2

I hurriedly took leave and searched everywhere for my wife's whereabouts.

Half the day had passed, and I was filled with unease, as if something important was slipping away quietly.

With no results, I could only walk home dejectedly, hoping my wife had safely returned home.

Passing by the garden downstairs, I faintly heard a familiar voice and followed the sound.

Under the dim streetlight, Evelyn was sitting on a bench with a man.

I was about to speak when I saw the man's hand touch my wife's belly.

"Evelyn, does it still hurt?"

"The doctor said the baby was a boy and very healthy! I didn't expect you to go to such lengths for me!"

Hearing this, a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in my heart, like a sharp stab.

"It doesn't hurt, Noah! As long as I can be by your side, I can endure any hardship!"

"It's just an unformed child, it's gone now. After all, it wasn't your child!"

"Noah, once I recover, I'll immediately give you a healthy son!"

The man was extremely moved and couldn't help but embrace the pale Evelyn.

In their deep affection, they moved closer, their lips meeting in a tender, passionate kiss...

But I felt like I had suddenly fallen into an icy river, my body weak, with a sharp pain in my chest.

That man was Noah, Evelyn's first love.

In the past, Evelyn was very delicate, even a small bruise would make her complain for a long time.

Now she had aborted our child for him and even promised to have his child.

She didn't mind the hardships of pregnancy. She just didn't love me and didn't want to carry my child!

I stepped forward, pulled them apart, and punched the man in the face.

Evelyn seemed to wake up suddenly, got up, and stood in front of Noah.

"Quinn, are you crazy?!"

"If anything happens to Noah, I won't forgive you!"

My sorrowful gaze gradually lowered to her once slightly swollen belly, now flat.

Now I understood Evelyn's resolute reason. I was nothing but a joke.

For five years, I loved Evelyn so much.

Now, seeing Evelyn harm my child for another man, how could I not be furious?

"Evelyn, don't forget, you are my wife!"

At this point, sadly, I had only the legal title left to protect my pathetic dignity.

Noah was special to Evelyn. She had always thought about him.

Now, just by coming back, Evelyn couldn't wait to abort my child and be with him.

Evelyn's face grew even paler as she turned slightly and smiled at Noah.

"Noah, you go back first! I'll deal with him!"

Then she turned back, coldly blocking me from moving forward.

Noah sneered at me before turning and disappearing.

Evelyn turned and went upstairs by herself.

She opened the door, bent down holding her belly, and changed her shoes.

Watching Evelyn's shaky body, a trace of heartache involuntarily passed through me.

I gritted my teeth, my hands at my sides clenching and unclenching, finally taking a step to help her.

But she dodged away, passing by me and wearily collapsing on the sofa.

Her hand habitually touched her belly, but it was no longer the roundness she expected.

She paused, changed direction, and rubbed her tightly knit brows.

"Evelyn, why?"

"Quinn, let's divorce!"

We spoke at the same time.

Her voice was soft, but to my ears, it was deafening.

3

I used all my strength to suppress my anger and resentment.

I closed my eyes, calming my fury, and after a long while, forced a word.

"Why?"

Evelyn finally raised her head to look at me.

Her eyes were large, and her pale face made them appear even deeper.

"I can't abandon him."

As soon as she spoke, her tears fell like broken beads, burning my heart with pain.

I loved Evelyn, loved her to the bone.

But Evelyn was always indifferent to me. Her smiles were faint, and even her anger was faint.

She rarely showed any emotional fluctuations towards me.

I thought it was just her cold personality, but now I realized she simply didn't care about me.

"Quinn, Noah... he only has one year left."

So what? What did that have to do with me and my child?

"You know, he's an orphan. He just hopes to have someone who loves him by his side in his final days."

"I can't bear for him to be forgotten by the world after he dies. I want to have a child for him, to continue his bloodline."

She kept talking, but my heart grew colder inch by inch.

"I only found out today that Noah left me back then because my mom forced him to."

"His career was improving, and he was at a crucial point for promotion, but he left for my sake."

"He hasn't had a good life these years, and now he's come back just to see the person he loves before he dies."

"He has sacrificed so much for me. I can't bear to let him be alone anymore."

"I want to give him a home, I want to have a child for him."

This was absurd. What did she think I am!

My heart was being trampled. Every word she said was like a slow death to me.

"Your love is so amazing and touching that my child and I have to be its sacrifice?"

A trace of guilt flashed across Evelyn's face, so quickly it seemed like an illusion.

"Quinn, you're different. You're still healthy. We have a lot of future ahead of us!"

"It's just one year. Wait for me for a year."

"After a year, if Noah... I'll come back to you with the child."

"You love children so much, you will definitely love me and Noah's child too, right?"

Ha, I felt like laughing in anger.

Had I been too accommodating over the years, so much so that she forgot I was also a normal man, a man with dignity?

She openly cheated on me during our marriage and still expected me to care for her lover's child.

Was I just a big fool?

The room felt stuffy, and I took a deep breath.

"Evelyn, what if I don't agree to the divorce?"

She was stunned, her expression momentarily bewildered. Perhaps she had never considered that I would refuse her request.

After all, in the five years we had been together, I had always complied with her wishes.

She thought for a moment, as if making a firm decision.

"If you don't agree to the divorce, I'll still move out and live with Noah, and have his child!"

"Quinn, I'm just going to be with Noah for a year. We'll still have a long time together afterward!"

"You love me so much. Don't make a fuss and put me in a difficult position, okay?"

Now, if I didn't agree to the divorce and fulfill their wishes, I was the one being unreasonable.

4

At that moment, I finally couldn't control my temper any longer.

I stared at her, like a sulking child.

"Evelyn, you can dream about getting a divorce!"

"I'll make sure your child remains an illegitimate one!"

With that, I slammed the door and left.

I didn't want to stay any longer, not for a moment.

I was afraid I'd do something I'd regret in my anger.

I needed to calm down, and I needed to give Evelyn time to calm down too!

It was late at night, and it began to drizzle, with almost no one on the streets.

Thinking back on my deep love, I never expected it to be trampled like this.

Evelyn and I were neighbors.

My parents were often away on business.

Evelyn's mother, Grace Harris, was a housewife. Seeing me alone often, she always warmly invited me to eat at their house.

She would often joke with me.

"Quinn looks like he has a bright future. How about becoming my son-in-law when you grow up?"

As a child, I couldn't resist her kindness. I often ate at their house, and Evelyn was indeed sweet and endearing back then, always following me and calling me "Quinn."

So, deep down, I felt I should take responsibility and take good care of Evelyn.

To realize my goal and give Evelyn a happy life, I spent day and night in the lab and hospital, interning.

What I didn't know was that while I was busy and unable to accompany her, she had fallen for someone else.