Chapter 1
One night, Willian Booker got drunk and got a girl pregnant.
When I found out, she was already six months along.
He said, "If we keep this child, things can go back to the way they were."
I shook my head and pressed him. "Between me and this child—who do you choose?"
That day, he stayed silent for a long time, unable to give me an answer.
But after I disappeared, he came to regret it.
After five years of marriage to Willian, I never imagined it would end like this.
At the hospital entrance, Willian was carefully helping a young, beautiful woman down the steps.
I was standing nearby, and our eyes met just as his face softened with tenderness.
He quickly looked away, stiffly avoiding my gaze.
The woman beside him—her belly swollen with pregnancy—glanced over at me too, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.
Once he'd safely settled her into the car and given her a few careful instructions, Willian finally walked over to me.
He approached with steady, calm steps, showing none of the panic from when I'd caught him.
He reached for my hand first—it was ice-cold—and clasped it tightly in his palm.
"Why are you at the hospital? Not feeling well?"
He asked with concern, extending his other hand to touch my forehead.
I dodged it.
"Who is she?"
Willian didn't answer. Instead, he pulled me into his arms, trying to comfort me.
"She's not important. I'll explain everything when we get home, okay?"
His soft, gentle words finally brought tears to my eyes.
I stubbornly lifted my head, determined to get an answer.
If he just told me the truth, I'd believe him.
Willian sighed softly, then gently wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes.
"The child is mine."
My tears froze on my face, and it felt like I'd forgotten how to breathe.
I bit my lip until it bled, wrenching myself from his embrace and staggering back step by step.
Only then did real anger flash across Willian's face.
He pulled me close again, looking at me with heartache.
"Stella, you can blame me, but you can't torture yourself like this."
I couldn't understand why he'd done something like this, yet still put on this act of loving me.
In our silent standoff, the woman stepped out of the car.
"Get back in!"
Willian snapped at her coldly, without a hint of warmth.
She glanced timidly at him but didn't leave, a new resolve hardening in her eyes.
"Ms. Buckley, it's not what you think between Mr. Booker and me. This child was an accident."
She finished with a bitter smile.
"If I had a choice, I'd want him less than anyone."
My vision blurred with tears, and though I couldn't make out the man's expression clearly,
I knew him well enough to sense that his initial coldness had already faded.
"Enough! Stop talking!"
Jealousy and resentment flooded my heart, and I broke down, screaming.
The woman flinched, her body swaying as she nearly fell, but he rushed to catch her in his arms.
I stared blankly at the scene, a thought flashing through my mind.
I lunged toward them.
Just as I was about to reach her protruding belly, a powerful shove sent me sprawling.
I sat on the ground, lifting my scraped palm, and let out a wretched laugh.
Willian stared in disbelief at his own outstretched hand, frozen in shock.
That day, Willian left the girl—six months pregnant—behind and took me home.
But I knew he and I had no future left.
Back home, Willian gave me an explanation.
I sat on the bed for a long time, completely still.
Meanwhile, he stood out on the balcony of our room, chain-smoking through the entire night.
I knew he was punishing himself like this to tug at my heartstrings.
He always knew exactly how to get to me.
As dawn started to break, Willian turned and came back inside, walking over to my side.
"You must be hungry. What do you want? I'll make it for you."
I stopped him with a hoarse voice.
"Willian, we need to talk."
He froze mid-step, taking a long moment before turning around.
I knew he got my personality—this was the kind of thing that got under my skin.
Deeply.
Even if it happened when he was drunk, just a one-time slip with that girl.
I could never forgive it.
That was why he'd kept it hidden.
But no one could have predicted that this stranger he'd met only once would get pregnant.
Because of her unique health issues, she couldn't have an abortion.
Which led to the mess we were in now.
In the end, Willian just walked out; he couldn't bear to hear what I was about to say.