Chapter 4

Glass shards flew in every direction. They sliced across my face, my hands, and my legs. But those wounds were nothing compared to the wound in my heart.

With each blow, my face in the photograph shattered into pieces, just like the tiny life that had once been crushed inside her. The image was torn apart until it was barely recognizable.

That night, I took the hammer to everything in the house, smashing it all to pieces.

The following evening, Nora finally came home.

She stopped when she saw the destruction covering the floor. Perhaps she felt guilty, because instead of getting angry, she quietly brought over the first-aid kit, knelt beside me, and began bandaging my wounds.

When she finished, she looked up at me and said, "Nathan, why don't we go to the hospital?"

I slowly turned toward her, confused. "The hospital?"

She hesitated.

"I'll take you to see a psychiatrist.

A psychiatrist—that was what she thought was wrong with me.

Before I could say anything, she continued, "Ryan was admitted to the hospital, too. He needs someone to look after him."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Last night, I was almost home when I got the call that Ryan had been hospitalized, so I went straight there. I'm sorry. Please don't be angry."

She glanced around at the wreckage. "If you hate this place so much, we can move. We'll find somewhere else."

A bitter laugh escaped me, and I shoved her away. "Nora, what exactly are you trying to replace? The house or me?"

She stumbled backward and fell onto a pile of broken porcelain. For a moment, she just stared at me in shock. Then her expression hardened, and she demanded, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Nathan?"

"You really don't know?" My voice shook as I pointed around the room. "You don't want to get married. You don't want this house. So I smashed it for you. If you want a new house, get one. If you want a new husband, find one. You and Ryan can do whatever the hell you want!"

I pointed toward the door. "Just get out."

Nora didn't move. She only stared at me, stunned.

Seeing her like that, something inside me snapped.

"Go!" I shoved her again, my voice rising into a furious roar.

"I said go!" I was screaming like a man who had completely lost control of himself.

Whatever restraint Nora had left finally broke. She shoved me hard. "My mom was right about you. You're not even half the man Ryan is!"

I staggered backward and slammed into the corner of the wall.

"He's lying in a hospital bed, and he's still worried about you, while you don't even care whether he's alive or dead!"

Pain shot through me, and for a moment, I couldn't speak. I could only gasp for air.

Nora's anger faltered when she saw me clutching my side. She instinctively reached toward me, then stopped.

When she spoke again, her voice was cold. "You can doubt me if you want, but how could you suspect Ryan, too?"

She looked me up and down, her eyes filled with disgust. "Look at yourself. Do you even realize how you look right now? What's the difference between you and a lunatic?"

My entire body went cold. Then she delivered the words that shattered whatever was left of me. "I'm glad that child is gone. If it had been born, having a father like you would have been humiliating."

A deafening roar seemed to explode inside my head, and my whole body trembled from the pain.

With shaking arms, I pointed toward the open door. "Out." My voice was barely a whisper. Then I forced the words out again. "Get out. Go find Ryan."

I swallowed hard. "I'll give you what you want."

Nora didn't answer. She didn't move either. She only looked at me with a cold, disappointed expression.

Then she turned and slammed the door shut behind her.

Half an hour later, I grabbed my wallet and got into the car.

Streetlights blurred past one after another as I drove. The evening wind dried the tears on my face, but it couldn't quiet my thoughts. All I could think about was Ryan crying and apologizing the night before. Those tears had been nothing but crocodile tears.

The light ahead turned red, and I hit the brakes and stared blankly at the road. Then my phone rang. It was Nora. I watched the screen light up, go dark, then light up again as she called again and again.

On the eighth call, I finally answered.

"Nathan, I'm sorry. I said some really hurtful things today." Her voice sounded tired and defeated. "Where are you? I'll come pick you up. We can grab dinner."

I said nothing.

"You're still recovering. Please don't hurt yourself because of me. Once you're better, you can yell at me or hit me all you want."

I closed my eyes. "Nora, let's break up."

For a while, she didn't say a word. The silence stretched on so long that I thought she'd finally accepted it. Then she let out a quiet sigh. "Don't say things like that. You're my future husband. You've always been the only one."

My heart clenched. Then another voice suddenly came through the phone. "Nora, can you help me wipe myself down?"

She paused. When she spoke again, her voice had dropped to a whisper. "Nathan, I'm busy right now. I'll call you back later."

And the call ended.

I stared at the screen as it slowly dimmed in my hand. I could hear the wind howling around me.

Then another message appeared on my screen. At that exact moment, blinding headlights suddenly burst into view from the opposite side of the intersection. A split second later, the cars slammed into each other.

My body slammed against the window before the seat belt violently snapped me back. The airbag exploded into my face, and for a moment, it felt as though my entire body had been crushed.

Just then, another collision happened. Blood streamed from my forehead, running down my face and soaking my clothes. All I could see was red at that point.

My phone had fallen beside me. Gasping for breath, I reached for it with trembling hands and called the emergency contact again and again.

On the fifth attempt, someone finally answered, but it was Ryan.

A low, suppressed laugh came through the speaker. "Nathan, Nora is mine now. You should've died, just like that bastard child."

I froze.

Then he continued, his voice filled with cruel amusement. "I orchestrated the accident the first time. I can have someone do it again. I'm the man she's destined to marry."

Suddenly, the phone was pulled away from him. Through the speaker, I heard Nora's voice. "Here. Drink some water."

There was the sound of someone swallowing, followed by a muffled moan.

I lay there in the wreckage, barely able to breathe, listening to the betrayal that came from the two people I loved most.

A haze of blood blurred my vision. And suddenly, I returned to that night from years ago. Nora had kicked open the door to the private room and immediately shrugged off her coat, draping it over my shoulders.

Then she turned to the bodyguards behind her. "Hold him down."

The bodyguards immediately pinned the client to the floor.

Nora stood there, watching as they beat him, punch after punch. Her eyes were red and brimming with tears, but she didn't even have time to wipe them away. She simply turned to me, her voice trembling with anger and concern. "If anyone ever bullies you again, tell me."

…

On the other end of the phone, Nora's voice was breathless. "The truth is, I regretted it the moment I walked into the marriage registration office. I wrote your name over and over again. You're the only man I've ever wanted to marry."

I closed my eyes.

By then, I couldn't even tell what was running down my face anymore—blood or tears. It didn't matter. It had all been a lie. Everything she'd ever told me was nothing but a lie. The only things that were real were the pain I'd endured and the death of my unborn child.

Slumped against the driver's seat, I let out a bitter, broken laugh.

My vision began to fade. Before I finally lost consciousness, I sent out the screenshots and recordings I'd collected over the past few days. Then everything went black.