Chapter 1

I found myself carrying Austyn's child with his childhood sweetheart, Valda at the same time.

For the sake of her spotless reputation, Austyn claimed her baby as his own. Mine was branded a bastard with no father.

When I confronted him, Austyn spoke with chilling detachment—Valda had always been the perfect, obedient girl, too fragile to withstand the stain of gossip.

That day, I looked at the man I had loved for seven years and finally understood what it meant to stop loving.

Later, when my family deemed me a disgrace, they forced me to end the pregnancy.

Austyn was abroad then, devoted to Valda and her fragile peace of mind.

By the time he returned, the child was gone—and so was I.

*****

When I was three months pregnant, Austyn's little childhood sweetheart turned out to be pregnant too.

We ran into each other at the hospital, and I never expected to hear something like that.

"Austyn, feel our baby," Valda said sweetly. "I think he just moved."

There was a soft glow on Austyn's face as he let her pull his hand over to her stomach.

The next second, the doctor called my name.

Austyn spun around in shock. His eyes went wide, and he stared at me like he couldn't find the words.

I walked toward him slowly, then slapped him hard across the face, again and again. His cheeks turned red and swollen, but he didn't say a single word.

I looked straight at him. "Austyn, give me an explanation."

The moment Valda saw me hitting Austyn, she panicked. She shoved me aside and threw her arms out to shield him.

"It's me," Valda said, her voice full of pride. "I'm the one carrying Austyn's baby. If you have a problem, take it up with me."

That instant, the suspicion in my heart became reality. No matter how hard I tried, tears still spilled down.

Seeing me cry, Austyn pushed Valda's hands away and pulled me into his arms, holding me tight like I was the only thing that mattered.

He spoke softly, almost begging. "Rayne, don't cry. The baby in her stomach isn't mine."

Valda's lips pushed into a pout as she started to sob, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She stared at Austyn as if he'd just betrayed her.

Valda cried, "Austyn, you promised me. You said you'd be the father of my baby. How could you tell her the truth now?"

Austyn wiped the tears from my face while shooting Valda a cold, sharp look. "Rayne is my wife. She has every right to know the truth."

Valda's tears stopped instantly. A strange smile curled at her lips. "Oh, then does she know her baby's a bastard?"

At that moment, Austyn's whole body trembled, his face suddenly pale.

Valda went on proudly, her tone sharp, "Austyn only did this for me. He was scared people would talk about me being pregnant before marriage. So he sacrificed his own son for my sake.

"Rayne, from now on, my child will be Austyn's firstborn. Your kid being called a bastard sounds awful. Don't worry, I'll make Austyn take yours in as an adopted child."

I stared at the man in front of me, someone who suddenly felt like a stranger, and fought wildly in his arms.

Austyn's eyes turned red as he held me tighter, whispering over and over that he was sorry.

I cried for a long time before I finally asked, my voice trembling. "Is Valda really that important to you? Important enough to let our child be branded a bastard?"

Austyn froze. After a pause, he forced the words out. "Valda's been a good girl since she was little. She can't handle the gossip about getting pregnant before marriage."

Austyn wrapped his arms around me as I sat powerless on the floor, holding me like he was clinging to his own life.

He whispered, "Rayne, I won't let you carry this reputation for long. When things settle down with Valda, we'll announce our baby's identity."

That day, I looked at the man I had loved for seven years. For the very first time, I understood what it felt like to stop loving someone.