Chapter 2

A dull ache started throbbing in my chest.

Hugo always loved to rest his head against my belly and take a deep breath, telling me I had a sweet, milky scent, like a baby. He'd even bring out storybooks every night and insist on reading them with me for our baby's prenatal education.

The further I scrolled, the more vile the posts became.

My fingers trembled so badly that I could barely hold my phone.

"You can curse me all you want, but my girlfriend's innocent," the original poster said. "She's sweet and kindhearted. She's even agreed to break things off with me once the baby is born. She promised she wouldn't cling to me or cause trouble."

The post also included a video.

A young woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail sat in a cozy restaurant, twirling pasta around her fork with a smile that revealed a pair of faint dimples.

Back when I'd just started working, I'd once been treated unfairly and come home in tears.

Without a second thought, Hugo skipped an important meeting and drove three hours just to take me to the restaurant I'd been talking about for ages.

Sitting across from me, he'd carefully sliced the steak into bite-size pieces, his eyes bright with affection.

"Selena," he began, looking at me sincerely. "I'll always work hard to make you smile every single day for the rest of your life."

Tears plopped onto my phone screen.

I couldn't believe my eyes. How could it be Hugo?

I kept pondering the same question over and over, refusing to accept the truth.

How could it be the man who'd never given up on me—not through high school, not through college, and not even during the three years we worked in different cities?

The irony wasn't lost on me when I spotted the bracelet on the woman's wrist. I'd given it to her myself.

Regina Shaw was the real estate agent who'd helped Hugo and me buy our marital home.

Back then, work kept me so busy that I could only squeeze in house viewings whenever I had a spare moment. Whether it was late at night after overtime or early on a weekend morning, she would almost always reply the moment I messaged her.

No matter how many properties we viewed, she never once showed the slightest impatience.

Regina reminded me of the woman I'd once been, struggling and working tirelessly to carve out a place for myself in this big, bustling city.

Whenever a viewing ran late, I always insisted that Hugo and I drive her home.

The roads in her neighborhood were so narrow that cars couldn't get through. Every time she got out, she wore the same awkward, dejected expression. The headlights cast her frail shadow across the road, making her look all the more pitiful.

It turned out I wasn't the only one who felt sorry for her.

In the video, Regina picked up a few slices of lamb and placed them on Hugo's plate, gazing at him with open admiration.

"Hugo, you're seriously amazing! You're only 28, and you've already saved enough for a down payment of over 400 thousand dollars all on your own. You're so thoughtful toward your wife, too. Why do all the good men get married so young?"

Then she changed the subject, giggling.

"No wonder Selena was in such a hurry to have a baby. Was she afraid she couldn't keep you otherwise?"

Hugo gently tapped her forehead.

"With all this delicious food in front of you, how do you still find so much to say?"

Regina shot him a playful, reproachful look.

"Married women really do have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. I guess my little schemes can't compete with hers."

Hugo fell silent, turning the wedding ring on his finger.

"Well, she's already pregnant," he finally murmured after a long pause. "It's not like I can tell her I don't want the baby, so I just have to go along with it."