1 My fiancée was pregnant with her male colleague’s child. And she was due any day now. She walked through the door after a business trip, her belly swollen and round, just as I was putting the finishing touches on our new home. My voice was a raw tear in the quiet room as I demanded an explanation. She looked at me with wide, innocent eyes. “He was just a sperm donor, Ethan. When it comes to you, my conscience is clear.” Then, before I could even process the words, she left with that same colleague to go pick out a Children’s Day gift for the baby. I immediately sent a message to the family group chat: The wedding is off. But everyone, absolutely everyone, thought I was overreacting. Dia’s mother, Helen, texted me, her tone patient and condescending: Dia is beautiful and highly educated. Genes like that should be passed on. Think of it as a contribution to the world. Her father, Mark, was more blunt: She didn’t cheat on you. Why are you making a federal case out of it? My own father nearly had a heart attack. You stubborn fool! Do you know what a perfect match this is? You’re throwing it all away? My mother was sobbing over the phone. If you call this off, no one will ever marry you! “Then I’ll never get married!” I yelled back, my eyes burning. But a moment later, a message from someone else lit up my screen: So, Ethan. When do I get my promotion? ... That evening, Dia came in, gently supported by the arm of her colleague, Leo. They were carrying a massive box overflowing with toys for their unborn child. They exchanged a look, their faces glowing with the shared joy of impending parenthood. When he saw me, Leo smiled and held out a small, gift-wrapped box. “Ethan, I picked this out especially for you. I didn’t realize how much this was bothering you… Please, accept this as my apology.” I didn’t even look at it. I swept it from his hand and tossed it directly into the trash can. Leo’s smile froze. Tears welled in his eyes and began to stream down his face. “Ethan… I… I’m so sorry.” He choked on a sob and hid behind Dia. Dia immediately stepped in front of him, a shield against my anger. She looked at me with weary exasperation. “Ethan, don’t be like this.” “Leo was just participating in a company initiative to donate superior genetic material. Besides, his mother has lung cancer, and her dying wish is to see a grandchild… and I happened to want a child as exceptional as he is.” “We’re just colleagues. That’s all.” “Colleagues?” My voice shook. “Do colleagues text each other ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ every single day? Do colleagues share a private music playlist? Do colleagues take the fall for each other at work dinners and then go miles out of the way to drive each other home?” She pinched the bridge of her nose, exhausted. “Here we go again. I’ve explained all of this. You’re the one who’s always so paranoid, always overthinking things.” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Her explanations were pathetic. Normal office chatter. A senior just looking out for a junior. They were full of holes, but I had chosen to believe them, again and again. Five years. I couldn’t let five years of my life end like this. Gritting my teeth, I pointed at her belly, pushing her. “Fine. Let’s say I’m overthinking it. Let’s say I’ve misunderstood everything.” “Get rid of the child. Then I’ll pretend none of this ever happened, and the wedding will go on as planned.” “No way!” Dia’s voice shot up, sharp and furious, before she visibly reined it in. “The child is Leo’s. I don’t have the right to decide its fate.” Leo’s face went chalk-white. He dropped to his knees in front of me with a soft thud. His hands protectively cradled Dia’s stomach, his voice thick with tears. “Ethan, there’s nothing going on between Dia and me. The baby… he’s eight months old. I can feel him kicking my hand right now. I can’t… I can’t…” He wept uncontrollably, his whole body trembling. Dia’s face was a mask of conflict. After a few agonizing seconds, her resolve crumbled. She helped him to his feet, a tired, defeated smile on her face. “Ethan, asking me to get rid of the baby now… that’s like asking me to rip out his heart.” I stared at her, a cold smirk twisting my lips. “What’s the matter? Does it hurt to see him so upset?” Dia flinched, her expression turning to one of pain. “I never thought you could be so cruel. If this is your condition for marriage, then we’re clearly not meant to be… Let’s break up.” “Ethan, Dia is innocent! Don’t take your anger out on her!” Leo suddenly wailed. “Blame me! I can’t bear to lose the baby… but I’ll prove our innocence with my life!” Before the words were even out of his mouth, he bolted for the balcony, making a show of climbing over the railing. My heart leaped into my throat. I lunged forward. But Dia was faster, scrambling after him in a panic. Before either of us could reach him, Leo collapsed onto the floor, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe. Dia threw her arms around him, her own body shaking. After a long moment, she looked up, her eyes like chips of ice fixed on me. “Ethan! Your baseless accusations almost killed Leo!” She looked at me as if I were a stranger. “Leo’s mother is dying! Are you trying to kill him, too? You can stand there and watch, cold and unmoved, but I can’t.” Her voice trembled with rage. Gently, she helped Leo to his feet and turned to face me. “Get out of the way,” she commanded. I was frozen. “I didn’t mean…” “Leo… the baby… I think he’s coming,” Dia suddenly gasped, her eyes rolling back as she fainted. “Dia!” Leo’s face was a deathly white. He shoved me aside with surprising force, scooped Dia into his arms, and sprinted out the door. I stumbled and fell to the floor, biting my lip so hard I could taste blood, but it did nothing to stop the icy chill spreading through my chest. I stared at the ceiling until dawn. Finally, my phone lit up. It was a message from Dia. I was just panicked last night. I said some things I didn't mean. Ethan, I’m sorry. A bitter sting filled my nose, and tears flooded my eyes. For years, she was always the first to apologize after a fight, and I’d always let her have the easy way out. But this was different. This was a line I could never uncross. Before I could reply, another message came through. It was a photo of her with a newborn baby. She was cradling the tiny infant, her gaze soft and filled with a tenderness I had never seen. I went into labor early. Natural birth, but the baby is healthy. He looks just like Leo. I have to stay in the hospital for three days. Let’s just postpone the wedding by a week. I can't deal with it right now. Every single word was a needle in my heart. Numbly, I stood up and began to tear down the wedding decorations. I took a pair of scissors and shredded her wedding dress into ribbons. My hands shook as I packed my bags. Just as I zipped my suitcase shut, Dia’s mother, Helen, walked in, her face beaming. “Dia asked me to bring her some clothes at the hospital. And of course, this new grandma is dying to meet her granddaughter.” When I didn’t respond, she linked her arm through mine affectionately. “Ethan, dear, I know Dia was wrong not to tell you. It was embarrassing for you. But at the end of the day, it’s not like she committed a mortal sin, right?” “I know how much you two love each other. You can’t let a little thing like this break you up. What you said in the group chat was just said in anger. Let’s forget all about it.” “Come on. Come to the hospital with me. Give Dia a chance to make it right, and we can put this all behind us.” I let her pull me along like a zombie. The next thing I knew, I was standing outside a hospital room. Leo was asleep on a cot, his pale face streaked with tears. The birth had clearly taken a lot out of him. Dia was holding the baby, humming a soft lullaby. Dia’s father, Mark, was actually smiling. “Dia’s a flight attendant. Let’s name the baby Skylar. She can carry on the legacy!” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Helen chided. “You can’t give a girl a name like that.” She reached for the baby, eager to hold her. Dia turned away. “Mom, you don’t know how to hold her. You’ll hurt her.” Her eyes caught sight of me, and she lit up. “Ethan, come see her! Look at her tiny hands and feet. Isn’t she adorable?” She leaned down to kiss the baby, then stopped abruptly, looking flustered like a child caught doing something wrong. “Oh, no, no. Mommy can’t give you her germs.” I’d never seen this playful, clumsy side of her before. This was her as a new mother: awkward and overflowing with love. She was desperate to show her joy to the world, but I was the one person who shouldn’t have been included in it. I forced a stiff smile and turned to leave. But Dia grabbed my arm, carefully holding the baby out for me to see. “Ethan, look. Her nose and her mouth… aren’t they the spitting image of Leo?” I glanced down. The tiny face was indeed a perfect miniature of Leo’s. The resemblance was a physical pain, a sharp jab to my eyes. A lump formed in my throat. I coldly pushed the swaddled infant away. Looking at Dia’s expectant face, I refused to give her the reaction she wanted. “Get it away from me. It’s ugly. I can’t stand looking at it.” The baby let out a piercing wail. Dia’s expression instantly turned to ice as she soothed the crying child. Helen’s glare was like a knife. “You’re the ugly one here!” Mark pointed to the door. “You’re not welcome. Get out!” I didn’t even realize Leo had woken up. “Ethan…” He looked pleadingly at Dia’s parents. “I’d like to speak with Ethan alone for a moment.” Once the door was closed, Leo’s face was a mask of apology. “Ethan, I don’t want to break you and Dia up. She really loves you. The truth is… that night, Dia was drunk, and we…” A roar filled my ears. “It wasn’t a donation?” He looked away. “Dia wanted to keep it from you. She was afraid you’d be upset.” “By the time she found out she was pregnant, it was already three months along. She was furious, said she was going to get rid of it. But my mother’s condition was getting worse, and she just wanted to know my line would continue. Dia felt sorry for me, so she agreed to keep the baby.” “So why are you telling me now?” I stared at him, my voice flat. “Why not just lie to me forever?” He clearly hadn’t expected me to call his bluff. His expression shifted, and he fell silent. I laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “Well, Dia and I have broken up now. Your child has been born. The three of you can live happily ever after. What else could you possibly want?” His expression twisted, a strange, triumphant smile playing on his lips. The next second, he deliberately rolled off the cot and fell to the floor with a heavy thud. He immediately started screaming in terror. “Ethan, I know I was wrong! Please, don’t hit me!” I was completely stunned. Before I could even react, I was violently yanked backward. CRACK! A searing pain exploded across my cheek. I tasted blood. Mark’s face was purple with rage as he pointed a trembling finger at me. “You bastard! You think you can start a riot in a hospital?” He raised his hand to hit me again, but Dia stopped him. “Dad, he’s my fiancé. I’ll handle this.” She led me into the hallway and gently applied an ice pack to my swollen face. I stared at the floor, mumbling, “I didn’t push him…” “Mm,” was all she said. No anger, no questions. I knew her too well. That silence was the loudest denial. If she believed me, she would have fought for me. If she didn’t, she said nothing. But if she didn’t believe me, why was she being so gentle? Tears escaped my eyes, falling onto the back of her hand. She flinched as if burned and snatched her hand away. She stood up. “If you’re just going to stay here and upset Leo and the baby, you should go home.” I grabbed the hem of her shirt, my voice cracking. “Just believe me this one time. Please?” She sighed, a deep, shuddering sound, and pried my fingers off her shirt, one by one. It was the gesture of someone who had given up completely. “Ethan, I can overlook what you’ve done. That’s how much I love you. But the least you could do is be honest with me.” A familiar ringtone shattered the silence—the sickly-sweet pop song she’d set as Leo’s custom ringer. How much further must I go to reach your heart… How much longer ‘til I can be close to you… I’d once asked her, “Isn’t it a little inappropriate to have a custom ringtone for a male colleague?” She had looked at me, bewildered. “Leo likes the song. It was nothing. Don’t overthink it.” I watched as she answered the call and walked away without a backward glance. I sat on the bench, my face throbbing, and started to laugh and cry at the same time, like a man who’d just been given a terminal diagnosis. She wanted honesty? Had she ever been honest with me? I went back to our apartment to get my suitcase. I was about to head to my parents’ place when a video call from them came through. My father was clutching his chest, his finger shaking as he pointed at the screen. “The Andersons just told us you went on a rampage at the hospital and attacked Leo while he was looking after Dia! What the hell is wrong with you? The hospital director is a friend of mine! He messaged the group chat asking what’s going on! You’ve completely humiliated our family!” He started gasping for breath, and my mother rushed to give him his medication. She turned to glare at me. “Dia explained everything. She and that young man are just colleagues. Why do you have to push them together like this?” She noticed the bruise on my face and sneered. “Serves you right.” “What did I do wrong?” I took a deep, shuddering breath, my voice hoarse. “Why do you believe them over me?” “Believe what? You haven’t said anything!” they yelled in unison. Looking at their unforgiving faces, all the fight went out of me. “Forget it.” I hung up before they could see my tears. I couldn’t bear to hear them say it again: Is crying all you know how to do? In that moment, I had nowhere to go. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Clara. So, Ethan. When do I get my promotion? Now. I typed it without a second thought. Clara had been a hopeless case in high school, always at the bottom of the class. Then, in our senior year, she transformed, studying relentlessly to get into the same university as me. What followed were years of her chasing me. A hundred confessions, a hundred rejections. Who would want to date a slacker who seemed proud of her bad grades? It didn’t matter that she was beautiful enough to stop your heart. After graduation, Dia and I got together. Clara moved to Switzerland to study, but the messages never stopped. Daily check-ins, little stories about her life, and the recurring question every few days: When do I get my promotion? I never replied, but she was like a tireless machine, never giving up. Thinking of this, I sent another message. We get married in three days. You’re the bride. You want the job or not? BANG! The apartment door was kicked open. Dia stood there, her face a thundercloud, her eyes locked on me. “Ethan! What the hell did you do to my clothes?” “What—” “Shut up!” She lunged at me, grabbing my wrist and slamming me against the wall. I had never seen her like this. Her eyes were bloodshot, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “I held the baby wearing the pajamas you brought me. Within ten minutes, she broke out in a full-body rash and went into respiratory failure! She’s in the ICU right now!” “She’s a newborn baby, Ethan! You give me a goddamn explanation!” “I didn’t do anything!” My wrist ached in her iron grip. I struggled. “Let go of—” Her hand flew toward my face. I instinctively flinched, turning my head. There was a sickening crunch as her fist slammed into the wall right beside my ear. When I opened my eyes, I saw blood trickling from her knuckles. My voice shook. “Dia… were you… were you really going to hit me?” She seemed to snap out of her rage, her grip loosening. She pulled me into a hug, her voice frantic. “Ethan, I… I panicked. I’m so sorry.” “I told you, I can forgive you for anything. But this time you’ve gone too far. Leo is a mess, he keeps saying he wants to die with the baby. Please, just go to him, get on your knees, and apologize. Will you do that?” A hot tear splashed onto my neck. “Just do it for me. I promise you, if you just apologize, we can still get married.” This was the woman who didn’t shed a tear when she broke three ribs in flight training. Now, she was crying. A woman only cries when she has a weakness. Leo and the baby were her weakness. I looked at her trembling shoulders and smiled. “Fine. I’ll go apologize.” She let out a breath, visibly relieved. “Let’s go to the hospital now.” She reached for my hand. I pulled away, my face a blank mask. “I can walk on my own.” “Okay,” she nodded, then added anxiously, “Hurry. I’m worried Leo is going to have a breakdown…” We had just reached the ICU waiting area when Leo fell to his knees, clutching my legs. “Ethan, please, you can take my life, just let the baby be okay.” He was sobbing hysterically. I was so tired of the act I could have laughed. I tried to pull him up. “Stop the performance. I should be the one kneeling. I’m begging you, your highness, to let me go. I don’t want Dia anymore. She’s all yours.” He looked up, a flash of triumph in his eyes before it was replaced by terror. “No, that’s not it. Dia will always be yours. I would never dare… I just want to live a quiet life with my baby.” “Get up!” I had lost all patience. He grabbed my hand. I yanked it away in disgust. He used the momentum to fall backward, his head hitting the linoleum with a loud crack. He let out a piercing shriek. “That’s enough!” Dia rushed over to help him up, looking at me like I was a monster. “Ethan, if you don’t want to apologize, then don’t come here! Leo has been up all night, he hasn’t eaten or slept. Our baby is fighting for her life, and you have the nerve to bully him?” I looked down, at a complete loss for words. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t believe me anyway, would she? After a long silence, Dia laughed, a bitter, self-mocking sound. “Then again, what am I expecting? I saw you hurt him and the baby with my own eyes, time and time again. Just go home. You’re only making things worse here.” “The baby’s parents, I need to speak with you!” a doctor called out. Without a backward glance, Dia led Leo toward the doctor. The doctor shot me a disapproving look. “Bystanders, please keep the noise down.” That’s right. They were the parents. I was just a bystander. A superfluous extra. Twice in one day, I had come to this hospital only to humiliate myself. In their eyes, I must seem like a vicious, unhinged maniac. All the strength drained out of me. I staggered backward, right into a warm, steady embrace. Clara held me, her voice trembling with excitement. “So, Ethan. Is the promotion effective immediately?”
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