A few minutes later, Scott returned. Vanessa kept eating as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry, something came up at work. I gotta go," he said, stopping by the table.

"Okay." Flat. Detached.

She glanced up — caught it. Flushed lips. Smudged guilt. That kiss burned in her mind like a bad memory on repeat.

Must be a thrill, sneaking around while she sat right here.

Scott was already halfway out the door when Vanessa calmly set down her fork.

She reached for the necklace he'd given her.

Straight to the trash.

***

With just days left before her move to Italvia, Vanessa headed back to the hospital to wrap up work and kill time.

That afternoon, she got assigned to cover at a different branch. As her shift wound down, she found herself blocked in by a group of angry, stick-wielding troublemakers.

Shouts echoed through the lobby, the air thick with tension as they stormed in, yelling at the staff.

Vanessa instinctively stepped in front of her younger colleague. A stick came down hard, smacking her head. Pain shot through her, and warm blood ran down her forehead, making the mob freeze in shock.

Security and a few male doctors wasted no time, dragging the troublemakers out.

"Dr. Jahn! Are you okay? You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine," Vanessa said, brushing them off, though her head pounded, and the edges of her vision blurred.

As a colleague guided her toward the treatment room, they rounded a corner—and ran straight into Scott and Cindy.

The lobby seemed to fall silent as they locked eyes.

Scott was holding Cindy's handbag, while Cindy, practically glued to his arm, beamed up at him.

But the moment Scott saw the blood streaking Vanessa's face, his expression shifted. He dropped Cindy's bag and rushed over.

Cindy stumbled, barely catching herself, and glared at Vanessa.

"Vanessa! What happened? Are you hurt?" Scott's voice was full of panic.

Exhausted and irritated, Vanessa shot him a cold glance. "It's nothing. Don't concern yourself."

Before he could push further, one of her colleagues jumped in, giving Scott a quick rundown of what had happened.

Vanessa had no energy for this. She brushed past him, ready to leave, but Scott moved faster. He scooped her up and carried her to the treatment room without even sparing Cindy a glance.

The doctor patched up Vanessa's wound quickly, but while she got her shot, Scott stayed glued to her side. Cindy hovered by the door, arms crossed, refusing to budge.

The air was thick with tension.

"You can go now. I'm fine," Vanessa said.

Scott shook his head. "You're hurt. How can I just leave?"

Vanessa gave him a faint and tilted her head toward the door. "Don't keep her waiting too long. Standing there must be exhausting."

Scott glanced over at Cindy, just as a doctor approached with a piece of paper.

"Miss, here's your report. Make sure to come back for your next prenatal checkup on time," the doctor said.

Cindy plastered on a fake, cheery smile, snatching the report. "Thank you! I won't miss it."

Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Scott's face drained of color as his eyes darted nervously toward Vanessa. "She broke up with her boyfriend and found out she's pregnant," he said quickly. "She wasn't feeling well, so as her boss, I brought her here. Don't misunderstand, Vanessa."

Vanessa couldn't help it—she laughed. A dry, humorless chuckle. Cindy's face paled in response.

"You're such a thoughtful boss. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the father."

Scott forced a shaky smile. "Don't joke like that. I'm only interested in being the father of our child."

Cindy's expression twisted, her hand crumpling the report into a tight ball.

Vanessa shot Cindy a mocking smile.

In her head, Cindy was just another pretty girl who could probably do better if she put her energy into, you know, actual work instead of drama. But hey, if you didn't respect yourself, who else would?

Cindy caught the look and turned red with fury. Out of nowhere, she clutched her stomach and leaned against the doorframe, her voice all weak and shaky. "S-Scott, my stomach... it hurts..."

Scott turned at once, panic flashing across his face. Without hesitation, he jumped up and rushed straight to her, leaving Vanessa behind.

Vanessa just sat there watching as Scott scooped Cindy up and bolted to find a doctor. Cindy, despite looking like she was about to pass out, somehow found the energy to smirk at Vanessa like she'd just won.

Vanessa sighed, motioning for a nurse to come over and remove her IV. The rest of the meds? Yeah, not worth it. She wasn't sticking around for this circus.

As she stepped out of the hospital, her phone buzzed. Cindy, of course.

[Did you see that? Your boyfriend was freaking out over me. He's so scared for our baby. Face it, Vanessa—you're nothing to him.]

Attached was a picture of Scott, mid-freakout, grilling a doctor like the perfect concerned dad-to-be.

Vanessa didn't bother replying. She slid her phone back into her bag and walked away, alone.

***

Back home, Vanessa hadn't even settled in before Scott showed up, all frantic energy. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home? Done with the IV already? Are you still in pain?"

His concern? Fake.

It was disgusting.

Seven years. What had she even gotten out of it?

"I'm fine," she said. "Why would I need to let you know? You're so busy—always PERSONALLY taking care of things at work. Gotta look out for your employees, right?"

The sarcasm wasn't lost on him. Scott reached for her hand. "I was just worried, okay? She's pregnant and all alone. If something happened—"

"Totally." Vanessa nodded. "Pregnant and abandoned—that's rough. But I wonder... does the guy even know she's pregnant? Or was he just in it for the thrill? Men like that? They don't deserve to breathe. Karma's coming for them."

Scott froze, his forced smile barely holding up.

"Yeah... uh... let's not talk about her. I'm just glad you're okay. Don't go back to work for a few days. Our anniversary's coming up—how about we go out tomorrow? Spend some time together?"

Vanessa tilted her head, her voice honeyed with mock curiosity. "Aren't you worried about leaving her? You're really just... letting her handle everything herself?"

"She's got nothing to do with me. Why would I stick around her? You're my girlfriend—you're the one that matters."

Vanessa almost laughed out loud. If only Cindy could hear him right now. The king of liars, putting on a show.

That night, Scott actually stayed home—first time in forever. Vanessa didn't bother talking to him, using the classic "not feeling great" excuse to escape to bed early.

But Scott? He wasn't done. Keeping his phone close like a lifeline, he slipped out of bed once he thought she was asleep.

Vanessa got up quietly, padding to the door and listening through the crack.

"Be good," Scott murmured, his voice low and sweet. "I'll make it up to you, okay? That ring from Lora's you've been eyeing? I'll grab it. Just rest—you've had a rough day. I'll send someone to bring those pastries from Bellamy's in the morning."

Vanessa stifled a bitter laugh.

Seven years. Seven wasted years on this man.

What a joke.

***

The next morning, Vanessa sat at the table, barely touching her breakfast.

Scott noticed, his voice dripping with fake concern. "Not your thing? Just say the word, and I'll have them make whatever you want."

Vanessa looked up, locking eyes with him. "I want those pastries from Bellamy's."

Scott froze, his face doing that quick panic-flash before he plastered on a strained smile. "But... you've never liked their stuff."

"Switching it up isn't a bad thing," Vanessa said, stirring her coffee. "Keeps life interesting. Relationships too—spend too long together, and it's easy for things to feel stale."

Scott reached across the table, gently taking her hand. His voice softened. "Babe, are you feeling stressed? Or... maybe someone's been saying things to you?"

His grip tightened, just a little. "Look, other people's relationships might fall apart, but not us. What we have? It's different. We worked hard for this, and every day with you still feels fresh.

"Vanessa, don't overthink it. I'm not like those guys. I'm different."

His earnest act didn't land—it just made the bitterness in Vanessa's heart grow sharper. She slipped her hand away and gave him a faint smile.

"Let's eat. Didn't you say we were going out today?"

"Yeah, let's go."

***

Vanessa and Scott spent the morning wandering a high-end mall, with Scott keeping close and Vanessa playing her part. When they passed Lora's, the iconic luxury jewelry store, she slowed down, eyeing the display.

"Let's check it out," she said casually. "I heard they just dropped some new designs."

Scott nodded quickly. "Sure."

Inside, Vanessa's gaze went straight to a diamond ring in the center of the case. It had to be the one Cindy wanted.

Scott slid an arm around her waist, leaning in. "See anything you like?"

Without hesitation, Vanessa pointed at the ring. "I want that one."

For a split second, Scott froze. Then he smoothed it over with a too-casual laugh. "I don't think that's really your style. How about this necklace instead?"

"I don't want the necklace. I want the ring."

Vanessa's tone was firm. She was deliberately pushing, just to see how far he'd go.

Scott's face twitched. He struggled to keep his composure—he'd promised Cindy that ring less than 24 hours ago.

"What's wrong?" Vanessa asked, teasing. "Don't want to buy it for me?"

Scott forced a laugh. "Of course not! If I'm not buying it for you, who else would it be for?"

He waved at the sales associate to take the ring out, but then, as if struck by a sudden thought, turned to Vanessa. "Babe, I'm feeling kind of thirsty. Could you grab me a drink?"

"Sure."

Vanessa knew exactly what he was trying to do, but she played along.

When she returned with a juice, Scott greeted her with a look that screamed guilty.

"Sorry, babe. The sales associate accidentally dropped the ring, and it broke. How about we pick something else?"

Vanessa's grip on the cup tightened until her knuckles went white, but her face stayed calm. She smiled faintly. "No problem. It's fine."

In the end, she picked a necklace instead. By the time they got home, she used the first excuse she could think of about being tired and went straight inside. Scott didn't even stick around, leaving almost immediately.

Not long after, her phone buzzed. A message from Cindy.

Attached: A photo of her wearing the diamond ring.

[Vanessa, this ring is mine. He lied to you just to keep me happy. You're pathetic.]

Another message popped up seconds later:

[Oh, and I heard he got you a necklace? That ugly thing? Yeah, I rejected it. Even a dog wouldn't wear it.]

Vanessa's hand clenched around the phone as she stared at the messages. Her reply was cool, sharp.

[Trying to prove you're important through me? Cute, but it won't work. If you really want to win, get Scott to leave me and marry you. What's wrong? He won't? Looks like you're the pathetic one.]

The reply came fast.

[You shameless woman! What are you even smug about? He WILL leave you! I'm carrying his child. Do you really think you stand a chance?]

Vanessa could almost feel Cindy's rage bleeding through the screen. It only made her smirk. Tossing her phone onto the couch, she headed to the study.

The anniversary gift she was putting together for Scott kept growing—a box packed tight with screenshots.