I lost the baby.

My tears had already run dry when the doctor broke the news to me. My body was already worn out from the last few years I spent working and grinding alongside Vincent. It was only by consuming countless medications that we conceived this child.

But now, it seemed that the child had no intention of coming to this world.

Vincent approached my bedside, his face devoid of the grief that came with losing a child. It was as if the child had nothing to do with him. He patted my hand lightly and said indifferently, "Don't be too sad about this. I'm sure we'll have another child in the future."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at his cold and hardened expression.

At that moment, Queenie appeared. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she blamed herself. "It's all my fault. Maeve would still be fine if it weren't for my cat…"

Vincent immediately turned to comfort her gently, "Don't say this. You had nothing to do with this, and the cat's innocent, too. Don't be too hard on yourself."

He spoke in a gentle tone, like he was soothing a frightened child, yet not a single sincere word of comfort came from him, even after we'd just lost our baby.

A nurse came over and reminded us softly, "A miscarriage can take a huge toll on the body. Mrs. Harper, you'll have to stick to a nutritious diet and take things easy for a while. Don't overwork yourself."

Only then did Vincent appear to remember something. He turned to ask Queenie, "You didn't eat much earlier, did you? I'll take you out for a meal."

I lay on the bed, my fingers slightly trembling. In the end, I couldn't help tugging on the hem of Vincent's shirt and saying feebly, "I'm hungry, too."

He frowned and said impatiently, "It's not like you can leave the room. Order takeout for yourself."

Under normal circumstances, I would have gotten into a huge fight with him and demanded that he explain his mistreatment of me. But this time, I simply let go of his shirt and did not argue with him.

He seemed to sense that he'd crossed the line, for when he spoke again, it was in a much gentler tone. "I'll get you some food later."

I made no reply and simply closed my eyes.

Queenie was already urging him, "Come on, Vincent. I'm starving! Let's go already."

Vincent paid me no mind after that and left the hospital room with Queenie.

I dozed off, falling into a deep slumber. When I woke up, the room was still empty. With some effort, I eased myself upright and reached for the stack of love coupons I kept in my coat pocket, which had been hanging beside me.

I couldn't remember when I'd started bringing the coupons everywhere I went, but the stack had only gotten thinner since then. I tore a coupon off the stack and stared at the remaining two, my heart growing cold.

I picked up my phone and called Mom.

"Mom, I want a divorce," I said in a voice so calm that even surprised me.

My pronouncement obviously stunned Mom. "What's wrong? Vincent was so serious about you that even I was moved by his dedication! Why do you suddenly want to divorce him?"

I did not explain in detail and only said softly, "I'm tired."

Mom was silent for a moment, but supported my decision nonetheless. "Very well. I'll help you get the papers ready."

After hanging up, I leaned against the bed, my heart as hollow as an abyss. Just then, Vincent pushed the door open and entered the room. Panic was written all over his face as he demanded, "I just heard you say you wanted a divorce. What was that about?"

I looked up and met his gaze. I calmly and smoothly lied, saying, "My friend's getting a divorce and wanted to talk to me about it."

He heaved a sigh of relief, and a smile curved his lips again. "You scared me for a second there."

As he said this, he handed me the carrier bag he'd been holding. "Here, I got you takeout from your favorite Erilean restaurant."

I took the bag and felt my heart skip a beat. The Erilean restaurant he mentioned was my favorite food joint. I wasn't a fan of spicy food and loved the milder flavors of the food there.

In the past, whenever I wanted food from the restaurant, Vincent would get it for me without hesitation.

I opened the bag, only to find that most of the food inside was heavily spiced—judging by the diced red peppers and the eye-watering smell. They were not from the Erilean restaurant.

I gaped at Vincent in shock. "What's with the food?"

He awkwardly explained, "I got the takeout before taking Queenie for Kalmerian cuisine, but she took a few bites and had such a hard time coping with the spice that I switched her food with yours. You can handle spice, so I'm sure you won't mind having some of it anyway."

I stared at him with disbelief as if I were looking at a stranger.

He must have felt slightly guilty because he added quietly, "I'll just use another coupon. I've got 20 of them left anyway. Don't be mad."

I lowered my head, my fingers clenching the remaining coupons as I felt my heart turn into a frozen lake. No, he had no idea he was left with only one coupon after saying this.

I ordered takeout, which was delivered to the hospital. At that moment, Vincent jogged down the corridor to take a call. I could hear him speaking on the phone in intervals. "She can handle spice really well, so don't worry."

I used to dislike spicy food, but Vincent loved it. I did my best to adjust for his sake, though I never thought he'd believe I could actually handle it well.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine… Yes, I know your stomach's sensitive. We won't be having spicy food from now on…" I heard him say.

My hand shook as I gripped the spoon. In the past, Vincent had specially brought me to sample various spicy cuisines just so I could get used to his palate. Whenever the spice was too much and I turned red from eating it, he'd laugh and hand me a glass of cold water. He'd then reassure me gently, "Take it slow. You'll grow to like the spice one day."

I stopped listening to his phone conversation with Queenie and dejectedly ate my meal. My tears wouldn't stop falling, and my food became saltier with each bite.

Vincent's collaborator hosted a baby shower for his son, and Vincent brought both Queenie and me along.

Halfway through the party, Queenie suddenly cried in alarm and pointed at the pool. "My necklace! It fell into the pool!"

Her voice cracked with an oncoming sob, and her eyes were red around the edges.

At once, Vincent crossed over to her and looked down at the pool. He was about to seek out the maids for help when Queenie clutched his arm, her voice trembling as she said, "Vincent, that necklace was a gift from you. What if the maids don't handle it carefully and end up breaking it?"

Vincent's brows drew together. His gaze swept across the edge of the pool and finally landed on me. He approached me and said hushedly, "Help Queenie retrieve the necklace."

I fixed him with a stare that seemed to ask, "Why should I?" The weather at the beginning of spring was already cold, to begin with, and the pool water was freezing. Moreover, I'd just miscarried not long ago, and my body was so feeble that even walking was difficult.

However, Vincent's gaze on me was unyielding, and he even mouthed the words, "Love coupon."

A chuckle escaped me then. I lowered my head to hide the tears rolling down my cheeks, shrugged off my jacket without hesitation, and headed straight for the pool.

The crowd threw surprised looks at me. Someone tried to stop me. "Mrs. Harper, the water's too cold, and your body hasn't completely recovered yet. Don't go in the pool!"

Vincent merely watched impassively, saying nothing.

I took a deep breath and jumped into the pool. The icy water swallowed me, the stinging cold biting my skin and chilling my bones. My limbs practically turned numb.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself to swim toward the necklace and scooped it up with trembling fingers.

When I hoisted myself up over the pool's edge, completely soaked, Vincent immediately took a towel and draped it over me. His voice was laced with concern as he said, "Dry yourself, honey. I don't want you catching a cold."

I tossed the towel aside and shot him a withering look.

He pulled me into his arms and murmured, "Don't be angry. I'll buy you your favorite Erilean food when we get home. And don't be too hard on Queenie. She's had it rough for the last few years."

I stopped listening to him and smacked his arm away, leaving to change out of my wet clothes. Inside the changing room, I was still shaking from the cold even after I'd changed clothes, and my face was shockingly pale.

I was about to leave when Queenie cut me off. She was toying with the necklace I'd retrieved from the swimming pool, a trace of contempt and disdain shining in her eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work." She chuckled, her tone full of mockery. "But this necklace means nothing to me now."

With that, she tossed the necklace into the trash bin beside us, her movements light and carefree as if the trinket were nothing more than junk.

I stared at her, my heart tightening painfully. However, I was too drained and weak even to speak.

But Queenie had no plans to let me leave just yet. She stepped forward and eyed me defiantly, goading me. "You know what? I will always have a special spot in Vincent's heart. You can try all you want, but you'll never mean as much to him as I do."

I looked down, not wanting to listen to her anymore. I turned to leave.

Angered by my lack of response, Queenie shoved me. It wasn't a hard shove, but I was already weak. My body swayed, and I quickly dodged to the side.

Queenie hadn't expected me to dodge. She lost her footing and fell. She screamed as she hit the floor, landing on her bottom.

At that moment, Vincent burst into the changing room. His face darkened when he saw Queenie on the ground. He hurried over to her and crouched to help her up, his voice full of concern as he asked, "Are you alright, Queenie?"

Queenie clutched his arm, her eyes turning red with tears as her voice cracked. "I'm fine, Vincent… It's just that… Maeve… She… I didn't think she'd do this…"

Vincent looked up at me, his eyes full of anger and disappointment. "How could you do this? Queenie only came here to apologize to you, and you pushed her? When did you become so petty and cruel?"

I opened my mouth to explain, but my throat hurt so much that I couldn't make a single sound.

Meanwhile, Queenie continued adding fuel to the fire, her voice so soft that one would believe she was the victim. "Vincent, don't blame Maeve. Maybe I said something that rubbed her the wrong way just now…"

Vincent's expression grew grim when he heard this. He rose to his feet and eyed me frostily. "You're not going home until you've apologized to Queenie today."

I stared at him and felt the last flicker of hope in me extinguish. I looked down and chuckled lightly, then left without so much as a backward glance. I heard Vincent's furious shouts and Queenie's sobs, but I didn't care.

When I got into the car, Mom called to inform me that the divorce papers were ready.

I returned home and packed up my things. Just as I was about to leave, Vincent called me. While answering the phone, I accidentally knocked the rose quartz bracelet he'd crafted for me against a hard surface, causing it to crack and shatter into pieces.

I gaped at the rose quartz fragments littering the floor and felt an inexplicable rush of relief. Perhaps it was for the best that the bracelet shattered. It was long overdue, much like the end of our marriage.

On the other end of the line, Vincent sounded anxious. "Why did you take so long to pick up? Listen, I'll overlook the fact that you hurt Queenie today. I know I haven't been giving you much attention recently, so I plan to take you out on a date to help you unwind, and we can just talk."

I snorted, my voice devoid of warmth as I said, "No need for that, Vincent. You've used up all the love coupons. Let's get a divorce."

For a few seconds, there was only silence on the other line. Then, Vincent demanded frantically, "What are you talking about? I've still got 20 or so love coupons, don't I?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I slowly said, "Didn't you know? You used the last one when you asked me to jump into the pool."