My best friend, Adeline Miller, and I marry into the Caldwell family together. Coincidentally, we become pregnant at the same time.

I'm married to Rowan Caldwell, the older brother who's a famous psychiatrist. As for Adeline, she's married to Elliot Caldwell, the younger brother who's an extremely skilled doctor.

Rowan gives me a ride to the hospital, hoping to accompany me to my prenatal check-up due to the discomfort I've been feeling throughout my pregnancy.

But on the way there, he abandons me by the road and leaves me there because of a phone call from his first love, Veronica Whitmore.

As I sob, I beg him, "Please, Rowan, I'm begging you! It's raining heavily right now! Can you please drive me to the hospital first?"

Rowan shakes my hand off impatiently. "Veronica has slit her wrist! This means she might die! Can you be more understanding toward her situation, Emilia? I'm going to tend to her injury right now! You can go to the hospital on your own!"

It's raining cats and dogs out in the world. Yet, Rowan doesn't hesitate to ditch me on the highway.

Left without a choice, I can only call Adeline and ask her to drive over to pick me up. Unexpectedly, on the way to the hospital, we see a truck barreling toward us.

While I'm unconscious, I hear Adeline crying while calling Elliot on the phone, only to get reprimanded by him.

"Stop messing around, Adeline! Must you come up with all sorts of lies whenever I'm spending time with Veronica?"

It's thanks to a passerby's help that an ambulance is called to the crash site. That's how we get to survive afterward. Alas, we both end up losing our babies.

Upon regaining our consciousness, we just smile bitterly at each other.

"Are you getting a divorce?"

"Yeah."

I rested a hand on my now flat stomach and whispered, "I'm sorry, baby."

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as tears streamed down, burning and relentless. There had once been a life inside me.

…

My husband, Rowan Caldwell, had abandoned me for Veronica Whitmore. He had left me alone on the highway in the pouring rain, heedless of my safety or that of our unborn child.

So, I unlocked my phone and sent Rowan a message. I wanted a divorce.

He usually took a full day to reply, but this time, my phone rang almost instantly.

"Emilia Reynolds! Why are you getting jealous over nothing?" Rowan snapped. "Just because I didn't go with you to your prenatal checkup? Do you have to make up a lie like this? What kind of mother curses her own child?"

He continued, "I already told you—Veronica is my patient. She has depression! I'm only looking out for her.

"And you even let Adeline drag this all to Elliot? Veronica is our patient and nothing else! If your jealousy drives her to harm herself and she dies, that would make you a murderer! Do you understand?"

After saying that, he hung up.

The dial tone buzzed in my ear, and my breath hitched. Veronica was Rowan's patient, and yet, wasn't I his wife?

I could live with the way he fussed over her every day. But the day before, he knew my stomach was hurting.

I was carrying his child. Still, he left me alone on the highway, drenched in the pouring rain.

And it was all because Veronica had said, "Ro, I cut myself while slicing fruit today. Do you think I'm useless? Maybe I shouldn't even exist."

At those words, he immediately turned the car around to go back to her.

I had tried desperately to stop him. I wasn't afraid of getting soaked, but I was terrified that something would happen to my baby.

Tears streamed down my face as I begged Rowan. Yet, he dragged me out of the car anyway. He then tossed me an umbrella and drove off, leaving me soaked in the rain.

With nowhere else to turn, I called my best friend, Adeline Miller.

When she heard what had happened, she seethed with fury, cursing nonstop and ready to text Rowan to give him a piece of her mind.

With Adeline's help, I finally managed to get into the passenger seat. I had just fastened my seat belt when a runaway truck came hurtling toward us.

I had no time to dodge. All I could do was shove Adeline away with everything I had.

In the end, I was trapped inside the wreckage myself. Almost immediately, warmth spread between my legs, and I felt my baby slipping away.

I trembled, desperate to scream for help. Tears blurred my vision, yet I couldn't make a sound.

In the haze of unconsciousness, I heard Adeline's frantic sobs and Elliot Caldwell's voice.

"Stop messing around, Adeline!" Elliot barked. "So, anytime I'm with Veronica, you just make up whatever lies you want?

"A car accident? Seriously? You're ridiculous. Do you have any idea how rare something like that even is?

"I'm warning you. Stay away from that crazy best friend of yours! Don't start getting jealous like her. Veronica's hurt right now, and I'm in the middle of dressing her wounds. Stop bothering me!"

Eventually, passersby called the police and an ambulance, and Adeline and I were rushed to the hospital.

…

Although Adeline and I survived, both of us lost our babies forever.

I looked at Adeline as she clutched her phone tightly. The surgery had drained the color from her face.

"I'm sorry. I never thought Elliot could really stand by and do nothing," she said, tears streaming down her face.

I needed emergency surgery after losing too much time. It was a high-risk procedure that only Elliot could perform.

However, he was convinced that Adeline was simply jealous of Veronica. He dismissed it as a lie and blamed her for everything instead.

In the end, my uterus had to be removed. I would never be able to have children of my own again.

I let out a sigh. Just as I was about to speak, Elliot's call came through.

"Have you lost your mind? A car accident yesterday, and now you're telling me you had a miscarriage? What's next? Are you going to jump off a building tomorrow?

"Worse, you've learned to threaten me with divorce. Birds of a feather truly flock together. You've picked up nothing but bad habits from Emilia!"

Elliot went on, "If it weren't for the fact that I still have to change Veronica's bandages today, I'd come teach you both a lesson!

"Rowan's a psychiatrist, and his job is stressful enough. Not only is Emilia inconsiderate, but she stirs up trouble every day. Honestly, they should just get a divorce. Having a sister-in-law like her disgusts me!"

The call ended abruptly.

I looked at Adeline. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was trembling uncontrollably.

I reached out to pat the back of her hand, saying, "Don't listen to him. Get some rest. After that, we'll file for divorce together."

All at once, tears streamed down Adeline's cheeks.

Looking at her tear-streaked face, I couldn't stop crying either. The love we had once dreamed of had pushed us both into an abyss.

Ever since Veronica had been diagnosed with depression and attempted suicide at home, the Caldwell brothers had revolved around her every waking moment.

Rowan had even stopped seeing other patients altogether, treating only Veronica.

To help her sleep, he called her every night and told her bedtime stories.

Meanwhile, I was suffering from severe morning sickness. I could barely sleep, yet he dismissed me as being dramatic.

"Everyone else is doing just fine. Why are you the only one with so many problems?" Rowan had snapped.

He'd take Veronica to the amusement park but refused my simple requests for walks.

"You have Adeline, don't you? Veronica only has Elliot and me."

I watched my body change during pregnancy and sank into anxiety. Before long, I was consumed by depression.

But when Rowan learned about it, he shot me an impatient glare. His voice dripped with barely concealed disgust as he spat, "Veronica has depression, and now you're copying her? Emilia, do you think lying is funny?"

Truth was, I had actually been diagnosed with depression and had once wanted to end my life. It was only with Adeline's help that I slowly began to recover.

The baby had been my only source of comfort in this marriage. But now, the baby was gone.

As the child's father, Rowan should have at least called to see how I was doing, even if he didn't care about me. Yet, in the end, all he did was blame me.

Perhaps, in his mind, I was no longer the woman he saw by his side for the years to come.

I lay on the hospital bed, scrolling through Veronica's social media feeds. Her latest post showed her and Rowan with their cheeks pressed together.

One of her fingers was bandaged with a pink plaster. The injury Rowan and Elliot claimed she had from cutting herself was so minor that it didn't even need gauze. If the photo hadn't been high-resolution, no one would have noticed the faint mark at all.

In the background, Elliot was cooking in the kitchen.

Veronica's caption read, "Thank you, Rowan and Elliot. You always drop everything to be with me when I'm at my lowest."

The comment section was flooded with praise and envy.

One person wrote, "I'm so jealous of you!"

Another comment read, "I heard you're struggling with depression. Stay strong and get better soon!"

Beside me, Adeline scoffed. "Well, trash belongs with trash. They're perfect for each other.

"Emmy, stop looking. This has nothing to do with us anymore. I've already contacted a lawyer to start drafting the divorce papers. Do you want to file for divorce together?"

I tore my gaze away from the screen and nodded.

…

It didn't take long for the divorce papers to be ready. By the time I received them, Veronica had already posted another update.

This time, the photo showed the food Elliot had prepared for her. The caption read, "Dr. Caldwell is an amazing cook. Everything he makes is delicious!"

Beside Veronica, a hand reached over to place food on her plate. I knew that hand far too well.

The finger, once adorned with a wedding band, was now bare. All that remained was a faint indentation where the ring had rested.

I pressed my lips together and blinked hard.

After signing the papers, I had a courier deliver them to Rowan's office.

I wanted to end things properly. So, when I saw that the package had been signed for, I called him.

Rowan seemed busy. I had to call several times before he finally answered.

But before I could speak, he launched into a tirade. His voice was sharp with anger as he yelled, "Emilia Reynolds! Are you out of your mind? What's the meaning of sending me divorce papers?

"Do you want a divorce? And you even sent them to my office! Are you trying to show everyone how jealous and unreasonable you are?"

My eyes stung with unshed tears. I had deliberately used the hospital's address on the package. All he had to do was glance at it while signing, and he would have known that I was still here. Yet, he didn't ask a single question.

I fought back tears and was about to speak when Veronica's sweet voice came through. "Ro, I really love this dress. But you didn't have to spend so much on me."

Rowan clearly hadn't expected her to speak.

A faint rustle followed, then he explained sharply, "Veronica liked the dress, so I bought it for her. Don't overthink it.

"Where are you right now? Come over and apologize to Veronica. She's sick, yet she's still worried about you. She's such a kind woman. Stop being so overbearing and be reasonable."

There was a smug edge to Rowan's voice as he spoke. It was as if the world would collapse around me if he didn't forgive me.