Noticing the nervousness in her eyes, I reached out to comfort her. "There's no need for that anymore. Let's go home."

On the way back, Lilia was furious when she heard the whole story. She wanted to turn back to tear Gordon's wedding apart.

However, I stopped her. After all, I would prefer to end our seven years of relationship with dignity.

Lilia's heart ached for me. "Gordon promised to give you the best of everything when he proposed! To love you, protect you, and care for you for the rest of his life!

"And now he's humiliating you with another woman? He's going to hell!" she exclaimed furiously.

My chest tightened, and my face grew paler by the second. Still, I could not utter a single word. I had no family, so I lived with Gordon for seven years.

I met him when I was 18. He told me there are tons of men in the world with more money and power than he, but no one could ever lay a finger on me unless he was dead.

When I was 22, I had just graduated from university. His company was not ready, he said. He could not promise me a wedding and begged me to wait a while longer. He swore to achieve success as fast as he could and marry me.

When I was 25, he finally made it. His company was finally about to go public. He got down on one knee before me and proposed.

"Sandra, thank you for staying with me through everything. Will you marry me? I promise you will never have to suffer again.

"I would never let our child go through that either," he said with a smile brighter than the sunshine.

At that moment, I was touched to tears. But now, here I was, walking away in my wedding dress with his baby inside me and nothing but the cold wind at the back of my neck.

The sweet memories of the past felt like venom in my veins. It hurt more with every step, but I felt nothing. Deep down, I knew we were over.

The abortion was scheduled for tomorrow. I went straight to bed when I got home. I gave the baby in me a final goodbye before forcing myself to sleep.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, I felt someone gently holding my feet in their hands, massaging my sore ankles. As I opened my eyes, I saw Gordon at the foot of the bed, clearly drunk. He held a bottle of massage oil and massaged my feet just like he had always done.

When he noticed I was awake, he moved closer, guilt written all over his face. He bent down and whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry, babe. What happened today was my fault.

"I should have double-checked everything. I could only let Bianca play along in order not to embarrass ourselves in front of all our business partners.

"I know this is too much… I'm sorry. I know how much this wedding means to you and how much you have put into it, but please don't be upset. I promise you a bigger and grander wedding, okay?"

With a blank face, I said nothing. That was when he panicked suddenly.

"You're still mad about Bianca? There's nothing between us, I swear. She got pregnant before marriage, and no one was around to help her.

"That's the only reason I went to the doctor with her. Sandra, you're going to be a mother soon. Please don't get worked up. It could harm the baby, okay?"

In front of his concerned expression, I could not help but give out a cold laugh. "So, you still remembered we had a child."

"What do you mean? Of course, I would remember," Gordon said as he pulled out an emerald brooch and handed it to me.

"Look, I chose this brooch just for you right after the wedding. It's shaped like a pea pod, and the emerald within symbolizes our baby. Isn't it beautiful?

"Sandra, you and our baby are the most important people to me. No one else matters more," he comforted me with sweet words.

Indeed, he cared a lot for our baby. He had fully involved himself in everything but just had no time to accompany me to the checkups. Still, he would follow up at once.

I could feel how much he cared, but I could tell how much he cared for Bianca, too.

I did not move. "Have you thought about our breakup yet?" The moment I said it, his expression darkened, like I had flipped a switch.

"What's that supposed to mean? I bought you a gift and apologized sincerely. You're still not over it, are you?"

Upon seeing me nod expressionlessly, he frowned deeper. "Sandra, I've been more than patient with you. Do not try to threaten me with this.

"With you carrying my child, who else would ever want you if we broke up? At least think about the baby. You wouldn't want your child to be born without a father, would you?"

His phone lit up before I could reply. It was from Bianca. "Mr. Abbott, my stomach's been feeling weird. Can you come over to my home?"

He noticed that I saw the message. His voice tightened as he rushed to explain.

"She's been running up and down for you during the wedding. She's pregnant and lives alone. I'll have to check on her to make sure she's okay. You stay put and calm down, okay?"

Then, he left with hurried steps. Maybe he was afraid that I would bring up the breakup again, or he was worried about Bianca. Either way, he left without a sliver of hesitation.

I lost all interest in sleeping. I was just about to pack my bags when my phone lit up.

"So what if you get to marry Mr. Abbott? The one he truly cares about is my child. I've won now, and my child would surely come out on top, too.

"Whose baby do you think would be born first? Which one do you think Mr. Abbott would love more?"

I stared at the message, my grip tightening. I blocked the number and sent screenshots of the message to Gordon.

…

The next morning, the scheduled abortion went successfully. The baby I had longed for was gone in less than two months.

It hurt more than everything Bianca had ever done—going near Gordon without any boundaries, more than him choosing Bianca over me every time.

I forced my weak body up and walked out of the hospital, holding the medical report in my hand.

Right at that moment, I saw Gordon walking out of the OB/GYN wing, gently supporting Bianca on her way out. They were laughing, chatting like a married couple.

Bianca spotted me first. She smiled tauntingly, like she had already won. Then, feigning her fluster, she quickly let go of Gordon's hand.

"Sandra…" she called out softly in my direction.

Upon hearing my name, Gordon's head snapped up. He removed his hands from Bianca's shoulder immediately.

"She was not feeling well in the stomach yesterday, probably due to our wedding. I'm just here for a checkup. Please don't misunderstand."

I glanced at Bianca. Her skin was glowing and perfectly healthy. Then, I looked at Gordon's worried face. I did not know if he had seen my message. Maybe he had, but it did not matter any longer.

"What amazing benefits your company has. The CEO would even take his assistant to her doctor's appointments," I exclaimed.

Bianca rushed over and grabbed me by my wrists. "Sandra, please don't misunderstand. It's all my fault.

"My stomach hurt yesterday, and there was no one else I could ask. I could only beg Mr. Abbott to come with—"

Before she even finished speaking, she twisted my arm and threw herself backward, letting out a loud cry.

Her stomach hit the floor with a sickening thud. She curled up in agony, her whole body in immense pain.

"Bianca!" Gordon's expression changed instantly. He shoved me aside and rushed toward Bianca to lift her up. His voice cracked with fury.

"Sandra, you want to take it out on me, fine. But she's pregnant like you! How could you shove her like that? What if something happened to her?"

Tears welled in Bianca's eyes as she started to defend me. "Please don't blame her. It's my fault for losing balance. If I'd stayed further from her, this wouldn't have happened."

The more she explained, the darker Gordon's expression grew. "Sandra Zimmer. Apologize now!"

"She faked her fall." My stomach twisted in pain as I steadied myself. His shove had nearly sent me crashing to the floor.

"I never even touched her. It was all an act by her. What do you want me to apologize for?"

Gordon clenched his teeth and asked, "You mean she's willing to risk her unborn child just to lie about you? You're going to be a mother soon. Do you think that's possible?"

I stared at him silently, watching him defend another woman.

"Why would I do as you told? I've already told you last night, we're over." I was glad that we had not signed the marriage license yet. There was no need to file for a divorce.

His anger boiled over, darkening his expression even further. "Sandra! You're the one at fault, not me.

"You don't get to end this. You're going to handle all of Bianca's checkups at the hospital today!

"That Lilia or whoever, she has a startup, right? You're her friend. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see all her money go down the drain, right?"

I looked at him disbelievingly. "Are you threatening me?"

"You started it first, and let's not forget how I supported you for years. Everything you have was given to you by me. You do not get to walk away until I say you can!" His expression was still as dark as ever.

My heart felt like it had been pierced with thousands of needles.

He was the one who told me to quit my job to stay at home to prepare for the pregnancy. And now, because he supported me for a year, I was not allowed to even ask for a breakup. I was expected to help his mistress and play nurse to her and her bastard child.

It was absurd and utterly humiliating. I clenched my discharge papers in my hands and met Gordon's cold eyes. "Fine."

Bianca gave me a smug glance before turning to Gordon with a concerned look. "Sandra's still pregnant. It would be too much for her to run around all day like that."

Gordon waved her off. "Don't worry. My child is strong. A day like this won't hurt."

He pushed all of Bianca's paperwork to me, instructing me to collect reports and wait in line for Bianca. "Don't miss any of her checkups. Not a single one," he ordered.

I said nothing and ran around the hospital, shuffling from department to department.

My body had not recovered from the abortion. Every step I took sent shocks of pain through my abdomen. It felt worse than the surgery itself.

By late afternoon, I was finally done with everything. I shoved the stack of papers into Gordon's hands and collapsed into a chair, drenched in cold sweat.

Someone nearby let out a cry. "Blood! Oh god, she's bleeding so much!"

Everyone turned toward me. I looked down.

Warmth was spreading down my legs, and my pants were soaked in red. It was a post-op hemorrhage!

A wave of pain slammed into me like a crashing tide, dragging my body down with it. The world tilted in my eyes, and I collapsed. Just before I lost consciousness, I caught a glimpse of Gordon's horror-stricken face.

"Sandra!"