Lucy pressed her hands together and made a wish over the candles on the cake. "I hope that every year from now on, Nelson will celebrate my birthday with me."

After saying this, she gazed at Nelson with tender affection and asked softly, "Nelson, is that possible?"

Nelson looked at her adoringly and agreed without hesitation. People around them started chanting, "Kiss, kiss..."

After watching the video, Sarah let out a small laugh.

So this was why he had rushed to leave the hospital early and blocked all messages—to celebrate Lucy's birthday?

Sarah wanted to laugh at herself. Even though she had seen through everything, she still couldn't help considering his feelings when problems arose.

How ironic.

The next day, Sarah woke up very early.

Nelson came through the door and seemed surprised to see her sitting up in bed, playing with her phone. "You're up early today?"

Sarah made a small sound of agreement and silently got out of bed, heading to the bathroom.

Nelson watched her go, somehow feeling that her gaze toward him was unusually detached.

He found it strange.

Following Sarah to the bathroom door, he hugged her from behind, resting his head on the back of her neck. He pulled an elegant box from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Open it," he said with a smile.

Sarah didn't look at the box. After washing up, she slipped out of his embrace and left the bathroom.

Seeing her indifferent expression, Nelson paused, then opened the jewelry box himself and placed it in front of her. "That bracelet you kept mentioning—I had it custom-made. Do you like it?"

Sarah, drying her face, glanced at it and nodded. "It's nice."

Her response was so perfunctory that Nelson was momentarily stunned. Taking her hand, he asked, "Why aren't you happy? Is it because I didn't tell you about my discharge yesterday? The company suddenly had something urgent, so..."

"Yes, I understand," Sarah interrupted, pulling her hand away.

Her behavior was so unusual that Nelson suddenly felt uneasy. He suggested, "You've been running back and forth taking care of me while I was in the hospital. Let me take you out for a while."

Sarah wanted to refuse—she needed to go to the hospital to reschedule her procedure and had no time to go out with him. But Nelson didn't give her a chance to speak. He simply found some clothes for her to wear and took her out.

All day long, he accompanied her shopping, bought her jewelry, specifically took her to see the most popular movie, and even made reservations at her favorite restaurant.

Sarah's feelings were complex. She couldn't understand what he was thinking.

Wasn't Lucy the only one in his heart and mind? Why was he suddenly treating her this way?

After shopping, Nelson took her to the Golden Pavilion Club.

In the past, he had only called her to pick him up when he was drunk—he had never brought her along to meet his friends.

Today, however, he brought her with him. In the private room, he even made a point of introducing her to his friends.

"Well, look at that! Nelson has finally decided to bring his little girlfriend out for us to meet. How rare!"

Someone else chimed in teasingly, "Such a formal introduction—could wedding bells be in the air?"

Nelson, with his arm half around Sarah, replied, "Cut the chatter. Get your wedding gifts ready. You guys will be the first to know when I tie the knot..."

Halfway through his sentence, the door to the private room opened. It was Lucy.

Nelson's words caught in his throat, and his expression suddenly changed.

Lucy looked at the two of them, smiled, and walked in. Looking at Nelson, she said, "Nelson, you're getting married? When? Make sure to send me an invitation. Don't forget."

Her unexpected appearance seemed to catch Nelson off guard. He removed his arm from around Sarah and replied awkwardly, "Marriage is still a long way off. No rush."

Sarah wasn't oblivious. She noticed Nelson's strange reaction when he saw Lucy.

She glanced briefly at his withdrawn arm, then calmly looked away.

Sarah wasn't familiar with Nelson's friends and sat by herself, out of place with everything around her.

As everyone drank and played games, getting into the spirit of things, someone suddenly brought the conversation back to Sarah. "Since this is the first time Nelson's ever brought his girlfriend to hang out with us, why don't we all drink a toast with her?"

His suggestion was met with enthusiasm. Everyone raised their glasses toward Sarah.

Sarah's first instinct was to refuse—after all, she was pregnant. But seeing everyone looking at her, she pressed her lips together, picked up the glass with its modest amount of alcohol, and prepared to take just a small sip.

Unexpectedly, Lucy filled her glass to the brim and looked at her with a gentle smile. "We're all Nelson's best friends. What's the point of drinking together like that? Why don't each of us toast to Miss Paterson individually?"

"That's right. This is the first time Nelson's brought you here. To show our sincerity, I'll toast to you first," George said, raising his glass and approaching Sarah.

Sarah pressed her lips together. She hadn't expected Lucy and George to put her in this position. Her eyes instinctively sought out Nelson.

Nelson smiled lightly and raised his glass. "I'll drink with you."

Her heart sank. Her hand unconsciously moved to her stomach as she frowned and said, "I'm not feeling well today. I shouldn't be drinking. I'll use water instead to toast with everyone."

Nelson frowned and was about to speak when Lucy suddenly said with a smile, "Since Miss Paterson can't drink, I'll drink for her. Come on, it's been a long time since I've seen you all. Let me drink a round with you."

As she said this, she filled her glass and was about to drink when suddenly, the glass was snatched away. Nelson frowned, his tone dissatisfied. "You can't drink during your period, Lucy. Don't you have any common sense?"

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the room heard him. All eyes turned to him.

Sarah kept her eyes lowered, the hand on her stomach clenched tightly. She gripped so hard that her fingers turned slightly white.

"After all these years, you still remember even this?" Lucy asked with feigned embarrassment. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the downcast Sarah with a hint of triumph.

Perhaps realizing his reaction had been excessive, Nelson picked up his glass and said to his friends, "I'll drink with you all."

With that, he downed the drink from Lucy's glass in one go. The group immediately started teasing them. Though no names were mentioned, their suggestive glances bounced between Nelson and Lucy, their meaning crystal clear.

Sarah wasn't a fool, nor was she blind.

Finding it hard to breathe, she got up and went to the restroom.

Standing at the sink, she looked at her pale face in the mirror and couldn't help but laugh bitterly at herself. She really knew how to make herself suffer.

Lucy's reflection appeared in the mirror as she approached and stood beside Sarah. She unhurriedly turned on the faucet and smiled. "I've been gone for three years. I thought Nelson would have forgotten me, but he's still so attentive—he even noticed when I was on my period."

Sarah had no patience for her nonsense.

As she turned to leave, Lucy blocked her path. After looking Sarah up and down, Lucy sneered, "I thought you were my replacement, but now I see you're just a tool for his physical needs."

Sarah looked up at her, her expression cold. Suddenly she let out a short laugh, then her face darkened as she raised her hand and slapped Lucy hard across the face.

"Smack!"

Lucy was stunned. After a moment, her face contorted with rage as she lunged at Sarah. "How dare you hit me? I'll finish you!"

Though Sarah had been well-protected by her family, her father had enrolled her in martial arts classes from a young age—partly for fitness, partly for self-defense.

Almost effortlessly, she gained the upper hand, and Lucy received several more slaps to her face.

But Sarah didn't escape unscathed—Lucy had pulled out chunks of her hair, leaving her looking disheveled.

The commotion in the restroom grew too loud. Just as Sarah had Lucy pinned down and was raising her hand to strike again, someone stopped her.

Sarah turned her head to see Nelson standing there, his face cold.

Before she could speak, Nelson yanked her away and helped Lucy up from the floor.

Almost instantly, Lucy's tears fell as she collapsed into his arms, sobbing quietly.

"Nelson, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have appeared in front of you again. Then Miss Paterson wouldn't have attacked me just because you remembered my cycle. I should stay far away from you..."

Despite saying she should stay far away, her arms held him tighter than anyone's could.

Looking at Lucy crying uncontrollably in his arms, Nelson's face darkened terribly as he glared angrily at Sarah.

Before he could speak, his friends started accusing Sarah.

"Miss Paterson, no matter what, you shouldn't resort to violence. Lucy is our friend too. You're being completely unreasonable."

"Exactly. What happened between Lucy and Nelson is long over. You're being too petty holding onto it like this."

"..."

Listening to the chorus of hostile remarks, Nelson glared at Sarah and said coldly, "Sarah, apologize to Lucy."

Sarah laughed bitterly. He hadn't even asked what happened before believing Lucy's version and deciding it was her fault.

Taking a breath, Sarah gave a cold smile. "If you want me to apologize, keep dreaming."

As she tried to leave, Nelson blocked her path. His face dark, brows furrowed, he said, "Sarah, what's happened to you? I wanted to bring you to meet my friends, and this is how you act? First you make a scene about not drinking, now you're jealous of Lucy and attacking her. You're being so childish."

"I'm being childish?" Sarah laughed in disbelief. "Why don't you ask me why I hit Lucy? She was the one who first—"

"Ouch, my hand..." Lucy winced, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Nelson. "Nelson, I think my hand is injured. It hurts so much."

Learning she was hurt, Nelson's expression turned anxious. Ignoring Sarah completely, he carried Lucy out, rushing to the hospital.

Watching them hurry away, Sarah felt a sharp pain in her chest. It took a long time for her to recover from the mixture of hurt and humiliation.

Pushing back her tears, she left the club and took out her phone to call a taxi.

Only then did she realize how far they were from the city center. None of the ride-sharing apps were finding drivers willing to take her request.

Nelson had already driven off with Lucy.

As for the others, when they passed Sarah, they all seemed to have agreed to ignore her completely.

Sarah thought about asking one of them for a ride, but no one acknowledged her.

She knew it was because of Lucy—they were getting back at Sarah for her.

Unable to get a taxi, she began walking home on foot. All around was silence except for the howling of the bitter wind.

Sarah had underestimated both her physical condition and the night's cold. After walking for who knows how long, she began to feel a dull pain in her lower abdomen. At first, she could just barely endure it, but gradually it became so intense she could hardly take another step.

She knew if she kept walking, something serious would happen.

Fighting through the pain, she clung to her last shred of hope and called Nelson.

Having spent years in this city focused solely on him, she had no other friends to turn to.

He was her only option.

The phone rang several times but kept getting disconnected.

Blood had begun to appear where she sat huddled on the ground. Sarah panicked and, hands trembling, dialed his number again.

Just as she was about to give up hope, the call connected.

"What is it?" Nelson's impatient voice came through.

"Nelson, help me. I'm pregnant, and I think I'm bleeding..." Her voice was hoarse as she tried to control her panic.

But before she could finish, the man's cold voice cut her off.

"Pregnant? Is this your way of apologizing?" His tone grew icier. "Sarah, that's a terrible excuse. Come up with something new next time."

Apologizing? An excuse?

Sarah's heart sank. He actually thought this was her way of apologizing?

"Nelson, I've finished washing. Can you blow-dry my hair?" Lucy's flirtatious voice came through the phone.

Sarah felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. All the words she wanted to say deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Beep, beep..." The call disconnected. Sarah clutched her phone tightly as pain and despair washed over her.

In the end, it was a passerby who took Sarah to the hospital.

At the hospital.

The doctor cautioned her to be careful with the pregnancy, explaining that the first trimester was the most critical time.

After thanking the doctor, Sarah lay in the hospital bed, reflecting on everything that had happened the previous night.

She had thought Nelson taking her shopping, buying her gifts, and introducing her to his friends meant he truly cared for her and wanted a future together.

But now it all seemed laughable. No matter how sincere he pretended to be, when Lucy appeared, he could abandon her without a second thought.

She shouldn't have had expectations, and she certainly shouldn't have pitied him or wanted to give birth to what would be his only child.

After resting in the hospital for a few hours, her father called.

"My precious daughter, what are you up to? Why haven't you responded to my messages? By the way, what's your ring size? Your mother and I saw a beautiful ring we want to buy for you."

Sarah checked her messages and indeed, her father had sent her many texts, mostly about the arranged marriage. The last one asked for her ring finger size.

After reading the messages, she felt a headache coming on. With the pregnancy and her feelings for Nelson now dead, she had no interest in thinking about an arranged marriage.

Sighing, Sarah replied reluctantly, "Dad, forget about the arranged marriage. If I ever agree to it, I'll call you right away. Stop trying to show me wedding rings. I—"

"Wedding rings? What wedding rings?" Nelson suddenly appeared.

Almost instinctively, Sarah said into the phone, "Dad, something's come up. I'll talk to you tonight."

With that, she hung up.

Nelson frowned at her. "Sarah, you didn't tell your father about us, trying to force me to marry you, did you?"

As he continued, his expression grew increasingly annoyed. "Haven't I told you that what happened between Lucy and me is in the past? Why are you always so suspicious and unreasonable? About going public, I've told you we'll do it when the time is right. You—"

"I didn't tell my father anything," Sarah interrupted, looking at him coldly. "The ring is a golden anniversary gift he's buying for my mom. He asked for my opinion."

Nelson was taken aback, then visibly relieved. Seeing Sarah's unhappy expression, he softened his tone. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just don't want our original plans disrupted. Don't overthink it. About last night, Lucy isn't holding a grudge, but you did hit her..."

"Are you finished?" Sarah cut him off, her patience exhausted. She didn't want to exchange another word with him and just wanted him gone.

All she needed to do now was schedule the procedure, pack her things, and go home.

Seeing her cold demeanor, which even revealed hints of disgust, Nelson furrowed his brow, assuming she was still upset with him.

Knowing he couldn't comfort her right away, he decided to wait until her mood improved.

But before he could leave the room, a nurse called from outside, "Family of Miss Sarah Paterson, please come collect the patient's pregnancy test results."

By the time Sarah tried to stop the nurse, it was too late.

Nelson froze, his body stiff for several seconds before he turned to look at her.

Before he could ask, the impatient nurse placed a series of report forms in his hands and left.

Seven weeks pregnant, with a fetal heartbeat.