1 Nathan Sterling has an attachment disorder. He recoils from the touch of other women. Everyone said we were fated to be together. And he was always good to me, but he never seemed ready to get married. Then, at his birthday party, I overheard his friend ask, “Nate, you’re not seriously going to marry that stand-up comedian, are you?” He barely lifted an eyelid, his hand lazily stroking the waist of the woman beside him. He let out a sneer. “Are you kidding? I’m just playing a little game with her. A redemption story.” “A woman like her? She’s not fit to tie your shoes, let alone marry me.” I stood outside the door, hesitating, before turning and heading straight to the hospital. Later, Nathan would be on his knees, begging me to forgive him. In the OB-GYN clinic, a man gazed tenderly at the woman’s stomach beside him. She looked back at him, sunlight glinting in their hair. It was a beautiful, picture-perfect moment. It would have been even better if the man in the picture wasn’t my boyfriend. I gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh, my hand resting on my own slightly swollen belly. I guess he wasn’t going to marry me after all. The moment Nathan’s eyes met mine, he panicked. The hand that was on Chloe’s waist shot away as if burned. “Aria, what are you doing here?” The woman beside him seemed resentful of his sudden distance. She reached for his hand, right in front of me. I pretended not to see, my voice flat. “I’m here with a friend.” He nodded awkwardly. “This is… my sister. I’m just going to walk her out.” Chloe stormed past us toward the doctor’s office in a huff. He hurried after her, but not before turning back to me. “Aria, wait for me. I’ll give you a ride home.” I was prepared for it, but hearing it out loud still felt like a punch to the gut. I lowered my head, and a single, traitorous tear fell into the takeout container on my lap. I barely noticed it myself. I mumbled an okay, forced down a few bites, and threw the rest away. If he’d been paying any attention at all, he would have seen the medical chart in my hand. But his mind was clearly elsewhere. I watched the two of them ahead of me, a suffocating tightness in my chest. Their conversation drifted back, loud enough for me to hear. “Your sister? Right. I guess if ‘big brother’ hadn’t been so rough last night, ‘little sister’ wouldn’t be at the hospital today.” “My fault, all my fault. Whatever you want today, I’ll buy it for you, okay?” Behind me, the nurse asked one last time. “Are you sure you want to terminate the pregnancy?” I touched my belly, closed my eyes against a wave of pain, and nodded. A child not conceived in love and anticipation was better off not entering this world at all. After the procedure, I went home. Nathan didn’t come back until late. He smelled of perfume and the cold night air as he climbed into bed, reaching for me like he always did. But I’m allergic to most perfumes. He never wore any. The scent of him made my stomach turn. I subtly shifted away. He grabbed my hand. “Aria, why didn’t you wait for me today?” “Oh, I brought you a gift. It’s a new fragrance from that master perfumer in France. Only three bottles in the whole world.” In the faint moonlight filtering through the window, I stared at him. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I gagged. It was the same perfume I had smelled on Chloe that afternoon. He followed me to the bathroom, his face etched with worry. In the bright light, I saw it clearly: a cluster of love bites on his neck. A testament to the intensity of their afternoon. I pushed his outstretched hand away. “I must have eaten something bad. It’s late, you should go take a shower.” The next morning, the breakfast table was laden with food, including a special porridge he had made himself, supposedly good for the stomach. He wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Aria, come to the auction with me today. Think of it as a make-up anniversary gift.” I nodded silently. He pointed to a beautifully wrapped box on the table and asked if it was a surprise for him. 2 When I confirmed it was, he instinctively moved to open it. I stopped him, forcing a smile. “Wait a week before you open it.” “In a week, this gift will have meaning.” After breakfast, I went to the garage and got into the back seat. As I sat down, a pair of women’s panties fell out from the seat pocket. I said nothing, just stuffed them back in and wiped my hands with an alcohol wipe. In a week, I’d be on the other side of the ocean, working as a psychologist’s assistant. I had only become a stand-up comedian to better understand a former patient’s world. I never expected to meet Nathan at my very first show. It was love at first sight for me. So when he mistook me for a professional comedian, I, for some reason, didn’t correct him. Many patients with psychological issues are resistant to therapists, and I wanted to get close to him. So I became a stand-up comedian, performing on stage every night. I did it for so long I almost forgot what my own dreams were. Since I was leaving, there was no point in making a scene. Hysterics would only be met with more lies. If I couldn’t have the truth, I didn’t want anything at all. When Nathan got to the car, he frowned. “Why are you in the back?” “I’m a bit carsick. It’s more comfortable back here.” He nodded. “Okay, I’ll drive more smoothly then.” The silence in the car was deafening. His phone rang, shattering the quiet. The screen lit up with a photo of the two of us, our smiling faces a cruel irony. The caller ID read “Kitten.” It took me less than a second to guess who “Kitten” was. He quickly silenced the call. It rang again, persistent. He silenced it again, then glanced at me in the rearview mirror, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “Work call. So annoying.” I was focused on the scenery outside, trying to burn every detail into my memory before I left. I lowered my head, my expression unreadable. “It’s fine. You can take it.” He pulled the car over and got out. Before he answered, he glanced back into the car. Unfortunately for him, he had accidentally activated the car’s display screen. His chat with “Kitten” was laid bare. Chloe had sent him a photo of an ultrasound report, with a section circled: risk of miscarriage. “Big brother, it’s all your fault for being so rough yesterday. You hurt our baby.” “Wasn’t it you who was teasing me, Kitten? You don’t behave even when you’re pregnant.” Another photo followed. Black lace stockings. He got back into the car, a smile on his face. I quickly switched the screen off. At the auction, he touched my cheek. “Aria, what’s wrong? You look so pale.” I licked my dry lips and shook my head. Chloe arrived, wearing the same black stockings from the photo, her hair in perfect waves, her lips a slash of red. Her gaze was fixed on Nathan, bold and unwavering. “Big brother, what a coincidence. Mind if I join you?” Nathan shot me a nervous glance. I forced a smile. “Be my guest.” Then, in a clumsy, staged move, she bumped into me. I was caught off guard and fell, my ankle twisting beneath me, swelling instantly. Nathan’s panic was palpable. He rushed to help me up. Then he snapped at her, “Apologize to Aria.” She looked defiant, staring him down, but eventually relented with a mumbled, insincere apology. She then sat down as if nothing had happened. Before the auction began, the lights dimmed. In the faint glow from the stage, I saw her hand slide under Nathan’s, guiding it beneath her skirt. His breathing grew heavier. He shot her a glare, as if shocked by her audacity. After a few moments of fumbling, his face flushed an unnatural red. He stood up. “Aria, I’m just going to the restroom.” A moment later, Chloe followed him, shooting me a triumphant look as she left. My heart felt like it was being twisted by a sharp blade, each turn a new wave of agony. Did he think I was blind? He couldn’t even wait? 3 I swallowed the pain and turned to leave. As I passed a utility closet, I saw Nathan pull her into his arms, a hint of reprimand in his eyes. “You shouldn’t have shown up in front of Aria.” The woman, her red lips pouted, tapped his chest playfully. “Why not? Isn’t this more exciting?” “I’m wearing the set you wanted to see most. If you walk away today, there won’t be a next time.” Nathan’s eyes were bloodshot. “You little minx,” he cursed under his breath. What followed were her heavy breaths and coy complaints. “Gently, there’s a baby in here!” Nathan chuckled. “You’re the one who was teasing me.” His hand, however, rested gently on her stomach. The piercing pain in my ankle and the sour ache in my heart overwhelmed me. I backed away silently, despising myself. He was doing this, right in front of me, and I was still hurting over him. Hours later, he called, asking where I had gone. “My ankle hurt too much. I left early.” He said okay, then sent me photos of several auction items, asking which one I liked. I was leaving. None of it mattered. “Whatever,” I said flatly. He started choosing for me, his voice excited. “How about this sapphire necklace? It represents the purest love.” A bitter laugh escaped me. The purest love? Did he hear himself? He was defiling the very meaning of the words. I changed the subject. “Nathan, will you marry me?” There was a long silence on the other end, then a low chuckle. “What, you want to marry me now? Not yet. The wedding I give my Aria has to be the grandest the world has ever seen.” I laughed at myself. So, that was a no. Great. After five years, I finally had my answer. I hung up, whispering to the empty room, “Nathan, be careful you don’t fool yourself with this act of devotion.” Tonight, for the first time in ages, he came home at seven. I deliberately asked him about the necklace. I already knew what had happened. I had received a taunting text from Chloe as soon as the auction ended. “The ‘purest love’? Sorry, it’s mine now. And Nathan will be mine too. You should know when to step aside.” He frowned, a look on his face as if he’d finally caught me in a lie. “I’m sorry, Aria. I didn’t win it. I’ll get you something even better, I promise.” I looked down, a sudden urge to mess with him taking over. “No. I want that one.” A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, his tone sharp. “That’s enough, Aria. I hate it when women are demanding and unreasonable.” Seeing his mask of devotion crack, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Oh, Nathan. You never saw me as an equal, did you? I was just a pet you kept. When you were in a good mood, you’d toss me a treat, and I was supposed to be grateful. But the moment the cat starts to think for itself, you have to find a way to declaw it. I smirked. “Well, what am I supposed to do? My mother is pushing me to get married. Will you marry me?” It was the second time I had asked him that day. With his mask off, his true face was revealed. “Enough, Aria. Are you trying to force my hand?” We parted on bad terms. I don’t know if he was trying to teach me a lesson or if he was just too busy with Chloe, but for the next few days, he didn’t come home. Not a single text. Chloe, however, kept me updated with a steady stream of messages. Three days left. He took her to the North Sea, the trip we were supposed to take. A helicopter dragged a banner across the sky: NATHAN LOVES CHLOE FOREVER. How ironic. Then she sent another photo. Nathan, reading a book on prenatal education. “I told him the baby is still the size of a bean and can’t hear anything, but he insists on reading to it every day~” Her previous taunts hadn't bothered me. But this photo… this one made my eyes burn.
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