My husband looks like he just went through a terrible breakup. After coming home, he sat on the sofa, staring at his phone in dead silence, his face clouded with gloom. I know his girlfriend is an absolute drama queen. Odds are, she just dumped him again. How wonderful, I couldn't help but curl my lips into a smile. Thank goodness my boyfriend isn't like that. 1 On the way to my prenatal checkup, Declan's phone rang. The girl on the other end whined, demanding he come over right now. Declan glanced at me, sounding conflicted. "I'm busy right now. Can I come over a bit later?" "But my stomach hurts! I'm giving you half an hour to get here!" Declan frowned, turning to me as if struggling to find the right words. I lowered my eyes and said calmly, "Go ahead. I'll be fine on my own." He froze for a second, then hurriedly pulled the car over to the curb. "Be careful then. Call me if you need anything." The black Maybach sped off. I didn't bother watching it go, just raised my hand to hail a cab. We both knew "call me if you need anything" was just an empty courtesy. When Declan was with Blair, calling him until his phone exploded wouldn't make a difference. Besides, it wasn't my first time going to a prenatal checkup alone. I hailed a cab to the clinic with practiced ease. While the doctor was reviewing my ultrasound, Blair called me. "Hello?" The sound of running water echoed through the speaker. Blair's voice dripped with undisguised provocation. "Audrey, guess what Declan is doing right now?" I remained expressionless. "Taking a shower, I assume. Waiting to finish up so he can mess around with you. What, am I part of your little roleplay now?" Blair clearly didn't expect the legal wife to be so calm instead of sobbing hysterically. She was thrown off for a second. After a brief silence, she gritted her teeth. "You're going to a prenatal checkup today, right? And yet, all it took was one phone call from me to drag him away." "Audrey, don't you think it's pathetic for a woman to be completely unable to keep her husband's heart?" I scoffed. "Why would I want to keep his heart? Keeping his money is enough." "You might have his heart, but the money he spends on you is marital property. Blair, I'd advise you to play smart. If I ever get pissed off and decide to sue you, you'll have to spit out every single dime." She was so furious she couldn't speak. Finally, choking on her rage, she viciously hung up. The doctor, who had been unabashedly eavesdropping, gave me an awkward smile. "Pregnant women shouldn't get angry. You've got a great mindset." I waved it off. "His little mistress tries to piss me off every single day, hoping I'll just drop dead. I've built up an immunity." "Then why are you having his baby?" I said nonchalantly, "He's rich." The doctor zipped her lips. I was joking, of course. This baby had nothing to do with money. When I got pregnant, I didn't know about Blair. Back then, I naively thought a child could save my shattered marriage with Declan. It was only later I realized that a shattered mirror can't be put back together, and spilled water can't be gathered. Forget one kid; even if I gave birth to a whole infantry platoon, Declan wouldn't change his mind. But that was fine. I had already found my next chapter anyway. A knock came at the door. I turned around and smiled at the man standing there, covered in sweat. Wearing a slightly wrinkled white tee and jeans, he had clearly rushed out of the house. But his face was so strikingly handsome that even his messy clothes gave off a sort of effortless, high-fashion vibe. His eyes were bright. Panting, he smiled, "I'm late." 2 I reached out and patted his t-shirt. "You make a six-hundred-dollar shirt look like it cost six bucks. What a waste." Nolan grabbed my hand. "I was in a rush! I ran out the door the second you texted me." He looked down. "Oh man, I put my socks on inside out." I couldn't help but smile. The doctor was stunned, looking from me to Nolan and back again. I felt a little embarrassed. "Oh, this is my boyfriend." The doctor's mouth twitched. Nolan immediately leaned in. "Doctor, is everything okay with her checkup today?" The doctor cleared her throat and refocused. "She has slight anemia. You'll need to pay attention to your iron levels in the later stages..." Nolan listened intently, pulling out his phone's notepad app to jot down every detail. Whenever the doctor used medical jargon, he'd ask her to slow down and explain. By the end of it, the doctor had a complicated look on her face. "Your boyfriend is really good to you." I nodded. "Yeah. Much better than my deadbeat husband." On the way to drop me off at home, Nolan couldn't help but ask: "When are you finally going to divorce him?" "Last time my parents tried to set me up on a blind date, I told them I had a girlfriend, but they didn't believe me. They keep insisting I bring you home." I turned to look at him. The tips of Nolan's ears were slightly red. I just noticed how incredibly long his eyelashes were, his eyes a pure, brilliant black in the light. For no reason at all, he reminded me of the golden retriever next door, waiting for me to throw a tennis ball. I deflected, "We'll see. I'll get it done as soon as possible." My meeting Nolan was quite dramatic. I had stumbled upon a thriller novel on a flight and thought it was an absolute masterpiece. I went on to read everything the author had published. The more I read, the more I was captivated by his sharp prose and wildly unpredictable plots. It just so happened that the author, who went by the pen name "Legless Bird," was doing a book signing in the city. I went to check it out. I had assumed the author was a middle-aged man; his writing was just too mature. I never expected him to be a young man in his early twenties, and surprisingly gorgeous. With a face like that, he could have easily made it in Hollywood. That was Nolan Reed. At the signing, I casually asked, "The killer in No Spring didn't actually murder for his mother, did he?" Nolan's head snapped up. "You caught that?!" He excitedly started discussing the plot with me until his assistant coughed from behind him. "Nolan, there's a huge line waiting." Only then did Nolan reluctantly hand my book back. "Alright, thank you." He winked at me, a sly smile flashing in his clear eyes. I opened the book. Right beneath his signature was a string of numbers. It was his phone number. ... Everything after that progressed naturally. At first, we just discussed his plots. Eventually, we realized we shared a lot of the same interests. On the day he confessed his feelings to me, I hesitated before telling him about my situation. By then, Declan and I had already fallen apart. He had Blair, and we were essentially living as strangers. But I was already carrying his child. Nolan froze for a long time. He said he needed to go back and think. Three days later, just when I assumed he was going to give up, he called. "I don't want to be the other man." "But over the last three days, I realized... I can't let you go." So Declan had Blair. And I had Nolan. 3 When I got home, I found Declan sitting on the sofa, looking incredibly grim. He looked exactly like someone who just went through a terrible breakup. I instantly realized he and Blair must have gotten into another fight. Nine times out of ten, it was her classic "break up and block" routine. She had used this move a million times. Blair was Declan's first love. She got together with him when she was 17, and they dated for five solid years. Back then, Declan wanted to marry her. He even bought the ring. But Declan's mother fiercely opposed it. She threatened to cut him off and forced them to break up, pushing me onto him instead. I was a student sponsored by Mrs. Pierce. From the time I was 10 until I turned 18, she consistently funded my education and living expenses. Even when I went off to college, she looked after me. I was an orphan. During the holidays when I had nowhere to go, she would bring me to the Pierce estate. During my freshman year, I secured a full scholarship and started my own small business, no longer needing her financial support. But we stayed close, and I visited her every holiday with gifts. From a small convenience store funded by a student loan to eventually owning a third of the retail space in the college town, I spent two years building my business. I made over a million dollars. It was probably around that time that Mrs. Pierce saw my business acumen. Mr. Pierce had passed away in a car accident years ago, and Mrs. Pierce's health was failing. She was constantly in and out of the hospital, deeply worried about the future of the Pierce Corporation. Declan was a classic trust-fund kid with zero business sense. Since Blair was an art major, Mrs. Pierce felt she couldn't help the family business. She sat me down for a long talk, begging me to marry Declan and help manage the Pierce empire. I sat in silence for a long time before finally agreeing. She sponsored me for nine years; I would protect Declan and his company for nine years. After nine years, if we had a good relationship, we'd stay together. If he still didn't love me, we'd divorce. I was 20 then. I am 29 now. ... On the sofa, Declan had his black dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, his custom Italian leather shoes pristine. I frowned. "Why didn't you take your shoes off again?" Declan snapped impatiently, "Why did you have to provoke her today?!" I finally understood. He was interrogating me over the few words I had fired back at Blair. I sneered. "Declan, did you slam your head in a door?" "She called me! The mistress got so arrogant she came to harass the wife, and instead of yelling at the instigator, you're here yelling at me?!" "You know how she is!" Declan sounded a bit defensive, his voice dropping. "She grew up spoiled, her temper is a little explosive. What's the big deal if you just let her have her way?" I kept a straight face. "Sorry, I'm an orphan. I never had parents to teach me how to coddle spoiled little princesses." "If you want to be her obedient lapdog, go right ahead. I have zero interest in playing along." Declan's face darkened. "Do you have to speak so viciously?" I felt like saying one more word to him would spike my blood pressure and hurt the baby, so I simply slammed the bedroom door shut. Lying on the bed, I looked at my growing belly and sighed. Honestly, after finding out about Blair, I hadn't wanted to keep this baby. But Mrs. Pierce had cried and begged me not to abort. She even shakily got out of her hospital bed to get on her knees. Without Mrs. Pierce's sponsorship, I would probably still be stuck in a rural town, already a mother of several kids, working a dead-end factory job. She changed the entire trajectory of my life. I couldn't say no to her. This baby was my final compromise, the ultimate repayment for her years of grace. I told her that after the baby was born, I would divorce Declan. In the living room, Declan was back on the phone, his voice soft and coaxing as he tried to pacify Blair. I covered my face with a pillow. I didn't want to hear it. Blair was an absolute drama queen. I had heard of her infamous reputation long before she even got back with Declan. Probably spoiled rotten since childhood, she threw tantrums over everything and threatened to break up with Declan every other day. Every single time, Declan would bow his head and beg her to stay. That was another reason Mrs. Pierce refused to let them be together. The time they actually broke up was the 27th time Blair had threatened it. Declan was probably finally exhausted. Combined with his mother's extreme ultimatums, for the first time, he didn't beg. And just like that, they went their separate ways. Truthfully, when Declan and I first got married, I had hoped we could build a good life together. He was very handsome. Unlike Nolan's clean, youthful vibe, Declan had a sharp, rugged attractiveness, with a hint of a bad boy edge. From the outside, you would never guess he was a hopeless romantic. For the first two years, Declan resented me, feeling I was forced onto him by his mother. But humans aren't made of stone. Over a thousand days and nights together, his attitude toward me finally softened. At our best, I genuinely thought he had forgotten about Blair. We would hold hands in the evening to buy groceries and cook dinner together. He would book my favorite restaurant for Valentine's Day and give me hand-picked gifts. When I woke up terrified from a nightmare, he would pull me into his arms, pat my back to soothe me, and we'd fall back asleep holding each other. There was a period I could truly call happy. I thought we were going to walk down that path forever. Until a year ago, when his attitude abruptly changed. He grew increasingly impatient with me. At first, I thought it was just the seven-year itch. When I got pregnant, I was even a little joyful, thinking the baby might mend our relationship. It was only later I found out it wasn't the seven-year itch at all. Blair had returned. That was when I realized, from beginning to end, Declan had never let her go. Outside the door, Declan finally finished his call and pushed into the room. "She's really mad this time. Can you just apologize to her first?" 4 For a split second, I wanted to grab the lamp on the nightstand and crack Declan's skull open to see exactly what kind of trash was rattling around in his brain. Remembering the doctor's advice about pregnant women staying calm, I took a deep breath, my jaw aching from clenching my teeth. "Get the hell out!" Declan frowned, his voice turning cold. "Audrey, you're crossing the line." "I'll cross your damn face!" I sat up violently. "Declan, when there's a problem at the company, you run to me. When Blair throws a tantrum, you run to me. For a grown man to live this pathetically, it's honestly embarrassing." I sneered, "What's the point of you even breathing? You might as well just drop dead." Dark currents swirled in Declan's eyes, the veins in his forearms bulging. For a second, I thought he was going to lunge over and hit me. After a long moment, he said coldly: "Audrey, don't regret this." He slammed the door and stormed out. This wasn't the first time. When Blair went abroad years ago, her father had been sent to prison for illegal fundraising. The Kensington family fell from grace. Now, Declan was the only lifeline she could cling to. But Declan was already married to me, so she was stuck playing the secret mistress. She wanted to force me to step down, so she provoked me constantly. I never humored her. Every time, I pissed her off so much she practically choked. When Declan failed to pacify her, he'd come looking for me to apologize. He knew that, out of respect for his mother, I rarely denied his requests. But over the years, I single-handedly dragged the Pierce Corporation back from the brink of bankruptcy to its current booming, ever-expanding state. It was safe to say that without me, the Pierce family would have been ruined long ago. I didn't owe them anything anymore. ... When I arrived at the office the next day, the atmosphere felt off. People walking by kept stealing glances at me, looking like they wanted to say something but didn't. When I reached my office door, I found all my belongings thrown out, scattered haphazardly across the floor. My absolute favorite coffee mug was shattered into pieces. My face went cold. "What is the meaning of this?" Someone I completely didn't expect pushed out of my office. Blair casually glanced at the items on the floor and scoffed. "Helping you move out. I figured it would be tough for you with that big belly, so I kindly did it for you." I froze. "Why are you here?" Blair leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "Didn't you know? Oh, Declan is terrible, how could he forget to tell you?" "Audrey, Declan fired you. You're no longer the General Manager of Pierce Corp. You can pack up and get out." Her light, airy voice struck my ears like a thunderclap. I blurted out, "Fired me?" "Then who is the new GM?" A completely absurd possibility crossed my mind, but it was so ridiculous I refused to believe it. Blair seemed to thoroughly enjoy my current expression. She walked over and flipped the nameplate on my desk. "I just casually mentioned it, and he insisted on firing you. It honestly makes me feel a little guilty." With a mocking smile playing on her lips, she stepped up to me and whispered: "Audrey, did you really think you could keep his money?" "Let me tell you, you're not walking away with a single cent." This was beyond ridiculous. I turned to look at the other employees. They all looked deeply uncomfortable, but no one said a word. Right then, Declan walked over. I rushed up to him. "Declan, what is the meaning of this?!" "How can you just fire me like that?!" Declan said flatly, "I'm doing this for your own good." "You're heavily pregnant and everything is difficult for you. Having Blair come in to help out will let you focus on resting at home." I stared in disbelief. "Her?!" "You're making her the GM? She's an art major! You're going to destroy Pierce Corp!" "The city officials are waiting on me for the Southside development project! What happens to the project if you fire me?!" Declan crossed his arms and sneered. "Audrey, you think way too highly of yourself." "Do you think the company stops spinning without you? Before you got here, Pierce Corp was doing just fine." I suddenly understood. This was Declan's retaliation for my refusing to apologize to Blair yesterday. Or maybe they had planned this all along, just waiting for the chance to tear me down. "Declan," I said, trying to swallow my rage. "Doing this will ruin the company. You can't be this irresponsible." "Ruin the company?" Declan looked me up and down. "I think you just can't bear to lose your power." "Audrey, ever since you joined the company, everyone only knows 'Manager Audrey'. Does anyone even remember that I'm the Chairman?!" "I think you just want to change the company name to yours!" I stared at Declan blankly. So that was it. He felt I had usurped him. But was this what I wanted? Mrs. Pierce brought me into the company specifically to protect and guide Declan. But all these years, Declan only cared about drinking, racing supercars, and partying with his trust-fund buddies. Since when did he ever care about managing the business? Even when I talked until my throat was raw, desperately begging him to learn corporate management, he just impatiently brushed me off: "If I'm doing the studying, what do I need you for?" "Didn't my mom bring you into the company exactly so you could do the work for me?!" Left with no choice, I had to carry Pierce Corp on my own shoulders. In those years, the company was hemorrhaging money, supply chains were collapsing, and major clients were jumping ship. I was the one who stood outside clients' doors, swallowing my pride and begging them to come back, one by one. When a client's mother fell ill, I stayed by her hospital bed day and night for nearly a month, finally moving him enough to renew the contract. I lost 12 pounds that month. When I finally left the hospital, my clothes hung off me like a skeleton. I went out to business dinners, dealing with greasy, difficult, creepy clients. No one helped me. Sometimes when I looked back, even I couldn't believe how I survived those years alone. It was a fact that without me, the current Pierce Corp wouldn't exist. And now, after wringing me dry, Declan was kicking me to the curb. I couldn't help but laugh out loud, taking a step back. "Declan, does your mother know you're doing this?" His expression shifted slightly, then he flared up in anger. "This is my family's business! This is my company! I don't need to report to anyone!" Blair leaned against Declan, a smug half-smile on her face. "Audrey, who do you think you are?!" A flash of contempt crossed her eyes. "You're just a glorified wage slave. Pack up your trash and get out!" I looked at the man in front of me, standing frozen in place. After a long moment, I smiled. "Fine, Declan." "You win." "I'm leaving." 5 After leaving the company, I received countless phone calls. They were all from upper management. They explained that Declan had called an early morning meeting. They had voiced their objections, but Declan had shot them all down. I turned off my phone and wandered aimlessly down the street. As I walked, my stomach suddenly cramped. The pain quickly radiated through every bone in my body. I suddenly felt a rush of heat between my legs. I looked down. At some point, my skirt had become soaked in blood. ... Before being wheeled into the operating room, the doctor told me they might not be able to save the baby. I forced myself to call Declan. Not because I harbored any hope for him, but because I had made a promise to his mother about this child. He had a right to know. "Declan, I'm at the hospital." The pain was so intense I was almost numb. I fought to keep my voice steady, though it still trembled. "The doctor said we might lose the baby. I'm just letting you know." Declan just sneered. "Audrey, since when did you learn to play the hysterical, suicidal wife card?" "Did you think threatening me with the baby would make me let you back in?" I silently hung up the phone. Slowly, I raised my hand and rested it on my lower abdomen. Honestly, when I first learned Blair had returned, I stopped looking forward to this baby. Sometimes, the thought even flashed through my mind that this child was a mark of shame. A constant reminder that my husband had always loved another woman. But as the days passed and I felt the baby growing inside me day by day, that magical connection of shared blood grew stronger. I had decided that if Declan didn't want this child, I would take them away with me. This was my baby, who had kept me company for so long. I closed my eyes, and a single tear slipped down my cheek. ... The first thing I saw when I woke up was Nolan's face. He was wearing a black hoodie, looking just like a college student. He rushed over, his face etched with anxiety. "How are you? Does it hurt? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?" The nurse glanced at him. "The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet. The pain won't start until tonight." I was startled. Weakly, I asked: "How did you get here?" His eyes were completely red. "My aunt is a doctor here. She saw you when we came in last time, and she just called me." Nolan and the doctor carefully wheeled me into a recovery room. Technically, a miscarriage didn't require a long hospital stay, but he was too worried and insisted I stay overnight for observation before going home. When I was discharged the next day, Nolan insisted I go to his house. "That guy—" he frowned. "That guy treats you horribly. He definitely won't take care of you. You just had a miscarriage, how can you manage with no one to look after you?" I thought about it and agreed. To be honest, I rarely allowed myself to be vulnerable in this life. My survival mode kicked in much earlier and harsher than most people's, and I had carried myself through it all. For some reason, when you're alone, you can grit your teeth and keep moving forward. But the moment someone actually cares for you, you suddenly become fragile. I really didn't want to go back to that massive house where I'd be all alone.
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