After being Nelson Jackson’s devoted simp for five years, Sarah Paterson became pregnant.

Just as she was excitedly waiting for him to propose, Nelson had a change of heart when his high school sweetheart returned from studying abroad.

Sarah didn't fight to keep the relationship. Instead, she went straight to the hospital, had an abortion, and immediately agreed to the arranged marriage her family had set up with a business partner's son.

But Nelson came to regret his decision. He begged Sarah to keep his child, but she only gave him two words in response.

"Too late."

"Dad, about the arranged marriage... I need to think about it for a while."

Sarah Paterson clutched her pregnancy test results, her voice heavy.

Her father's dissatisfied tone came through the phone, "What's there to think about? Has that good-for-nothing boyfriend of yours sweet-talked you again?"

"If you don't want the arranged marriage, fine. Bring him to Sunday dinner this week so we can meet him. Good or bad, you should at least let us know who he is. It's been three years—he's been stringing you along, never meeting your parents, never mentioning marriage. What kind of relationship is that?"

Sarah responded quietly to her father's words. "I'll ask him."

Her father grunted, "Decide quickly. If he really can't find time to meet us, take him to Uncle Richard’s house. I'll have Richard and Nelson check him out. They've been looking after you all these years in the Brookshire. If they think he's decent and you truly love him, I won't stand in your way."

Sarah paused, unsure what to say.

After a moment, she replied, "Uncle Richard would probably approve."

After all, the man was his own son, Nelson Jackson.

As she finished speaking, the bedroom door opened. Sarah instinctively hung up the phone.

She looked up and met Nelson's eyes.

Nelson raised an eyebrow, his handsome face breaking into a smile. "What would my dad approve of?"

As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around Sarah, his warm breath against her skin making her curl into his embrace.

"About us being together," Sarah replied, watching anxiously for his reaction.

Nelson continued kissing her, his voice husky. "You were talking to your dad again just now?"

Sarah nodded.

His large hand gripped her waist. "Did you tell him about us?"

Sarah lowered her eyes. "Didn't you want to keep it private?"

"Silly, of course I want everyone to know. But our families are old friends. Your dad spoils you, while mine is strict. If they found out I swept you off your feet when you'd barely come of age, they'd probably tie me up and beat me."

Sarah stopped his wandering hand and cautiously asked, "So if I were pregnant now, would you come home with me to meet our parents?"

Nelson looked surprised. "Are you pregnant? Weren't we always using protection? How could you suddenly be pregnant?"

Seeing his reaction, Sarah felt a twinge in her heart. She avoided his approaching lips and said, "No, I was just asking hypothetically."

Hearing this, Nelson tightened his grip around her waist, laid her on the bed, and took out a white pill.

Sarah knew it was birth control.

He stroked her hair gently and said, "Be good. Now isn't the time for us to have children. Take this. I'm going to shower—wait for me."

Watching his back as he entered the bathroom, Sarah looked at the pill in her hand and tossed it into the trash can.

Once again, she hadn't gotten an answer from him.

He wouldn't marry her, it seemed, even if she had his child.

Perhaps, from beginning to end, she was just a tool for his bedroom needs.

Sarah first met Nelson five years ago at the Paterson family dinner. He had come with Uncle Richard to attend the event.

At eighteen, Sarah had fallen for Nelson almost at first sight, captivated by his rugged handsomeness and striking good looks.

Later, to see Nelson more often, she defied her parents' objections and moved to Brookshire, a thousand miles from home, to attend college.

Since her father and Uncle Richard were friends, and worried about Sarah living alone in Brookshire, her father specifically asked Uncle Richard to help look after her.

Uncle Richard then assigned this responsibility to Nelson.

Originally, they had little connection—Sarah was busy with school, and Nelson was immersed in his relationships. They were merely acquaintances who occasionally exchanged greetings.

Then, on Sarah's twentieth birthday, Richard asked Nelson to deliver her birthday gift. At Sarah's birthday party, Nelson somehow got extremely drunk.

Unable to contact Nelson's girlfriend, Sarah had no choice but to take him back to his apartment herself.

She should have left after dropping him off.

But unexpectedly, the intoxicated Nelson grabbed her and wouldn't let go.

By the time Sarah realized what was happening, Nelson had pinned her to the bed and taken her without restraint.

The next morning when Sarah woke up, Nelson stared at her with his dark eyes and said, "Stay with me from now on, be my woman?"

Sarah had interpreted his "stay with me" as dating, and inexplicably nodded in agreement.

Later, she learned that Nelson had been drinking that night because his girlfriend was leaving the country. He had used Sarah to vent his emotions.

Initially, Sarah had trouble accepting this, but afterward, Nelson treated her well—he was attentive, caring, and accommodating to her needs.

The years since had passed peacefully enough.

But now, with her graduation approaching, her father was pressuring her to return home for an arranged marriage, which she had refused.

She had considered telling her father about her relationship with Nelson, but whenever she asked Nelson about going public, he would change the subject.

Now, having just confirmed her pregnancy, she had wanted to test his intentions, but he seemed to have skillfully avoided the topic again.

The phone rang—it was Nelson's. Sarah was about to answer when Nelson emerged from the bathroom.

She casually handed him the phone, but Nelson gestured for her to answer it.

Sarah swiped to accept the call and put it on speaker.

A male voice came through, "Nelson, are you here yet? Everyone's waiting for you."

Sarah set the phone aside and went into the bathroom.

Nelson, toweling his hair dry, responded with a short, "Got it."

Then he hung up.

When Sarah came out of the bathroom, she saw Nelson adjusting his shirt in the mirror and applying hair gel—something he rarely did.

Noticing Sarah watching him, he smiled. "Do I look more handsome like this?"

He was naturally good-looking, and with just minimal effort, he could charm anyone. Sarah nodded, "Very handsome."

He gave her a quick hug. "I have something tonight. Need to go out, so I can't stay with you."

With that, he turned and left.

Watching him walk away, Sarah touched her stomach, her feelings complicated.

Lying in bed, Sarah couldn't fall asleep. After tossing and turning, she picked up her phone and started playing games.

After a few rounds, a message from Nelson suddenly popped up on her screen.

[Had too much to drink. Come pick me up. Golden Pavilion Club, Room 401.]

He got drunk so soon after leaving? Sarah frowned but didn't think much of it. She grabbed her jacket and headed out.

Nelson getting drunk wasn't unusual—she'd picked him up before. But this time was much earlier than usual. The alcohol must have been strong.

The address wasn't hard to find. Sarah quickly arrived outside Room 401 at the club.

She was about to push the door open when a conversation from inside froze her in place.

An overwhelming bitterness rose in her heart.

"Nelson, now that Lucy Leedon is back from abroad, what do you plan to do about Miss Paterson?"

"What can he do? She's just a bedmate. You don't expect our Nelson to make her his official girlfriend, do you?" One of Nelson's friends spoke up, his tone full of contempt.

Someone disagreed and defended Sarah, "You shouldn't say that. Miss Paterson has loyally stayed with Nelson for three years. She seems to love him deeply."

"Hah!" someone else scoffed. "Love? So what? Nelson's heart belongs entirely to Lucy. Otherwise, why would he visit Lucy's college every time he went on a business trip, even though he was with Sarah? After breaking up for so long, he still thinks about her..."

"Enough," Nelson frowned, cutting the person off. "Can't the alcohol shut your mouth?"

The speaker laughed awkwardly and said no more.

"Aren't you going in?" A gentle female voice came from behind her.

Sarah turned around and met Lucy's mocking eyes.

Lucy Leedon—Nelson's girlfriend from three years ago who had gone abroad. Or more accurately, his ex-girlfriend.

In an instant, Sarah understood who had sent her that text message.

Clearly, this ex-girlfriend hadn't called her here to pick anyone up.

Pressing her lips together, Sarah looked at Lucy and replied calmly, "No, since he's not actually drunk, I won't disturb your gathering."

Without lingering a moment longer, she left the club and returned to the apartment alone.

That night, Sarah barely slept. Her mind kept replaying the conversation she'd overheard. So for these three years, whenever he went on business trips that lasted weeks, it was to see Lucy?

Still thinking about her after breaking up so long ago—what did that make Sarah these past three years?

A tool for his physical needs when he felt lonely? Or a pet that came whenever called?

No wonder he was unwilling to tell their parents about their relationship. The person he wanted to marry had never been her.

Three years. Her youth and her genuine feelings had merely been his entertainment.

The next morning.

Sarah dialed the number for the women's health clinic.

The phone rang twice before someone answered, "Hello, Southside Women's Health Clinic.

"I'd like to schedule an abortion.

"As soon as possible."

The nurse who answered the phone was clearly surprised, probably because she hadn't seen anyone so eager for an abortion before. But she didn't ask too many questions—just inquired about some basic information and told Sarah to come to the hospital for an examination first.

Sarah's nose stung with emotion as she nodded. "Okay, I'll come as soon as possible."

"Where are you planning to go?" The bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and Nelson walked to the bedside reeking of alcohol.

Sarah quickly hung up the phone and shook her head slightly. "Nothing. Have you been drinking all night?"

Nelson grunted in agreement, casually unbuckling his belt and removing his alcohol-stained clothes.

As usual, he tried to embrace Sarah, but she instinctively moved away. He frowned. "What's wrong? Do I smell bad?"

Sarah shook her head. After a sleepless night, she felt dizzy. She got up from the bed only to be pulled into Nelson's arms.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his lips lightly grazing her earlobe as he asked in a hoarse voice, "Going out soon?"

"Yes," Sarah replied, avoiding his hot breath.

He seemed not to notice her resistance. His hand rested on her waist, pressing her body against his. "Meeting a friend?"

"No," Sarah was exhausted and didn't want to talk further. She pushed him away and said, "I'm going to take a shower."

With that, she hurried into the bathroom. Watching her retreating figure, Nelson felt something was different about her.

When she came out after her shower, Nelson was already sound asleep on the bed. He must have drunk too much last night—he didn't even stir when his phone vibrated beside him.

Sarah glanced at the phone screen. The caller ID showed "Lucy."

She wasn't going to answer, but the caller persisted. Sarah finally accepted the call.

Before she could speak, a flirtatious female voice came through. "Nelson, did I disturb your rest? I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciated you staying with me last night. I was so happy."

"If you were that happy, why did you let him come back?" Sarah spoke without emotion in her voice.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by Lucy's sharp voice, "Sarah? Why are you answering? Where's Nelson? Put him on."

Glancing at the deeply sleeping Nelson, Sarah responded coldly, "He can't come to the phone right now. Next time, Miss Leedon, when you keep him overnight, try harder. That way he won't come back with energy to spare for me before he can finally sleep."

"Sarah, have you no shame?" Even through the phone, Sarah could sense Lucy's face reddening with fury.

Not wanting to hear Lucy's unpleasant words, Sarah simply hung up.

Looking at Nelson sleeping beside her, Sarah eventually tore her gaze away.

After a long moment, she silently apologized to the child in her womb.

She needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

Her appointment was scheduled for the afternoon. With plenty of time, Sarah decided to clear out everything that belonged to her from the apartment. Three years together had left too many traces of memories.

During those three years, to make them feel more like a couple, she had gradually filled their small apartment with matching items—matching slippers, pajamas, cups...

Nelson didn't like these things she bought. Sometimes he even found them annoying, thinking she was being fussy.

Back then, she always thought that with time, he would get used to it and accept it.

Now she realized that all these years, she had been forcing her wishes on him.

There were quite a lot of belongings, and Sarah made several trips to throw everything into the dumpster downstairs.

After dealing with all these items, Sarah returned to the apartment. Nelson had woken up at some point and was waiting by the door, his dark eyes watching her. "Where did you go?"

"Throwing out trash," she replied, walking past him into the bedroom.

Noticing that quite a few things were missing from the apartment, Nelson looked puzzled. "You threw out that much?"

"Things I don't need anymore, naturally I got rid of them," Sarah answered casually, her expression unchanged.

Nelson nodded, not making much of it. "Fine. If you don't like the old stuff, throw it out and we'll buy new things."

The rumbling sound of the garbage truck came from downstairs as it carried away the several boxes of items Sarah had discarded.

She glanced down briefly before looking away. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Nelson's handsome face smiling at his phone.

Sarah had always known that Nelson was a cold person. He rarely smiled, and when he did, the smile never reached his eyes.

But now, his smile was genuine—Sarah could tell immediately that it came from the heart.

Was it Lucy on the phone?

Most likely.

She tightened her hand at her side and said, "Nelson, do you have time later?"

"What is it?" Nelson didn't look at her. His eyes remained fixed on his phone, seemingly absorbed by whatever message he had received.

Sarah pressed her lips together. "I need you to come with me to the hospital. I'm pregnant and planning to get an abortion..."

Her words were drowned out by Nelson's ringing phone.

Nelson got up to answer the call. When he returned and saw Sarah staring at him intently, he finally seemed to snap back to attention. "What were you saying just now?"