Damari and I were college sweethearts. From the beginning, his parents disapproved of us. The idea of "social class" seemed like an insurmountable barrier between us. Damari's family was wealthy, and he had been pampered since childhood—used to a life where his every wish was fulfilled.

The only setbacks Damari faced were because of me. First, during our early days, when I was distant and reserved, he fell for me—the introverted woman with a complex family background. Then, although he loved someone else, he ended up trapped in a marriage with me because of a child I used as leverage.

I clearly recall holding up the pregnancy test to pressure him into marriage. The pain in his eyes was unmistakable: "Harlee, you set me up."

Back then, I was determined to ensure no one found happiness. With a bitter smile, I defiantly replied, "Damari, just admit it."

Eventually, Damari gave in, whether out of guilt or obligation. Either way, I got what I wanted. When Nora heard the news, she tried to take her own life. While Damari left me to be with Nora in the hospital, I went in for a procedure to end the pregnancy.

As the cold instruments invaded my body, I recalled the stormy night when Damari's parents summoned me for a confrontation. The moment Damari found out, he was anxiously waiting outside my dorm, rain and wind beating down on him, turning the ground to mud. His nose was red from the cold wind, and when he saw me, there was a misty look in his eyes. He approached carefully and whispered, "Harlee..."

I responded with a simple "hmm," and he tentatively grasped the edge of my coat, softly asking, "Do you still want me?"

When had this pampered young man ever been so dejected?

As I walked out of the hospital, I ran into Damari, who was holding a takeout container. I smiled at him, and he cautiously stepped forward, as if expecting trouble. "Harlee, what more do you want?"

"Nora can't handle any more stress right now. Let's discuss this at home. Please, don't make a scene."

He then ushered me away from the hospital. The rough pull made me cry out in pain, but Damari seemed oblivious to my distress, continuing to drag me along.

I was taken aback. Did he really care for her that much? I hadn't even spoken a word, just smiled. Yet he assumed I'd cause harm.

Defiantly, I shook off his hand and headed towards the nurses' station, loudly asking for Nora's room number. Damari quickly covered my mouth, his breath tense with a warning: "Harlee, that's enough."

His eyes were filled with frustration, every feature of his face accusing me of being unreasonable. I thought, he truly loves her. Enough to ignore my visible weakness, enough to stand against me without hesitation.

I bit him hard, but he kept my mouth covered, refusing to let go. I stomped on his foot out of spite, and he let me. I struggled against him, and he only tightened his grip. It wasn't until I was exhausted and fainted from anger that he finally realized something was wrong.

Blinding white filled my entire vision as Damari Ross sat by my bedside, chain-smoking.

“You hate me that much,” he murmured, his eyes red as if he'd been crying.

He stared intently at my belly. “You even went so far as to harm our child.”

In that moment, fueled by hatred, I wanted nothing more than to hurl the most venomous words at him. Isn't it true that you only feel the pain when it’s your own skin?

“Yes, Damari, I wanted to hurt him to get back at you,” I shot back.

His voice shook. “Why involve the child in our issues?”

Why indeed?

I wanted to ask the same question. But instead, I said, “If you and Nora hadn’t been tangled up together, he wouldn’t have died. It's you who are responsible. You and Nora.”

“Harlee…” Damari’s voice rose sharply, cutting me off. “Leave Nora out of this. She didn’t know anything.”

God, how I wanted to laugh when I heard that. Even now, he was protecting her.

I looked at him. “Damari, can’t you see how blind you are? Do you think Nora doesn’t know she's hurting me? Or that she’s oblivious she's playing the other woman?”

Damari’s frown deepened. “Harlee, stop being so confrontational. There’s nothing between Nora and me.”

Confrontational? I stared at the man before me, whose harsh words seemed foreign. He was a stranger now.

I looked at him and sneered. “Damari Ross, your hypocrisy is sickening. Both you and Nora deserve…”

His body jerked, then he suddenly gripped my shoulders and laughed. “Harlee, do you understand the consequences of what you’ve done?”

Consequences? All I wanted was to tear him and Nora apart.

I glared at him. “I, Harlee Gilbert, can handle any consequence.”

My words made his face flush, and he breathed heavily. We were like two wild animals on the edge, watching each other intently, eager to tear into one another.

Then he pulled me into an embrace, and suddenly, we were like lovers in the heat of passion. He whispered softly in my ear, “Harlee, did you know? I was planning to start over with you once I ended things with Nora.”

He paused, as if remembering something, and then added cruelly, “But you’re not worth it.”

Each word dripped with his hatred. “Don’t worry, I won’t divorce you. I want you to watch as Nora and I thrive, to feel the torture while you remain Mrs. Ross.”

In the silence of the room, I seemed to see a seventeen-year-old Damari, timidly tugging at my sleeve, “Harlee, will you still want me?”

“Okay.”

Alright, Damari Ross, I’ll want you, but don’t ever make me regret it.

The sorrow was like a dull knife, relentlessly cutting into my heart. The pain was excruciating. Yet, I embraced him back, and I heard myself say quickly and softly, “Then I wish you both a love as strong as steel, inseparable till death.”