Chapter 1

For five years, Edward Foster had given me everything I wanted.

Everyone around me was jealous, saying I'd found an absolute gem who spoiled me rotten.

This morning, I went to the private hospital to pick up medicine for my sister. Walking past the OB-GYN hallway, I saw a pregnant woman frowning and holding her back, looking miserable, so I handed her a cup of water.

She smiled and thanked me, her face soft and gentle, and we fell into easy conversation.

She chattered on about the little details of her pregnancy, her voice full of affection for her husband, just pure delight in him.

"No matter how busy he is, he always makes it to my checkups. He cooks me breakfast every morning. If I so much as mention a craving, he'll drive across town to get it," she said.

She pulled out her phone and showed me the photos her husband had taken at her appointments. The happiness in her face was impossible to hide.

I looked at the profile in the photo, and my heart dropped.

Why did her husband look exactly like Edward?

She didn't notice I was lost in thought and just kept talking. "We've been married for three years, and he's never let me feel wronged. When my morning sickness was at its worst, he stayed by my side all night, hardly getting any rest."

Every word made me more uneasy. I wanted to leave, but my feet felt like they were made of lead. I wanted to keep listening, yet I dreaded hearing the answer I couldn't bear to know.

Carried away by the conversation, she pulled up their wedding photo and showed it to me. "Look. His smile that day was so goofy."

I looked down, and the blood in my veins turned to ice.

The man in the photo, his features unmistakable, was Edward.

He had his arm around her waist, his eyes brimming with adoration. She nestled against him, beaming.

My face went ashen. I opened my mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Seeing me like this, she asked with confusion, "Are you okay?"

All I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

A nurse walked by and greeted the girl with a smile. "Mrs. Foster, did Mr. Foster go out to buy you strawberries again? He really loves you!"

The title Mrs. Foster hit me like a thunderclap, jolting me awake.

The girl had just nodded when a familiar voice came from the end of the hallway, so tender it could melt butter. "Charlie, I just washed these strawberries. Eat them slowly."

I whipped my head around. Edward was walking toward us with a bag of strawberries, wearing the white shirt I'd ironed just the day before, sleeves rolled up, revealing the watch I'd bought him.

Everything about him was familiar, yet in that moment, it felt so strange and broke my heart.

He walked up to her, rested his hand on her back with practiced ease, and bent down to wipe a drop of juice from the corner of her mouth. The gesture was intimate, effortless.

The tenderness in his eyes was clear. I'd never once seen him look at me like that in five whole years.

"Making friends, are we?" He glanced up, and his eyes met mine. His smile froze. A flicker of panic flashed across his face, then vanished.

His gaze turned cold. He looked at me like I was a stranger, with a trace of irritation.

I clawed at my palm, my nails digging in deep. The sharp sting was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

He always said work kept him at the office, with those dark circles under his eyes, so I'd make him his favorite dishes every day and bring them to him.

But now, thinking about it, all of it was pointless.

He wasn't buried in work. He was busy doting on another woman, treating her like the most precious thing in the world.

My feelings were nothing but a cruel joke.

"Honey, do you know this lady?" She looped her arm through his and asked in a sweet voice.

Edward looked away from me, bent his head to soothe her, and said with tenderness that stung my heart, "No, I don't. Come on, they're about to call your name. Let me help you over."

He deliberately avoided my eyes, not even sparing me a word of explanation, as if I were nothing.

I clutched the hem of my shirt, my knuckles white, a dull pressure building in my chest.

Edward had told me he'd love only me for the rest of his life. He'd work hard and build a stable home for my sick sister and me.

I couldn't bear to see him work so hard, so I secretly saved up my jewelry design fees to help with expenses, never buying myself so much as a new shirt for fear of being a burden.

Turned out, he'd never planned to marry me. I never had a place in his future.

Everything he said was a lie to keep me by his side.

Charlotte Foster leaned against Edward's chest and waved her phone, glowing with happiness. "I'm going to post today's checkup photos online so everyone can see how good my husband is to me."

Edward ruffled her hair indulgently. "You're such a child. You're tired from the checkup. Put the phone away and rest. I'll take the photos for you later."

"Mr. and Mrs. Foster, it's time for your 4D ultrasound," a nurse called out. Her voice snapped me back to reality.

Edward helped Charlotte to her feet and guided her toward the exam room.

As he passed the glass door, he looked up and met my eyes.

In that instant, his smile froze, and I caught a fleeting panic in his expression before it disappeared.

But the next second, the tenderness was back. He bent toward Charlotte and murmured, "Take it slow. Watch your step."

The man I'd loved for five years looked right through me, too stingy to even explain.

Every question I had caught in my throat, choking me until I couldn't breathe.

My phone buzzed. There was a message from Edward: [Don't cause trouble. I'll explain when I get back. Don't let Charlie see you. She gets scared easily.]

There was no apology and no guilt. He only gave me a warning.

Five years of love turned into the cruelest punchline in that moment.