After three years together, I stood by Ethan through his rise from nothing to a fortune worth millions. I thought our struggles were finally over, until I caught him shielding the company's new intern in his arms, calling me a vicious shrew. For his so-called true love, he not only killed our child with his own hands, but threatened me with my parents' lives to force me to leave with nothing. Just as my heart turned to ash, Ethan's brother---Alexander, chairman of the Sterling Group---pulled me into his embrace. His eyes blazed with ruthless intensity. "Natalie, Ethan was never worthy of you! Marry me, and everything the Sterling family has will be yours!" Late into the stormy night, lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. I sat in the pitch-black living room, staring at the cold, untouched anniversary dinner on the table, my stomach cramping with waves of pain. The door lock clicked softly. The motion-sensor lights flickered on as Ethan walked in, dripping with rain. But he wasn't alone---he was holding a soaking wet girl tightly in his arms. She wore an oversized men's dress shirt that hung loosely on her frame---Ethan's favorite custom-made piece. Like a frightened rabbit, she clutched his sleeve, pressing half her body against him. The moment the lights blazed on, Ethan saw me sitting on the sofa. A flash of panic crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by cold indifference. He didn't let go of the girl. Instead, he pulled her behind him in a protective stance. "Natalie, why are you still awake?" His voice carried a hint of impatience. I didn't answer. My gaze locked onto the girl. Her name was Bella. I recognized her. The new intern at Ethan's company---a girl who posted on social media about being "poor but noble in soul." "Mr. Sterling... did I upset Miss Carter?" Bella peeked out timidly, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice trembling like leaves shattered by the winter wind. "Miss Carter, please don't misunderstand. The basement I'm renting flooded, and Ethan only brought me here to escape the storm because he felt sorry for me. I'll leave right now..." She turned as if to rush back out into the torrential rain. Ethan grabbed her wrist and yanked her back into his arms. The momentum sent Bella crashing into his solid chest with a delicate gasp. Ethan's Adam's apple bobbed as he turned to glare at me, his eyes instantly cold. "That's enough, Natalie. Can you stop acting like some high-and-mighty princess? Bella is just a young woman fresh out of college. You're scaring her." Fury boiled over into bitter laughter. I slowly stood and walked toward them, step by step. The air carried his familiar cedar scent, now mixed with a cheap, cloying sweet perfume. The combination made me nauseous. "Ethan, today is our wedding anniversary." I stared into his eyes, my voice eerily calm. "You brought another woman into our home, wearing your clothes, leaning against you, and then you say I'm scaring her?" Ethan's brows furrowed deeply, irritation flashing in his eyes. "I told you, she had nowhere to go! You've lived in luxury your whole life. You have no idea how hard it is for people at the bottom. She has a high fever. Did you expect me to leave her on the street to die?" "Miss Carter, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault..." Bella suddenly burst into tears, reaching out to grab my sleeve. "Don't touch me!" I jerked away from her hand. *Slap!* The sharp sound of the blow echoed through the silent living room. I didn't hit her. Ethan did. He shoved me hard, pulling Bella protectively behind him. I stumbled backward, my lower back slamming into the hard marble bar counter. Searing pain instantly consumed my entire body. I looked up in disbelief at the man I'd loved for three years. There wasn't a trace of guilt in Ethan's eyes---only cold warning. "Natalie, I warned you. Don't touch her." In that moment, I heard my heart shatter. Three years. I'd stood by him as he climbed from a bankrupt rich kid to where he was today. For him, I'd threatened to end my life and severed ties with my parents. For him, I'd swallowed my pride and begged people who once looked down on him. I thought I was his safe harbor. But now, he was giving all his tenderness and protection to another woman. "Ethan," I bit my trembling lip hard, swallowing the metallic taste of blood in my throat. "Do you think I can't survive without you?" Ethan laughed coldly, looking down at me. "Isn't that true? You were willing to die just to marry me back then. What's with this act now?" He bent down and scooped up the shivering Bella, walking toward the guest room without looking back. "Clean up that disgusting mess on the table. Bella has a sensitive stomach. Make some oatmeal for her in the morning." *Bang.* The guest room door slammed shut. I slid down onto the cold floor, clutching my aching abdomen as tears finally broke free. Originally, I'd planned to tell him tonight that I was pregnant. Now it seemed pointless.
The next morning, I didn't make any oatmeal. I applied flawless makeup, changed into a designer suit, and sat on the sofa waiting for him. When Ethan emerged from the guest room, his clothes were disheveled, but his eyes held a satisfied, tender glow. When he saw me, the softness instantly vanished, replaced by cold formality. He sat across from me, pulled a document from his briefcase, and pushed it toward me. Divorce Agreement. "Sign it." He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and through the curling smoke, his features looked especially blurred. "Name your terms. As long as they're reasonable, I'll agree." I stared at the black text on white paper, feeling utterly absurd. "Why?" My voice came out hoarse. Ethan was silent for a moment. He tapped ash from his cigarette, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather. "Natalie, the first half of my life was too hard, and the second half too smooth. You paved the way for me, and I'm grateful. But I've never experienced what real love feels like." He looked up, his eyes carrying a cruel sincerity. "Until I met Bella. She'll argue with security guards on the street over a homeless person. She'll run across half the city to bring me a sandwich when I'm working late. She showed me what it means to find beauty in suffering." "But you, Natalie---you're too perfect. Perfect like a doll. Your love is full of calculation and charity. I'm sick of always being beneath you." I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. Calculation? Charity? To clear his parents' names, I'd knelt at the victims' families' doors for three days and nights. To secure investment for him, I'd drunk until I had a stomach hemorrhage and was rushed to the ER. In the end, my devotion became "condescension" in his eyes, while Bella's cheap sandwich was "true love born from hardship." I grabbed the glass of water from the table and hurled it at his face. *Crash!* The glass shattered against the wall, grazing his brow and cutting it open. Blood immediately seeped out. "Ethan, you disgust me!" My whole body shook as I pointed at his nose. "You want love? Fine! Then give back everything you have now! Without me, you'd still be picking through garbage in the slums!" Ethan didn't dodge. He let the blood flow, his eyes growing colder. "Natalie, you're finally showing your true colors." He pulled out a tissue and casually wiped the blood. "You always act like you're doing me favors. Sign the papers. It's better for both of us. Don't make me go nuclear." He stood up, glancing down at me dismissively. "Bella is still sleeping. Don't disturb her. I'll send my lawyer this afternoon." With that, he strode out of the villa. I collapsed on the sofa, staring at the words "no-fault party" on the agreement, suddenly laughing hysterically until tears streamed down my face. I hated my own stupidity, and even more, his heartlessness. My hand moved to my flat abdomen as I took a deep breath. Baby, Mommy will take you away from this.
I didn't sign the papers. Instead, I went straight to the hospital for a prenatal checkup. I was still torn about the pregnancy. This child couldn't be born into a world filled with betrayal and disgust. But a part of me couldn't let go. The day I went to the hospital, the sky was overcast and gloomy. Holding my registration slip, I sat alone in the long corridor of the OB-GYN department. Around me were expectant mothers accompanied by their husbands, all looking happy. Only I sat alone. "Oh my, isn't this Miss Carter?" A saccharine voice shattered the quiet. I looked up to see Bella wearing a pure white maternity dress, holding an ultrasound report and standing before me with a smug expression. Her belly was still flat, but she deliberately supported her lower back with one hand, acting as though her child had secured her status. "Are you here for a checkup too, Miss Carter? All by yourself?" Bella covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes full of malicious challenge. "Ethan wanted to come with me, but he had an important meeting at the company. He insisted on hiring ten bodyguards for me. I told him it was such a waste of money." I looked at her coldly, as if watching a clown. "Get lost." I spat out the single word. Bella's expression froze momentarily, then her eyes quickly reddened, tears falling like broken pearls. "Miss Carter, I know you hate me. But love doesn't follow a first-come-first-served rule. Ethan doesn't love you at all. He says being with you feels like completing a chore. Why do you keep clinging to him shamelessly?" She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a volume only we could hear, whispering viciously: "You know what? Ethan says you're like a cold, dead fish. But me---I'm his real woman. I'm carrying his child now. What do you have to compete with me, you barren woman?" Rage instantly shattered through my rational defenses. I jumped to my feet, raising my hand to slap her. But before my hand could land, Bella suddenly screamed and threw herself backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing hard onto the cold floor. "Ah---my baby! It hurts so much!" She clutched her stomach, rolling on the ground in apparent agony. "Bella!" A furious roar came from the end of the corridor. Ethan charged over like a madman, shoving me aside. His strength was tremendous. Caught off guard, I flew backward, my lower back slamming brutally into the metal armrest of a corridor bench. *Bang!* A dull thud. Excruciating pain instantly tore through my nerves. My vision went black and I nearly passed out. "Bella, are you okay? Don't be scared, I'm here!" Ethan knelt on the floor, carefully cradling Bella in his arms, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Ethan... Miss Carter... she pushed me... our baby..." Bella weakly leaned against him, pointing at me, crying pitifully. Ethan whipped his head around, his eyes bloodshot, glaring at me like an enraged beast. "Natalie! You vicious woman! If anything happens to Bella, I'll make you pay with your life!" I lay crumpled on the floor, drenched in cold sweat. A heavy, dragging pain seized my lower abdomen, followed by warm liquid slowly trickling down my inner thighs. I looked down with difficulty. Bright red blood---shockingly red---spread across the floor tiles. "Ethan..." I reached out with a trembling hand, trying to grab his pant leg. "My... child..." Ethan glanced at the blood on the floor, his eyes flashing with utter disgust. "Enough, Natalie! How long are you going to keep up this act? Faking a pregnancy for sympathy---you make me absolutely sick!" He scooped up Bella and rushed toward the emergency room without looking back. "Doctor! Please save my wife!" He called her his wife. People passed through the corridor, countless pairs of eyes looking at me with accusation and contempt. I lay in a pool of blood, feeling life drain away, my vision gradually blurring. In the last second before darkness consumed me, I saw a pair of polished designer shoes at the end of the corridor, running frantically toward me through the coldness.
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