Chapter 3

Simon seemed unaware that every time he showed just how protective he was of that woman, he was digging the knife in my heart just a little deeper.

"Simon Sader, have you ever loved me?"

Caught off guard by my question, Simon paused momentarily before answering sincerely, "Of course, I love you. Why else would I have married you? It's just that this baby is a dream of mine, so just treat it as fulfilling my dream."

What ridiculous words.

The instant that the baby was born, everything between us would change, and it would be all over for us.

"He's not just a dream, but a life! Has it ever occurred to you that he'll learn the truth about his birth one day?"

Simon fell silent. Clearly, he hadn't thought this whole thing through.

It still wasn't too late to turn back now. Grabbing his arm, I begged him not to keep the baby.

Nevertheless, Simon flung my hand away. "Melanie Lowe, I never knew you were such a heartless person! It's just a child! Can't you even accept that?"

"Are you so determined to keep it that you'll go ahead, even if I divorce you?"

That had Simon hesitating for a moment. Then, he answered me firmly, "Yes, I'm keeping the baby no matter what! Nobody can stop me!"

"Alright, then keep it."

It was no use talking to someone who had already made up their mind, so I gave up, especially since he was being a lot more stubborn than I had imagined.

To Simon, right now, I was no longer his wife, but an evil person wanting to take the life of his child.

Simon's tense expression eased as he assumed that I had conceded.

"If you had been able to think this way from the beginning, we wouldn't have needed to fight."

He reached out to take my hand, but I avoided him and took a step back. Disappointment flashed in his eyes before he lowered his gaze.

"I still have a meeting, so you can go to the prenatal checkup with her yourself."

Somewhat at a loss, he could do nothing but stand there as though rooted to the spot.

After that, I immediately contacted a lawyer to inquire about the divorce procedures. Since there was no keeping Simon by my side, I might as well get things over with as soon as possible.

However, I hadn't expected that news about my intention to divorce him would leak that quickly. I had barely finished meeting with the lawyer in the early afternoon when the Sader family learned about it.

Simon's father, Michael Sader, had the most explosive reaction, as the Sader family was known for their strong family values. For generations, the married couples had been loving and harmonious, with none ever divorcing.

Hence, my wanting to divorce Simon thoroughly shocked the entire family.

"I told you all before, didn't I? That a child was needed—" Simon's older sister, Yelena Sader, started snidely, only for Tiffany to clamp a hand over her mouth.

Tiffany whispered something into her daughter's ear that caused Yelena to glare at me. When Yelena walked past me, she spat at me before calling me shameless.

Simon hadn't yet arrived when Michael bellowed at me furiously, "Kneel!"

Although I was his daughter-in-law, I wasn't the meek and obedient sort.

"Dad, just say whatever you have to say. Your blustering won't work on me."

"How dare you still sound so righteous when you cheated on Simon!" Yelena railed at the injustice on her brother's behalf.

Ah, her earlier insult made sense now. They thought that I was the one in the wrong.

Before I could explain, Tiffany came over to talk me out of it. "Melanie, it doesn't matter that you did something wrong. What's more important is that you learn from your mistakes and change your ways. You and Simon are about to have a baby, and as the baby's parents, you need to set an example."

"The baby isn't—"

"Dad! Mom! Why have you called Melanie here?"

Having just arrived, Simon hurriedly cut me off. It seemed he still didn't know that his family thought I was a disloyal wife who had cheated on him.

Yelena tugged on Simon's arm. "She cheated on you, you know!"

Simon shot me a disbelieving look, and when he spoke, his voice quavered. "Is that true?"

"I didn't cheat on you. I just want to divorce you."

Despite the calm manner in which I said those words, Simon looked as though I had dealt him an even greater blow than earlier. His body swayed like he was about to faint at any moment, but he managed to force himself to stay standing.