Chapter 3

With both our parents urging us to have a child, Nina finally got pregnant.

I was looking forward to the day our whole family could live happily together when I heard that Mike had come back to the country, and just like that, all those dreams were gone.

When Nina quietly aborted our baby and agreed to Mike's ridiculous request, I finally understood that her feelings for him had always run deep and that she'd never forgotten him.

It was almost ridiculous how happy I was when I found out Nina was pregnant.

My parents had been looking forward to having a grandchild for years, and they were overjoyed when they finally got their wish.

They spent almost all the savings they'd built up on taking care of Nina during her pregnancy, and they drove for hours in the dead of winter just to bring her fresh food from home.

I wanted to make things easier for Nina and give our child a good life, so besides my regular job during the day, I spent whatever free time I had taking care of her or picking up side jobs. No matter how hard or tiring it got, I never complained.

But what did I get in return?

Whenever I wasn't home, Nina would find excuses to go out and meet Mike.

If I hadn't happened to run into them at a restaurant while I was out for a work dinner that day, I might still be clueless about what was going on.

The way they looked at each other and flirted made my heart sink. But then, I saw Nina's baby bump, and I swallowed all the anger and hurt I'd been feeling.

What I never expected was for her to quietly get rid of our baby over a ridiculous request.

My father, Matt Smith, suffered a sudden heart attack from the shock and died. My mother, Caroline Dunn, couldn't take the blow and lost her mind. She fell from the balcony, leaving her in a coma.

Before Mom died, she woke up briefly. But all she could do was keep mumbling the nickname she'd picked out for her grandchild.

My heart ached so badly I could barely breathe. I knelt beside Mom's hospital bed, tears running down my face. I couldn't understand why Nina would do this to me.

Nina didn't show up at the funeral. I called her 37 times in a row, but she didn't care how I felt. She yelled at me for interrupting whatever she and Mike were doing.

It wasn't until I personally buried my parents in the ground that my love for Nina finally vanished for good.

…

I thought last night's argument had made Nina realize how serious I was about getting a divorce.

Instead, the moment I opened my eyes, I found her lying beside me in the new lingerie she'd bought, looking all sweet and seductive.

"Still mad? If it really bothers you that much, I'll go to the hospital with Mike, and we'll use artificial insemination. Will that make you happy?"

The way she was acting made me so sick I wanted to puke, so I got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom.

When I came back after washing up, she was already holding out an elaborate breakfast she'd prepared for me, showing me a tenderness I'd never seen from her before.

"Honey, I made breakfast just for you."

In five years of marriage, this was the first time she'd ever made breakfast for me.

If this had happened before, I would've been so touched I'd probably have cried. But now, her deliberate attempt to please me only made me feel more disgusted.

I turned away from her and started getting dressed.

She frowned, looking impatient. "I've already backed down. What more do you want?"

I answered coldly without turning around. "I just want a divorce."

Nina suddenly threw the breakfast tray onto the floor and pointed at me furiously. "Andrew, don't push your luck! Do you really think you're in a position to be this picky? Who's going to want you after you leave me?

"Besides, your parents would never agree to us getting divorced!"