At my mother's funeral, my fiancé, Matt Moore, arrived with Kayla Wood to pay his respects.

In front of everyone, he announced that our engagement was over. He was going to marry Kayla instead.

As the whispers and laughter of the crowd swirled around me, Zach Hayden, my childhood friend, suddenly knelt on one knee and proposed. He said he had loved me for many years.

Moved by Zach's sincerity, I accepted his proposal.

For three years after our marriage, I remained childless. Each time the topic came up, Zach would reassure me gently that it didn't matter. As long as he had me, that was enough.

But not long after, I overheard a conversation between him and the family doctor.

"Mr. Hayden, I've prepared the contraceptives as you instructed. Should I continue giving them to your wife?"

His voice was cold and detached. "Yes. Don't stop. Marrying her was nothing more than a convenient arrangement. In my heart, only Kayla is worthy of being the mother of my child."

So, this marriage I thought was filled with happiness was nothing more than a carefully crafted lie.

Since he never loved me, I no longer wanted him either.

"I've prepared the contraceptives as you instructed. Should I continue giving them to your wife?" the family doctor asked.

Zach's voice was cold and detached. "Yes. Don't stop. Marrying her was nothing more than a convenient arrangement. In my heart, only Kayla is worthy of being the mother of my child."

There was a hint of tenderness in his expression, shadowed by regret. "Victoria's mother passed away. I gave up my marriage to protect Kayla. Even if it means I'll never become a father, I'm willing to accept that. In my heart, no one can replace Kayla—not even a child born to me and Victoria."

The doctor hesitated. "But long-term use of this kind of contraceptive can harm a woman's body. Even if she stops taking it, conceiving might become impossible."

For a moment, a trace of conflict flickered through Zach's eyes—brief and fleeting—before resolve hardened his expression.

"It doesn't matter. I'll take care of her for the rest of her life."

I stood outside the study door, my entire body numb. It felt as if I were barefoot in the snow, the chill seeping through my skin and settling deep in my bones.

He didn't notice me.

Somehow, I dragged myself back to the bedroom, but once inside, my strength failed. I collapsed onto the floor, as if the weight of everything had finally crushed me.

For three years, I had no children. I always thought the problem lay with me—my health had been fragile since childhood. I tried everything, including folk remedies, some so nauseating they made me want to vomit. But nothing worked.

I felt guilty. Yet, Zach always reassured me, saying it didn't matter if we had no children—having me was enough.

To keep me from suspecting anything, he never used protection. Every time, he let me believe the fault was mine.

In his eyes, my health and my ability to bear children were never as important as Kayla's happiness.

"Victoria, why are you sitting on the floor?"

I looked up to see him entering the bedroom, his face filled with concern as he hurried to lift me into his arms.

"It's nothing," I said, forcing a faint smile. "I just felt a little dizzy."

It wasn't a lie. Over the past year, dizziness had become a frequent visitor.

He gently massaged my temples. "I wish I could take the discomfort away from you. Seeing you like this makes my heart ache."

"You need to take better care of yourself," he added, his voice soft. "Here, drink some warm milk. It'll make you feel better."

The sight of the milk brought a sharp, stabbing pain to my heart.

Every time we were intimate, he would bring me a glass of warm milk afterward. I once thought it was a sign of his love, his way of caring for me.

Now, I realized it was nothing more than the disguise of an executioner.

"I feel a little nauseous. I don't want any," I said.

He pinched my nose playfully, but there was an edge to his tone that left no room for refusal.

"Be good now, Victoria. Milk helps with calcium and sleep. Just drink it. You'll feel better when you wake up."

His insistence was gentle but unyielding. He pressed the glass against my lips, leaving me no choice but to take it.

'Zach, do you truly have the heart to rob me of the right to be a mother? Can you really watch me struggle—swallowing every bitter remedy, hoping against hope—without feeling even a shred of pity?'

Swallowing my despair, I closed my eyes and drank the milk in one long gulp.

Sleep came slowly. But just as I drifted off, a wave of nausea surged through me. I stumbled to the bathroom and vomited until the world spun around me.

Zach hurried to call the family doctor, but I stopped him.

"Sometimes dizziness leads to nausea," I said. "Maybe it's because I skipped breakfast. It's nothing serious."

His tense expression softened slightly. Without another word, he lifted me gently back onto the bed and carefully tucked the blanket around me.

Watching him move with such tenderness, it was hard to reconcile this man with the cruel things I had overheard. If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I would never have believed he could be so skilled at pretending.

I closed my eyes and pretended to fall asleep. From the bathroom, I heard his low voice over the phone.

"Kayla, don't worry. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you at any cost."

When he emerged, he found me awake. For a fleeting moment, surprise flashed across his face before he recovered, offering me a smile.

"Something came up at the office," he said. "Get some rest. I need to head out."

I nodded, watching him leave. The moment the door shut behind him, I got out of bed, dressed quickly, and went straight to the hospital.

The waiting felt endless. I was terrified that I might be wrong—that all my suspicions were just paranoia. But I was even more afraid that the contraceptives he had been secretly giving me had harmed the child growing inside me.

When the results finally came, my hands trembled as I held the report. Tears spilled down my cheeks, unstoppable.

I was pregnant.

My fingers shook as I told the doctor about the contraceptives. His expression turned serious. "It's too early to determine the baby's health," he said, "but if you're already pregnant, it means this child is meant to be. Do your best to protect it."

That night, while Zach was in the shower, I opened his laptop.

The password didn't work at first. I tried several combinations before something occurred to me. I typed in Kayla's birthday.

The screen unlocked instantly.

A folder on the desktop was encrypted. I entered her birthday again. It opened without hesitation, revealing hundreds of photos—all of her.

Each image was a dagger to my heart. Kayla smiling. Kayla asleep on her desk. Even a blurred photo of her back. Every moment of her life seemed to be a treasure he had carefully collected and preserved.

Zach, Matt, and I grew up together. They were like knights by my side, always there, protecting me as I grew.

Then, when I was fifteen, Kayla transferred to our school and became my friend.

What once was the three of us walking together to and from school became four. But slowly, the pace began to change. Zach, Matt, and Kayla walked faster, leaving me behind. No matter how much I tried to catch up, the gap widened.

It wasn't that I couldn't keep up. It was that the knights I once knew had found someone else to love.

I picked up Zach's phone and checked the banking app. The passwords, unsurprisingly, were all linked to her birthday.

His transaction records were tangled and complicated, but two regular transfers stood out. One was a monthly payment of thirty thousand dollars—to Kayla. The other was a smaller sum, transferred without fail on the last day of each month. I noted down the account numbers and took photos of the transfers and the images on his computer.

Out of curiosity, I tried sending a small amount of money to the second account. A name popped up—a woman's name I didn't recognize.

I deleted our wedding photo from my phone's lock screen. That night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling until the first light of dawn crept through the curtains.

When morning came, I splashed cold water on my face in the bathroom. My phone alarm rang, and Zach, still half-asleep, reached over and turned it off.

"Victoria," he asked casually, "why did you change your wallpaper?"

I glanced at him, my expression unreadable. "You always said happiness doesn't need to be displayed. Since you never take photos with me, I figured there was no point in keeping it as my wallpaper."

He rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. "Love is something you carry in your heart. As long as we know, that's what matters."

A cold smile curled my lips. "But if you never say it, how can anyone be sure who you love?"

My words seemed to catch him off guard. He tilted his head, watching me closely.

"Honey, you're talking strangely today," he said.

I laughed softly. "It's nothing. You should get going. Don't you have an important meeting today?"

Still puzzled, he brushed it off and moved toward the door. As always, he laid out breakfast for me, then kissed my forehead before leaving.

"Call me if you miss me," he said with a smile.

I nodded, watching him walk away. I didn't bother tearing off the mask of his hypocrisy—not yet.

I reached out to my lawyer friend, Lily Parker and asked her to print two copies of the divorce agreement.

Lily hesitated for a moment, as if weighing her words.

"Victoria, about your mother's death… Something just doesn't sit right with me."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It all went too smoothly, didn't it? I had already planned how to fight the case if the culprit refused to confess." She paused, her brows knitting together. "But then he suddenly turned himself in. Sure, there was evidence, but it still feels too convenient—like something's off."

My heart clenched. A vague suspicion stirred within me, as if scattered fragments were beginning to form a clear line.

"Lily, can you help me trace an account?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I can't do that, but I know a private investigator who might be able to help."

Something unseen pulled me forward—a feeling that the truth was close, just out of reach, waiting to be exposed.

With the divorce papers in hand, I went to Zach's company.

The moment I stepped inside, I caught fragments of conversation drifting from the employees gathered near the entrance.

"Is she one of Mr. Hayden's friends? I heard she just returned from abroad. Honestly, I think she suits him better."

"I agree. She's so elegant—way more refined than his wife."

"Did you see her handbag? It's covered in diamonds. I can't even imagine how expensive it must be."

On the top floor, I stood outside his office. Through the door, I recognized his voice immediately.

"Kayla, it's been a month since I last saw you. I keep wanting to find an excuse to visit, but…"

"I know," Kayla answered. "I've been busy preparing for pregnancy. Matt doesn't like me going out alone."

"Is that so?" His voice faltered, laced with disappointment. He forced a chuckle. "You're going to be a mother—congratulations."

"Thank you," she said, her voice carrying a hint of laughter. "And about what happened three years ago… I couldn't have gotten through it without you."

"That's all in the past. As long as you're happy now, nothing else matters. I know you didn't mean to hurt anyone," he said

Kayla laughed softly, the sound curling at the edges. "You always said you'd be my knight, protecting me forever. I'm truly touched. Though, if Victoria knew, she probably wouldn't be too happy about it."

Even in casual conversation, she always managed to paint herself as the victim—as if she had endured unimaginable hardship while casting me as the villain.

But beneath her words, I caught something—three years ago.

Three years ago, my mother died in a hit-and-run. Shortly after, Kayla left for an overseas program. And then Zach proposed to me.

That was when everything began to fall apart.

My thoughts raced, pieces falling into place, yet I kept my composure as I pushed the door open.

Zach looked up, startled to see me. "Victoria? What are you doing here? You should be resting at home."

I smiled faintly, my gaze drifting to Kayla. "Just checking if my husband's office has anyone—or anything—that shouldn't be here."

Kayla flinched slightly, about to speak, but I turned away before she could.

"I called because I missed you," I said, keeping my tone light. "But you didn't answer."

Flustered, Zach grabbed his phone. Two missed calls from me flashed on the screen. I noticed how the ringer was still set to silent—he must have muted it while entertaining Kayla.

"Victoria, I didn't mean to ignore you," he said hurriedly. "I—"

"Wow, you keep such a close eye on Zach," Kayla cut in, her voice dripping with faux innocence. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "A man needs a little freedom, don't you think?"

"Thanks for the advice," I replied coolly. "But some men—no matter how closely you watch them—you'll never know what they're really thinking."

Zach grew more anxious. He rushed toward me, grasping my hand tightly. "I'm not like that," he insisted. "We're all friends—me, you, and Kayla…"

I smiled faintly, watching his panic with detached amusement. He wasn't worried about my feelings—he was worried about how I might retaliate against Kayla.