One drunken night, Ethan Vance got a girl pregnant. By the time I found out, she was already six months along. He told me that if we kept the child, we could go back to the way things were. I shook my head and asked him, stubbornly: "Between me and this child, who do you choose?" That day, he stayed silent for a long time, unable to give me an answer. But after I vanished, he finally realized his mistake. 1 In the five years we were married, I never imagined it would end like this. On the steps outside the hospital, Ethan was carefully supporting a young, beautiful girl. I stood a short distance away, making direct eye contact with an Ethan I hadn't seen looking so tender in a long time. His eyes darted away, stiffly avoiding my gaze. The heavily pregnant girl next to him also looked my way, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. After safely helping the girl into a car and whispering some careful instructions, Ethan walked over to me. His steps were calm and composed, entirely lacking the panic I expected from someone caught red-handed. First, he took my ice-cold hands and wrapped them tightly in his own. "Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?" He spoke with concern, reaching out to check my forehead. I dodged his hand. "Who is she?" Ethan didn't answer my question. Instead, he pulled me into his arms, trying to comfort me. "No one important. I'll explain everything when we get home, okay?" In that moment, his soft, gentle tone was what finally broke me. Tears started to fall. I looked up at him stubbornly, demanding an answer. As long as he said it, I would believe him. Ethan sighed softly, then gently wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. "The child is mine." The tears froze on my face. I forgot how to breathe. I bit my lip until it was bruised red, broke free from his embrace, and stumbled backward. Only then did a flicker of anger cross Ethan's face. He pulled me back into his arms, looking at me with heartache. "Mia, you can blame me, but don't torture yourself." I didn't understand how he could do something like this, yet still put on this display of love for me. During our silent standoff... The girl stepped out of the car. "Get back inside!" Ethan snapped, his face cold, his voice devoid of any warmth. The girl looked at him timidly but didn't leave. A newfound determination hardened her eyes. "Mrs. Vance, Ethan and I aren't what you think. This baby was an accident." She offered a bitter smile. "If I could, I would want this child less than anyone." My vision blurred. Even though I couldn't see the expression on his face clearly... I knew him well enough to sense that the initial coldness was already gone. "Enough, stop talking!" Jealousy, resentment... all these emotions flooded my heart, and I screamed in breakdown. The girl, startled, swayed and nearly fell, but was quickly caught in his arms. I stared blankly at this scene, a thought flashing through my mind. I lunged towards them. Just as I was about to bump into the girl's swollen belly, a powerful force shoved me away. I sat on the ground, lifting my scraped palms, and gave a tragic, empty smile. Ethan stared in disbelief at his outstretched hand, frozen. That day, Ethan left the six-month pregnant girl and took me home. But I knew, he and I had no future left. 2 Once we got home, Ethan gave me an explanation. I sat on the bed, unmoving for a long time. He stood on the balcony of my room, smoking for the entire night. I knew he was using self-flagellation to make my heart ache for him. He always knew exactly where my weak spots were. As dawn broke, Ethan turned around, walked back inside, and came to my side. "Hungry? What do you want to eat? I'll cook." I called out to him with a raspy voice. "Ethan, we need to talk." Ethan's footsteps paused, but he didn't turn back for a long time. He knew my personality perfectly; he knew I cared deeply about this kind of thing. I cared a lot. Even though he was drunk that night, and even though his interaction with that girl was an unintentional accident... I could never forgive him. So, Ethan had kept it a secret. But no one could have anticipated that the stranger, a girl he only met once, would get pregnant. Due to a specific medical condition, she couldn't terminate the pregnancy. And that brought us to today's reality. Ethan still walked away. He didn't dare face what I was going to say next. I knew he loved me. If he didn't love me, we wouldn't have survived our long courtship. If he didn't love me, he wouldn't have spoiled me into someone who could throw tantrums and cry over the smallest things. For the next week, Ethan didn't come home. Yet, he called the housekeeper every single day, asking for detailed updates on how I was doing. The housekeeper tried to comfort me: "Ma'am, you and Mr. Vance are the most deeply in love couple I've ever seen. Whatever is going on, just talk it out. "He... he's lost so much weight recently." The housekeeper had been with us for years; she had never seen Ethan and me have a single argument. Even Ethan's mother, who had initially disapproved of me, eventually accepted me as her daughter-in-law because of how happy we were together. My phone rang. It was Ethan calling. "Sister-in-law, Ethan's had too much to drink. Can you come pick him up?" "Don't bother with him!" After hanging up, the heavy knot in my chest didn't dissipate; it only grew tighter. My mind kept replaying the image of Ethan's retreating back, looking somehow stooped and defeated. I couldn't bring myself to be completely heartless and abandon him there alone. After a brief internal struggle, I grabbed the car keys. And strode out the door. 3 The door to the private room was slightly ajar. I stood outside, not going in. Ethan was indeed very drunk, sprawled out on the sofa with all four limbs splayed, completely devoid of his usual dignity. Standing in front of him was the heavily pregnant girl. Ethan's friend looked a bit embarrassed. "Miss Su, my sister-in-law refused to come, and Ethan refused to leave, so I had to call you." The girl smiled gently and lifted one of Ethan's arms to help him up. He unexpectedly shoved her away. A few startled gasps snapped Ethan out of his drunken stupor. He looked at the woman in front of him, a smile uglier than crying forming on his face. "Chloe Su, it's all because of you... Mia doesn't want me anymore..." Ethan kept repeating that phrase, then started searching frantically for more alcohol. No one could stop him. He grabbed a bottle and started chugging it like his life depended on it. Chloe suddenly snatched the bottle from his hand and smashed it violently onto the floor. The room instantly fell silent. Even Ethan, who had been throwing a drunken tantrum just a moment ago, stared at her blankly. "Ethan, causing a scene like this will scare our child. "Get up. I'm tired. Take me home." In this city, Ethan Vance was a man who commanded immense respect and power. Other than me, no one had ever dared order him around like this. Everyone assumed he was going to explode. No one dared to breathe. But in that suffocating atmosphere, Ethan didn't say a single word. He slowly got up, grabbed his jacket, and quietly followed Chloe out. They left together. Hiding in the corner, I watched the man and woman walk away. And suddenly, I smiled. Only, this smile carried a heavy, bitter taste. I followed their taxi to a high-end residential complex. I watched with my own eyes as Ethan got out and followed the girl upstairs. A light flicked on in an apartment high above. I sat in my car and watched for the entire night. Ethan never came out. At seven in the morning, he walked back inside carrying breakfast. I stared at that incredibly familiar silhouette. And quietly drove away alone. 4 I called Ethan back home, but I didn't bring up divorce. I looked at the man, who looked noticeably thinner, and quickly averted my gaze. "I didn't pick you up last night. Where did you sleep?" Ethan's fingers twitched slightly. After a moment, he said: "I slept at the office." I couldn't quite name the feeling in my chest—it wasn't really bitterness. It was more like overwhelming disappointment. Since when had Ethan learned to lie to me? The man who once promised to be completely honest with me for the rest of his life had changed. I didn't expose his lie, because to me, it didn't matter anymore. "How many months along is she?" Ethan's voice paused for a few seconds, seemingly reluctant to hurt me. "Almost seven months." After answering, he dropped to one knee in front of me, burying his face deeply into my lap. His tears soaked right through my skirt. "Mia, I was wrong. Please don't leave me." In my memory, Ethan had never cried before. Now, he was sobbing uncontrollably. Watching him cry made my heart ache. But I knew, in this moment, I couldn't be soft-hearted. "Set up a meeting for me and that girl." We chose to meet at Chloe's apartment. Ethan waited outside the door. Chloe gently stroked her belly, her eyes filled with absolute anticipation for the child. "That night, the lights were off, and I was genuinely terrified. "But the next morning, when I saw Mr. Vance lying next to me... I actually felt a brief moment of relief." Chloe laughed as she spoke. She looked up at me, still maintaining that gentle, beautiful facade. "Ms. Harrison, since our child is going to be born soon, why don't you just step aside and let us be together?" With Ethan absent, the girl in front of me seemed like a completely different person. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised. Because the night I went looking for Ethan, Chloe had glanced at me from behind the door. I knew she had seen me that night. She slowly stood up and pushed open a closed door. Inside was a cozy, fully decorated nursery. "Everything in here was personally picked out by Mr. Vance. He decorated the room himself. "He's not entirely unexcited about this child." I desperately wanted to maintain my last shred of composure in front of Chloe, who was showing off Ethan's fatherly devotion. But I still let her provoke me. So, Ethan was actually looking forward to this child. He wasn't entirely indifferent. It felt like all the strength had been drained from my body. I braced one hand on the dining table, knocking over a glass of water. The sharp sound of shattering glass struck my heart, fracturing it into countless pieces. Hearing the noise, Ethan rushed in to find me swaying unsteadily, while Chloe lay on the floor, crying out in pain. That day, I will never forget that Ethan's first choice was no longer me. Chloe shot me a triumphant smile, thinking she had won. As he brushed past me, Ethan hesitated for only a fraction of a second. Ultimately, he walked right past me, scooped Chloe up, and rushed her to the hospital. 5 In the moment he left, Ethan didn't even look at me. I stood there for a very long time before slowly accepting the reality that he had abandoned me. I followed them to the hospital. By the time I arrived, Ethan's parents were already there. So, I was the only one kept in the dark. They had known all along. Seeing me approach, Ethan's mother slapped me hard across the face. "If anything happens to my grandson, I'll make you pay!" Ethan immediately stepped in front of me, shielding my entire body behind his. Seeing this, his mother grew even more furious. "Ethan Vance! You protect her all you want normally, but right now, she's trying to harm your son!" Ethan laughed, a sound laced with suppressed rebellion. "So what? If he's gone, he's gone." If they hadn't kept the child a secret from him, Mia wouldn't be hurting like this. No one knew that when he saw Chloe fall... His first reaction had actually been relief. He was beginning to deeply regret this unexpected complication. The doctor came out and announced the baby was safe. Ethan's parents rushed into the room, fussing over Chloe and asking if she was okay. But Chloe kept her pitiful gaze fixed on Ethan, who remained standing by the door. If she dared to frame me, I certainly wasn't going to let her have what she wanted. I revealed my swollen, red left cheek to make his heart ache, and said to Ethan: "I don't want to stay here anymore." Ethan left with me. Before we left, I looked at Chloe lying in the hospital bed and returned her earlier triumphant smile. At least for now, Ethan still favored me. Even if I no longer wanted that favoritism. During the days when Ethan thought I was accepting the child, I was already preparing to leave. I packed my belongings and drafted a divorce agreement. I was just waiting for the right day. That's right, I was going to leave on the day Chloe gave birth. Didn't she want me to step aside and let them be a happy family of three? I was going to grant her wish. 6 Lately, I'd been having a dull ache in my lower abdomen. I had planned to get it checked out the day I went to the hospital, but I hadn't expected to run into them. I made a new appointment and got checked. When I received the results, I laughed until I cried. Ethan and I had been trying for a baby for five years with no luck. And now, this child seemed to have arrived at the absolute worst possible time. I wandered aimlessly through the hospital, clutching the positive pregnancy test, completely unsure of what to do with the tiny life growing inside me. I knew I should get rid of it, but I couldn't bear to. This decision was harder than giving up Ethan. Until I looked up and saw Ethan walking out of a prenatal checkup with Chloe. Neither of us had brought up Chloe in the past few days. He assumed my silence meant tacit acceptance of the situation. "Ethan, our baby is so healthy. I'm so happy." Ethan's tone revealed nothing, but his slightly raised eyebrows betrayed his good mood. "Yeah. You're taking good care of him." They were so absorbed in discussing the baby that they didn't even notice I had stopped right in front of them. The moment Ethan saw me, he immediately dropped Chloe's hand and put distance between them. After a heavy silence, I spoke first. "What a coincidence. I'll leave you two to it. I have to go." Ethan panicked, grabbing my arm to stop me. "Mia, let me explain." I calmly pulled my arm free, without a trace of anger. "I'm not mad. This child is your responsibility. I understand." At those words, Chloe's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ms. Harrison, do you really agree to let us keep the baby?" Since we had torn away all pretenses last time, I didn't bother offering her a friendly expression. "Ms. Su, your baby is due in a few days. Does it matter if I agree or not?" The woman suddenly panicked, her voice taking on a tearful edge. "I... I was forced." Saying these things now was utterly meaningless. I didn't let Ethan follow me. I turned around and headed back to the doctor's office. Someone had just made the decision for me.
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