In the fifth year of my marriage to Liam Hayes, his unattainable first love, Mia Sullivan, returned. Cracks slowly began to appear in our marriage. Liam started standing me up from time to time. The first time was the day I won a design award. Liam said he wanted to celebrate with me. But Mia had just returned, and one phone call from her pulled him away. The second time was my birthday. The candles were lit, but before I could make a wish, Mia called and pulled him away again. The third time was Valentine's Day evening. I sat in a reserved private room and waited for Liam for four hours. He never showed up. Later, I saw a post on Mia's social media. Liam was accompanying Mia, looking at the stars on a bridge. The fourth time was our wedding anniversary. This time, my humiliation was earth-shattering; everyone in River City knew about it. That night, sitting alone in a nursing home, I received a message from Mia. After reading that message, I walked into the operating room without hesitation and aborted our child. And took back the heart that loved Liam Hayes. Liam, because I love you, you can hurt me without restraint. If I don't love you, you are nothing. 1 The painless abortion didn't cause me the slightest physical suffering. After lying on the operating table and receiving the anesthesia, I fell into a brief slumber. Before losing consciousness, I heard the doctor performing the surgery sigh. "She looks so glamorous on the surface, but she's actually so pitiful!" The nurse sneered, "What's there to pity? The unloved one in a marriage is the true mistress. Chloe stole Mia's love; she brought this upon herself." Brought this upon myself? Perhaps. After all, following last night's spectacle, Everyone knows that I, Chloe, am a woman unloved by my husband. Everyone knows that I am the stumbling block in the love story of Mia and Liam. Last night, Liam slapped me hard in public in the most ruthless way possible! Last night was our fifth wedding anniversary, and also the ninetieth day of my pregnancy. Liam had someone prepare the venue in advance for a grand celebration. In our five years of marriage, this was the first time he had thrown such a lavish party for me. Many prominent figures in River City were invited to the banquet. I appeared at the banquet arm-in-arm with the dashing Liam, wearing a custom-made dress. A custom ten-tier cake was wheeled in, and champagne glasses were filled. Just as we were about to cut the cake, Mia appeared. Mia is my cousin. Her past with my husband, Liam, was common knowledge five years ago. Back then, Liam and Mia were the university's "it couple"—the campus king and queen. They were high-profile, always together, and their romance was public knowledge. Liam had done many sensational things for Mia: a light show confession on River City's tallest building, a drone firework display for her birthday, and he even caught a thousand fireflies by hand just to make her smile... In short, Liam and Mia's romance was passionate and earth-shattering. Everyone thought Liam would marry his beloved Mia. But the outcome shocked everyone. They broke up without any warning five years ago. Then Mia went abroad, and Liam married me, the ugly duckling. The moment I saw Mia appear, I knew tonight's banquet was doomed. 2 Mia, wearing eight-inch stilettos and a dress identical to mine, walked gracefully toward Liam and me. Holding a glass of wine, a smile played on her exceptionally beautiful face: "Wishing Mr. Hayes and Chloe a happy fifth wedding anniversary! And congratulations on expecting a child!" As she offered her blessings, Liam's grip on my arm noticeably tightened. Mia smiled charmingly and raised her glass. As the rim was about to touch her lips, My husband, Liam, let go of my hand and reached out to stop her. "Mia! You're not in good health, you can't drink!" Liam forcefully took the wine glass from Mia's hand. Taking advantage of the momentum, Mia lost her balance and fell into Liam's arms. Like a bystander, I stood next to the ten-tier cake, watching their blatant display of affection. The eyes of all the banquet guests were on us. In front of everyone, Liam doted on Mia, coaxing her in a low voice. Mia pouted and whispered intimately with Liam. After exchanging some words, Liam released her and walked towards me. "Chloe, I'm taking Mia home! I'll be right back!" I smiled silently. Refusing or agreeing no longer mattered. The intimacy between Mia and Liam had already dealt me a resounding public slap. Tonight's banquet was over. Liam supported Mia as they walked towards the exit. At the door, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked back towards me. "Chloe! I'm so sorry for interrupting your banquet! I'm sorry!" When apologizing, her expression was sincere, and her voice was loud. Everyone around heard her clearly. But the next second, She stumbled, leaned close to me, and said venomously in a voice only I could hear: "I'm pregnant too! Chloe, you know Liam's feelings for me. There's only one end for the child in your belly, and that's death without an intact corpse!" As Mia's words fell, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. 3 Smack! The slap was crisp. I didn't hold back; I hit her with all my might. I knew Mia came to provoke me deliberately to make me lose my temper. I knew she was definitely planning something. But none of it mattered anymore! No mother can tolerate someone cursing her child so viciously! Mia's fragile body fell backward after taking my slap. Liam rushed over quickly, but he was still a step too late. Mia fell to the ground. Her expression was agonized. She reached out to hold her stomach, crying out shrilly: "It hurts! My baby!" Liam, his face contorted, roared at me: "Chloe, are you crazy? If anything happens to the child in her belly, I won't let you off!" He publicly acknowledged Mia's pregnancy, and his fierce defense of her left no doubt that it was his child. Under the shocked gazes of everyone, Liam picked up the groaning Mia from the ground. His eyes were full of anxiety and heartache, making no secret of his concern at that moment. Mia leaned weakly into his arms, her hand resting on his neck, and gave me a provocative smile. As Liam turned with Mia in his arms, her foot kicked the cake placed in front of me. The ten-tier cake collapsed with a crash. I was standing right under it, and the cake fell, covering me completely. It didn't hurt, but the frosting all over my face and body left me in an extremely pathetic state. I wiped a handful of frosting from my face and saw Liam rushing out of the hall with Mia in his arms. The banquet naturally ended because of this incident. I left the club covered in a mess. I didn't go home. I told the taxi driver to take me to the nursing home. The doctor at the nursing home was surprised by my late-night visit: "I was planning to call you tomorrow. Your father's condition is not very good." 4 My dad has been lying unconscious in the nursing home for ten years. If it weren't for the massive expenses, I wouldn't have become a pawn of the Sullivan family, nor would I have married Liam so humiliatingly. I looked calmly at my dad's aged and emaciated face: "I can accept it, just tell me the outcome straight." "His organs are failing, and no medicine can reverse it. It might be within these few days, you need to be prepared." After the doctor left, I sat by my dad's bed and reached out to hold his skin-and-bones hand. Maintained by IV fluids for ten years, my dad was essentially the walking dead. But I was unwilling to accept it. I always believed he would wake up, always believed he would open his eyes and call me Chloe. I think if my dad were conscious, he wouldn't want to live like this, but I selfishly wanted to keep him. After all, he is my only relative in this world! I was born with weak family ties. My mom died during a difficult childbirth, and my dad had an accident when I was sixteen. In this world, my dad is my only relative. I stroked my belly. Now there's another person related to me by blood in there. I'm not alone! Even if Liam doesn't love me, I still have my child. But the next second, everything shattered my illusion. Mia sent me a photo. She was lying in a hospital bed, and Liam was gently peeling an apple for her. "Chloe, doesn't seeing this make you sad? You followed him without complaint or regret for five years. Has he ever done a single thing to please you? No, right?" Indeed, he hasn't. A tearing pain ripped through my heart. I clutched my chest, gasping for air. Seeing I didn't respond, Mia sent another message: "My baby and your baby were conceived on the same day. Actually, my baby was conceived two hours earlier than yours." The malice in her message was no longer disguised. My child was conceived on Valentine's Day. Liam disappeared that night to watch the stars with Mia, returning only in the early hours of the morning. He reeked of Mia's perfume. I was already asleep, but he roughly woke me up. He tossed and turned with me all night like he had lost his mind, and then I got pregnant. Mia's meaning now was clear: Liam came off her bed and then got together with me again. The truth made me sick to the core; I wanted to vomit! 5 I stayed quietly with my dad in the nursing home until dawn. When morning came, I got up and left the hospital, having made a decision in my heart. My dad is leaving! I have no more attachments. I don't want Liam anymore! I don't want his child either! The surgery was quick. Just an anesthesia injection and a short nap, and the child I had longed for over five years was gone. After all, having loved Liam for so many years, and having longed for this child for so many years, to say my heart didn't ache would be deceiving myself. But compared to being heartbroken day and night, being mocked and abandoned, I felt this was better for both the child and me. When I woke up, my phone was flooded with news about my public humiliation. A husband leaving a wedding anniversary banquet with his beloved woman in his arms. Leaving behind photos of me, covered in cake and looking pathetic, which went viral across major websites. Simultaneously, news about the love triangle between me, Liam, and Mia was brewing. Mia is a goddess, while I, Chloe, am the ugly duckling. The news that Liam and Mia, the campus king and queen, had loved each other for so many years, only to break up because I, the ugly duckling, intervened, was everywhere. Everyone was laughing at me, speaking up for Mia. I, Liam's lawful wife, had become the mistress who stole another's love. But I'm not a mistress, am I? Mia and Liam's breakup had absolutely nothing to do with me. From five years ago to now, from beginning to end, I have been Liam's designated fiancée. Mia is the true mistress. 6 Knowing full well that Liam and I were engaged, she spared no effort in using her beauty to seduce him. In the end, facing strong opposition from both the Sullivan and Hayes families, she had no choice but to leave in despair. Five years ago, I didn't bother explaining, and five years later, I have even less desire to explain. I just didn't expect Liam to let it go unchecked. As the CEO of Hayes Corporation, a man who could make all of River City tremble with a stomp of his foot, he actually ignored these fake news stories slandering his own wife. Allowing the fake news to spread, allowing me to be cursed and lose all face. I think Liam is thoroughly disappointed in me. After all, the dignified CEO's wife acting crazy at a banquet filled with VIPs really made him lose face. Crucially, the target of my crazy outburst was his unattainable first love, Mia. How could Liam bear to let me slap Mia in public? I know they were deeply in love back then. But I didn't force him to marry me; he could have chosen to leave with Mia. But in the end, he chose power, chose the alliance between the Hayes and Sullivan families. In the end, he could only choose me. For the past five years, we've maintained a harmonious facade in public. I dutifully performed the roles a wife should, and Liam also fulfilled his obligations as a husband. Except for not loving me, he was impeccable for five years. And from the day I learned Liam was my fiancé, I was infatuated with him, loved him dead set. Even when he cheated on me with Mia so sensationally behind my back. Even though he always had Mia in his heart, I tolerated it because I loved him. I thought that with utmost sincerity, even a heart of stone could be moved. No matter what, Liam would eventually have some feelings for me. But I was completely wrong. Some people's hearts are made of iron and stone. Even if you use all your strength to warm it, it will quickly turn cold again. Five years of marriage, over ten years of love, I am thoroughly dead to Liam! My heart will no longer reserve a place for him; he doesn't deserve it! 7 After the surgery, I lay alone in the hospital for five hours. During this time, Liam didn't contact me. Of course, he wouldn't. In these five years of marriage, I've always been the proactive one. Proactively making soup for him, proactively caring about his health. Beside Liam, I am less like a wife and more like a servant or assistant. In a marriage, the one who loves more always has to give more. Liam is already used to my solicitude, used to my fawning. I know that if I don't call, he will never call me. And this time, I will never be so pathetic again! Later, it was Auntie Wang, the housekeeper, who called. She asked carefully: "Madam, are you alright?" Even Auntie Wang saw the news. It's clear how much face I lost this time. I replied calmly: "I'm fine, I'll be back shortly. Auntie Wang, please stew some chicken soup." Liam came back while I was drinking the chicken soup. He looked exhausted. I lifted my eyelids, glanced at him, and quickly lowered my head to continue drinking. Footsteps approached. Liam sat across from me, looking at me quietly. We didn't speak until I finished a bowl of chicken soup, pushed the bowl and chopsticks away, and stood up. Liam finally spoke: "Chloe, you went too far this time! Do you know Mia almost had an accident? How could you disappoint me like this?" I stared intently at Liam's haggard face. Mia almost had an accident, so he stayed at the hospital until now. While his heart was full of Mia and the child in her belly, my child with him was gone. From beginning to end, Liam didn't ask a single question about the child. It's evident he never actually looked forward to this child. Knowing the truth is like this, my heart still aches terribly. Five years of living together day and night, even a heart of stone should be warmed. How can Liam be so cold-blooded? Is it really just because he doesn't love me? I withdrew my gaze and apologized calmly: "I'm very sorry about last night! It was all my fault. Do you want me to go apologize to Mia?" 8 I didn't defend myself, and my submissive offer to apologize to Mia clearly took Liam aback. He knows I don't have such a good temper. Since Mia came back, Liam and I have had several arguments. The first time was when I won the design award, and Liam said he wanted to celebrate with me. The second time was my birthday; the candles were lit, and I hadn't made a wish yet. I sat in the reserved private room waiting for him for four hours. He never showed up, and I saw Mia's social media post. The first three times I was stood up, I swallowed the bitter pill alone, sad and upset. Each time I was angry and ignored him for days. Proactively offering to apologize this time is uncharacteristic of me. After all, being neglected and stood up the first three times was only known to Mia, Liam, and me. But last night was different. Being abandoned and humiliated in front of so many people, and then facing cyberbullying. I shouldn't be this good-tempered. Liam looked at me for a good while but ultimately saw no clues. He frowned: "If you truly know you're wrong, don't go looking for trouble with Mia again." "Okay!" I nodded. "I promise I won't go looking for trouble with Mia again. Do you have any other requests?" My obedience left Liam with no grounds to lash out. He finally remembered I was pregnant. He reached out to touch my belly: "No morning sickness today?" I avoided his hand: "No! Can I go upstairs to rest? I'm very tired!" "I'll help you!" He reached out again, and I avoided it again: "I'm not that fragile." I've never rejected his touch; this was the first time. Liam rubbed his forehead again: "Last night... Chloe... I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you next time." I said "Oh" and went upstairs without looking back. He has said the same thing to me four times. I will never believe him again!
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