Rocco was visibly relieved. "I knew you were always so considerate, Allison. You would never let your best friend go home alone after a prenatal checkup, would you? I'll cook all your favorites when I get off work today, okay?"

With that, he hurried after her.

I took a cab home. The moment I pushed open the front door, I got a message from Kathryn. "Allison, I was planning to wait until my pregnancy was stable before telling you, but I didn't expect you'd find out early! Now we can talk about pregnancy tips and parenting stuff together!

Following that message was a collage of nine pictures.

Each photo showed a different baby product or prenatal supplement.

Then another message came in. "My boyfriend can't be by my side all the time, but he hasn't skipped a single thing to prepare ourselves for the baby. What about Rocco? Has he gotten you anything?"

My gaze fell on the inconspicuous baby bottle tucked in the corner of the image.

I had the exact same one, carefully preserved in a glass case inside the cabinet.

I had found it in Rocco's car a month ago.

I thought it was strange and asked him why there was something like that in his car.

He said he'd won it in a raffle.

And that was the time when he started throwing up for no reason.

Something clicked in my mind, and I bought a pregnancy test.

The result came back positive.

It told me that I was pregnant.

His sudden nausea, a baby bottle won in a raffle, a positive pregnancy test—Everything made me feel like it was destined.

I kept that bottle as a good omen for our baby's arrival, putting it away with care.

But now even I wanted to laugh at myself for how naive I'd been.

That bottle must have been something Rocco bought for his and Kathryn's baby. He just hadn't hidden it well enough, and I'd stumbled upon it.

I didn't reply to her. Instead, I opened her WhatsApp status.

The pinned status had a photo of two hands clasped together, both wearing diamond rings. No faces were shown.

I knew this brand of rings required every customer to purchase with their ID number, and each customer could only buy one ring for the person they loved in a lifetime.

The day Kathryn posted that WhatsApp status was the exact same day as my sixth anniversary of dating Rocco and our first wedding anniversary.

I still remembered how I'd coaxed him, saying I wanted a ring from that brand too.

He'd smiled with that indulgent look of his, but he bluntly refused. "Diamonds just depreciate. How about we get a vintage gold ring instead?"

I agreed readily.

But it turned out it wasn't because diamonds depreciated.

It was because he'd already used the once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy that ring for someone else.

When I didn't respond, Kathryn sent another message. "Allison, I felt like you were a little upset at the hospital today. Was it because my boyfriend and I still won't get married when I'm pregnant? I know you worry about me. Don't worry, he really treats me well."

The sheer naivety in her tone left me speechless.

I couldn't believe that even at this point, she still hadn't noticed that I already knew something was off between Rocco and her.

But then again, thinking about it, I'd always been the one looking out for her, ever since we were kids.

She had practically grown up under my protection.

Back in school, her parents divorced and each started a new family.

Worried she would feel she didn't have love in her life, I begged my parents to take her in as their goddaughter.

After graduation, she made a mistake at work and got fired. She called me in tears.

Without a second thought, I brought her to my city that very night, rented an apartment for her, and even gave her the PIN to my bank card that my paycheck went to, telling her to spend the money however she needed.

To this day, she still didn't have a job. She lived off my paycheck.

Every now and then, when I brought it up, she'd beam at me. "My job is to provide you with emotional support and be by your side all the time! So tell me, isn't that worth every dollar?"

I thought about all the moments we'd shared growing up.

I had genuinely never once felt it wasn't worth it.

But now, for the first time, I truly felt it wasn't worth it, and I felt sorry for myself.

I called the landlord of Kathryn's apartment. "Hello, I'd like to terminate the lease. Today. ...Yes, I know it is not the end of the lease term yet, so I'll give up the security deposit. ...I need to end the lease today."

Rocco returned home late at night.

I had just finished packing up everything I'd prepared for the baby I'd just lost over the past few weeks, including the bottle he'd claimed was a raffle prize.

The moment he opened the door, he accidentally kicked one of the cardboard boxes stacked by the entrance. "Allison, why did you get all this stuff here?"

I curled my lips into a mocking smile. "I'm giving them to Kathryn. She's the one who actually needs them, after all."

He froze for a beat, then—unbelievably—nodded. "You're right. She's further along than you, so she probably needs these more. We can always buy more for our own baby later. Once they are born, I'll get them the best of everything, okay?"

I couldn't believe that even now he was still trying to gloss over the truth.

I looked at the man I'd loved for seven years and suddenly found he was disgusting.

I was about to call him out when his phone rang a few times.

He'd set up a notification on a social media app three years ago, so that whenever a certain person posted something new, he'd get an alert.

He had told me it was specifically for his superior. "Honey, I just joined a new company. I've got to make a good impression on the higher-ups. That way I can get promoted and get a raise faster and give you a better life!"

He really had just gotten himself another job at the time, so I had never been suspicious about that.

But thinking back now, that was exactly the time Kathryn lost her job, and I brought her to Capitalia.

And right then, before I could even start questioning him, Rocco glanced at his phone, clamped his hand over his mouth, and let out a dry heave.

He rushed into the bathroom, and horrible sounds of vomiting came from behind the door.

Ten minutes later, he finally came out with a pale face and the front of his shirt soaked through.

But before he could even clean himself up, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

I called out to him, "Where are you going?"

He took it as concern and gave me a weak smile. "To the office. Something came up with the project I'm on. Don't worry about me. Haven't I been throwing up a lot ever since you got pregnant? I'm just so worried about you and the baby. It's not a big deal. Relax."

Hearing that, I wondered whether he truly cared about the baby and me at all.

But since I'd come back from my appointment today, he hadn't asked me a single question about that.

He hadn't even looked at the test results.

He didn't even know that the baby we thought was ours had been nothing but a joke, just as ridiculous as the seven years I'd spent loving him.

At that thought, I couldn't help but let out a sneer. "You're worried about me? I don't think so. The person you're really worried about is the 'superior' you care so much about, isn't it?"

He said in the same gentle tone, "Of course I'm worried about you. But I've got to keep the superior happy if I want that promotion and raise, right? It's all so I can give you and the baby a better life."

He then left.

And I didn't stop him.

Twenty minutes later, Kathryn texted me. "Allison, my boyfriend really loves me so much! I texted him that the baby was kicking my tummy so hard my back hurt, and he dropped everything at work and came straight to me without a second thought!"

Then came a live photo of a man's broad, warm palm gently rubbing circles on her belly.

I smiled as I replied, "I wish you both all the happiness in the world."

Then I messaged my lawyer friend. "My husband has been cheating on me. I want a divorce. I wonder what documents I need to prepare."