Chapter 2

In the past, if I saw my fiancé fooling around with another woman, I would have rushed to his office immediately to confront them.

But now, looking at this photo, I felt absolutely nothing.

It was as if my heart had died and been buried right alongside my unborn child.

I slowly placed my hand on my flat belly. I had imagined this baby’s face so many times. Would he have my eyes? Or his father’s nose?

Because I didn't know the gender, I had even prepared two sets of baby clothes. Now, none of them would ever be worn.

I had loved Ethan for ten long years. I chased him for a decade. On the night he finally proposed to me, I cried like a baby, thinking I was the happiest woman alive.

I thought our love had finally won. I didn't know that right after the proposal, he locked himself in the study with his buddies, drinking the night away.

I heard his friend, Tyler, ask him, "Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Amber to come back? You’re just going to marry any random woman?"

I knew who Amber was. She was Ethan’s college girlfriend, the love of his life—the one that got away.

And I was just the "random woman" in his friend’s eyes.

That night, I stood frozen outside the study door for a long time, waiting for Ethan’s response.

I desperately hoped he would say I wasn't just "anyone," that he actually loved me.

But I waited and waited, only to hear three icy words from him: "It doesn't matter."

As long as it wasn't Amber, anyone would do.

I guess that was my worth to him.

"I know you don't care, but Chloe is different," Tyler sighed. "She’s chased you for ten years. Anyone can see how much she loves you. If you marry her and Amber comes back, how are you going to shake her off?"

My heart turned to ice.

Before we were even married, Ethan was already thinking about how to get rid of me.

I clenched my fists. I was young, stubborn, and desperately in love. I believed that as long as I kept treating him well, he would eventually forget Amber and love me back.

Looking back, I was so incredibly naive and stupid.

Trying to use marriage to touch the heart of a man who doesn't love you is just self-torture.

Ethan’s heart was harder than stone. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't chip away even a fraction of it.

I checked myself out of the hospital alone. The moment I walked through the front door of our house, I saw Ethan sitting on the sofa.

Seeing me enter, his first words were a sharp scolding. "Where have you been all day? Look at the bathroom. Why haven't you washed the laundry yet?"

I didn't say a word. If he had bothered to look at me for even two seconds, he would have noticed how deathly pale my face was.

"Are you still throwing a tantrum over last night?"

"I told you, I was busy at work. What are you crying about now?"

In the past, whenever he came home, the house would be spotless, and a warm, delicious dinner would be waiting for him. I wanted him to feel the warmth of a home after a long day at the office.

But now, I was done being his unpaid maid.

My love for him had been completely chipped away, and I had nothing left to give.

I took a deep breath, clenched my nails into my palms, and spoke quietly. "Ethan, let's call off the engagement."

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