company ever since.

He said I had a natural talent for singing and that I was bound to become famous.

But I had always been preoccupied with Rowan, so I turned him down before.

He replied quickly, [I'm glad you've finally made up your mind. When will you be back?]

I thought about it for a moment. My return had been so sudden.

I had originally planned to surprise Rowan, but now he had already given me a huge surprise of his own.

Now, I wasn't in the mood for anything, but I thought of Patrick.

After all, he had taken care of me for so many years. I decided to go see him.

So I told the talent scout I would be back in three days.

The next day, I prepared to return to the River residence. But Rowan contacted me first.

He said he was holding a welcome-back dinner for me at a clubhouse and would be picking me up soon.

At first, I wanted to cut ties completely and not go.

But I didn't want Patrick to find things out that way, so I decided to keep things peaceful for now.

I gave him the address.

He picked me up soon after and took me to the clubhouse but didn't enter with me.