Chapter 1

On my wedding day, Nicolas suddenly demanded that I take off my wedding dress and give it to his childhood sweetheart, Hazel.

I stared at him in disbelief, my eyes widening in shock.

Sighing, he explained, "Hazel has a severe fear of marriage. The doctor said that experiencing a real wedding is the best form of exposure therapy. So today, Hazel will take your place first."

My fingers clenched around the wedding dress so tightly that they nearly pierced the fabric.

"B-but this is my wedding. Why should I give it to her?" My voice trembled as I replied.

A trace of impatience flashed between his brows. Nicolas pulled the wedding dress off me and tossed a bridesmaid dress at me.

"Denise, your five-month pregnancy has already stretched the wedding dress out of shape. You wouldn't want to walk down the aisle and have everyone think you look awful, would you?"

He sneered then continued, "The bridesmaid dress was specially tailored by Hazel for you. It will hide your belly perfectly. See how thoughtful she is?"

With that, he handed the wedding dress to Hazel, and the two of them walked into the changing room side by side. As the door closed, I heard Hazel laughing.

I watched them exchange rings, kiss, and recite their vows on the stage. The pain in my chest was so intense that I could barely breathe.

After the wedding, I returned home like a walking corpse, only to stop dead outside the bedroom.

Through the crack in the door, I saw them together on my marital bed, tangled up in an intimate embrace.

Hazel looked guilty as she asked, "What if Denise finds out and leaves you? Wouldn't that make me a sinner?"

"Where could she go when she's carrying my child?" Nicolas snorted. "I'm willingly helping you complete the whole treatment. You have nothing to feel guilty about!"

"Besides, if she hadn't drugged me at that party before, would she even deserve to carry my child?"

All the blood drained from my body.

So that was what he meant by experiencing a wedding. It included experiencing the wedding night and having a husband.

Even the child I had struggled so hard to conceive was nothing more than an accident!

But this time, I neither cried nor made a scene. Instead, I turned around and placed an order for ninety-nine boxes of contraceptives and ninety-nine sets of lace lingerie.

……

For the order note, I wrote only two sentences.

[Thanks for all your hard work with the full treatment. Take your time and enjoy it.]

I closed the order page, turned around, and headed into the hallway before calling my private lawyer. Then I sent over the high-definition video I had just recorded.

"I want to break up with Nicolas. Sell all my shares in the Jenkins family's company, then release this video. Once it's done, I'll double your fee!"

The other party agreed without hesitation.

After hanging up, the frantic sounds coming from the bedroom still hadn't stopped. As I listened, I found myself slipping into a daze again and again.

Nicolas and I have been together since college.

I had waited ten years for him, only for the wedding I had dreamed of to become a red carpet for him and another woman.

At the wedding, he openly embraced Hazel as they graciously accepted everyone's blessings. Every guest wore a smile, praising them as a perfect match.

So, from beginning to end, I was the only one kept in the dark.

I touched my slightly protruding belly, and my eyes turned bloodshot.

Five months ago, someone drugged Nicolas at a party. Fortunately, I noticed in time and managed to get him into my car.

Not long afterward, I found out I was pregnant. When I told Nicolas the good news, his expression instantly darkened. But a moment later, he broke into a delighted smile, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me repeatedly.

"Baby, this child is the best gift heaven could have given us."

But now I realized I hadn't been imagining things back then. The truth was, he had never intended to have a child with me, which was why he had never once accompanied me to a prenatal checkup.

The first time we were about to leave, Hazel suddenly called to say she had a headache. He panicked and rushed off to be with her.

The second time, he left me stranded halfway there simply because Hazel had posted, "I'm in a bad mood," on Instagram.

The third time, he kicked me out of the car in the middle of a torrential downpour because he was in such a hurry to rescue Hazel from a group of men harassing her.

I was knocked down by the car as he sped away and nearly miscarried. Afterward, he held me and begged for my forgiveness over and over, insisting that he and Hazel were nothing more than siblings. He swore he would never miss another prenatal checkup.

But remembering how wildly passionate he had been with Hazel, I couldn't help letting out a bitter, self-mocking laugh.

"What kind of siblings are so affectionate that they end up in bed together?"

If that was the case, then what meaning was there in keeping this child I had believed was the fruit of our love?

Taking a deep breath, I called the hospital. "Please schedule me for an abortion. As soon as possible."

Shortly after, they told me the procedure could be done today.

"Okay."

After hanging up, I had just reached the ground floor when Nicolas' mother walked in.

With furrowed brows, she spoke impatiently. "Where are you wandering off to again? You're pregnant, for goodness' sake! Aren't you supposed to register your marriage with Nicolas later?"

I had always respected her as Nicolas' mother. Even though she had constantly looked down her nose at me, I had endured it all.

But today, I couldn't help giving her a cold smile. "Auntie, since your son isn't marrying me, then let Hazel go register the marriage with him instead."