I laughed in exasperation. "Apologize? Why should I apologize? You were the one who left me alone on the highway in the middle of a downpour!

"You knew my stomach was hurting, yet you still dumped me there. And now, you have the nerve to ask me to be reasonable?"

I added, "Don't worry. As long as you sign the papers, I'll make space for you right away. Then, you can buy as many dresses as you want for Veronica. It has nothing to do with me. I won't get in your way."

I didn't want to speak to Rowan anymore. Just as I was about to end the call, his furious voice erupted through the phone.

"Are you out of your mind, Emilia?" he roared. "I only bought the dress for Veronica because she was sick! Little things like this were meant to cheer her up. But you're pregnant and fat as a pig! What dress could possibly fit you?

"I put a roof over your head, pay for everything you eat, and you're still not satisfied? So what if I didn't take you to the hospital? You seemed perfectly fine. Fine enough to send me divorce papers from your hospital bed!

"What? Cat got your tongue? Let me warn you. You can act out all you like, but don't drag Adeline into this. If Elliot divorces her because of you, I won't let it go. Do you hear me?"

The more Rowan spoke, the more worked up he became. His voice turned colder by the second, and my chest twisted in pain.

Before I knew it, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

He was a psychiatrist himself and knew that I was emotionally sensitive during pregnancy. But now, he called me fat and told me I didn't deserve to wear nice clothes in front of Veronica.

I had carried his child. Moreover, I had gained weight to make sure I could take good care of our baby.

Yet, in his eyes, this had become my greatest sin.

Beside me, Adeline couldn't take it anymore. She snatched the phone from my hand and screamed into it, "You useless jerk! Who the hell do you think you are, insulting Emilia? I hope you and that home-wrecker Veronica are stuck with each other forever! May you rot together!"

I watched as she hung up, a wave of pain crashing over me. My chest clenched tightly, and I couldn't stop myself from crying aloud.

…

Adeline and I stayed in the hospital for a full two weeks. During this period, we didn't receive a single call or message from either of the Caldwell brothers. It was as if we had been forgotten.

Veronica, on the other hand, was never without the two of them at her side.

Rowan and Elliot—both workaholics—had set everything aside to travel with her, indulging her in anything she wanted to do.

I saw Rowan, who had always been terrified of heights, ride roller coasters with her. He even went bungee jumping by her side.

On Veronica's social media, she was always flanked by the two brothers, smiling radiantly. In every photo, Rowan looked at her with a tenderness I hadn't seen in a long time.

Meanwhile, Elliot used his carefully tended hands to prepare a seafood feast for her, even though he was allergic to seafood.

The comments on her posts were flooded with praise and envy.

Adeline and I sneered as we scrolled through post after post. Veronica's carefree, radiant smile was a sharp contrast to our pale, miserable faces.

I rubbed my eyes, feeling them sting with unshed tears. Then, I dialed Rowan's number again.

"Have you signed the divorce papers? If you keep refusing, I'll take this to court."

Rowan retorted, "Emilia, are you serious? You're pregnant and haven't come home in two weeks. You even blocked me! What exactly do you want? I'm a doctor. I'm busy, so don't make things harder for me."

"Busy? You mean busy traveling, hiking, and telling Veronica bedtime stories?" I shot back.

Bitterness spread through my chest, and my heart clenched with agony.

Rowan was taken aback. After a pause, he spoke again, guilt creeping into his voice. "Veronica is my patient. Everything I do is for her recovery. A doctor always puts the patient first. Can you stop treating this like a competition?"

I scoffed. "Don't worry. I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow. After the divorce, do whatever you want. We'll never see each other again."

Having said that, I ended the call and blocked his number again.

…

Early the next morning, Adeline and I arrived at the courthouse, only to see someone unexpected. It was Veronica.

She wore a white dress, and I recognized it instantly. It was the one Rowan had bought her. After all, she had posted photos of it on social media to show it off.

Before Adeline or I could get a single word in, Veronica's eyes glistened with tears. Her throat tightened, and her expression faltered. It was hard not to feel sorry for her.

Then, she walked up to us. Her voice was heavy with grievance as she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know things would come to this.

"I have no one to rely on in this world, and they're the only ones who show me kindness. But don't worry. I won't come between you guys. I even told them to apologize. I just didn't expect them to ignore me."

Her words sounded sincere on the surface, yet every sentence she spoke carried a subtle hint of triumph.

By then, Adeline was shaking with fury. She tried to speak again and again, but I stopped her each time.

Then, I turned to Veronica and replied, "It's fine. We'll be divorced soon. After that, do whatever you want. Even if you all move in together, we won't say a single word."

With that, I turned to leave, unwilling to waste my breath on her.

Out of nowhere, Veronica grabbed my wrist.

Instinctively, I tried to shake her off. But before I could do anything, she released her grip.

Veronica fell heavily to the floor. Her bag went flying, and her knees scraped raw against the ground.

I froze for a moment, still trying to process what had just happened.

Just then, an angry shout rang out. "Emilia! What do you think you're doing?"

In the next instant, someone shoved me hard in the shoulder. If Adeline hadn't grabbed me in time, my head would have slammed straight into the pillar beside me.

When I returned to my senses, I saw Rowan holding Veronica in his arms, soothing her gently.

"Emilia, apologize to her!" he demanded, his voice edged with anger as his expression darkened.

Almost immediately, his gaze fell on my stomach. Panic flashed across his face, and his voice shook uncontrollably as he asked, "Emilia… w-where's our baby?"

At that moment, Elliot arrived. His first instinct was to look at Veronica, sprawled on the floor.

Just as he was about to snap, he saw Adeline and me. Then, he froze.

A moment later, he grabbed Adeline by the shoulders.

"Addie, your stomach… Where's our baby?" Elliot asked, trembling all over.