After we got married, my husband finally showed me his azoospermia report.

But I didn't give up. It wasn't until our third year of marriage that I finally got pregnant with our first child, after a lot of effort.

I was super excited holding that pregnancy test and rushed downstairs to his company to tell him the good news.

He got angry in an instant.

"This is impossible! I can't have kids. This baby must be someone else's!"

I just stood there, completely stunned.

"No, this baby is yours."

"You cheated on me and think I'm just gonna believe you? There's no way this kid is mine!"

He even forced me to go to the hospital to get an abortion.

I broke free and ran back to the villa we hadn't used in ages.

At first, I just wanted to raise the baby on my own. Once the kid was a bit older, I'd do a DNA test to show I was telling the truth.

But when I got there, I saw a strange pregnant woman lounging in my rattan chair, gently rubbing her belly and soaking up the sun.

"I wonder what my first baby with Benjamin will look like," she said.

A maid was sitting nearby, gently fanning her.

"A child raised with love is sure to be beautiful."

My feet felt like they were stuck in cement. I couldn't move at all.

No wonder Benjamin Ackley didn't want this baby—he already had someone else.

Back then, my dad gave Benjamin a company to run. He told me this villa was too far out and said I should buy an apartment closer to his office.

It turned out that he was setting things up for his mistress.

My heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. Tears just kept streaming down my face. I sadly took a cab and headed back to the city.

I went through so much just to have this baby, trying every possible remedy I could find. I never thought it would end like this.

If this whole thing was a mistake, then maybe it was better to stop here.

I dragged myself to the hospital and had the baby aborted.

Somehow Benjamin found out and rushed over to the hospital.

I was as pale as a ghost when he saw me, and he seemed to be relieved.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming here for an abortion? I thought you'd run off with some man and disappear for good."

He patted me gently and said, with a self-righteous air, "Now that the baby's gone, I'll forget everything you did wrong. Don't think about trying to have another kid. Let's just move on and live happily from now on."

I just walked out numbly.

For the first time, I realized how cold I actually felt inside.

When I got home, I buried myself under the covers.

I tried to fall asleep, but my mind kept drifting back to the past.

Back then, we went to the amusement park together. When we saw cute kids, we would imagine what our future child would look like.

He always said he'd be the kind of dad who'd spend the most time playing with the kid.

He dreamed about taking our child rock climbing, skiing, and traveling all over the country.

He would cook for us every day, making all the dishes like having a huge feast.

I really bought into all those dreams he painted for us and even dreamed of having a child.

But then everything changed when he showed me that medical report.

"I'm so sorry, Madison. I can't have kids. Please don't leave me, okay? I'm begging you."

I comforted him, telling him not to worry.

Even if the chances were slim, there was still a chance.

But in the end, I realized it was all part of his plan.

He just didn't want to have a kid with me.

I kept trying to push those thoughts away, but the memories just kept coming like a storm that wouldn't stop.

Benjamin spent some time in the kitchen and then came back with a bowl of chicken soup and a hand warmer.

He was back to being the caring, thoughtful husband he used to be.

"Come on, take a sip. You need to take care of yourself now," he said.

He scooped up a spoonful and held it to my lips.

I just stared at him, totally confused. How could someone act so normal when they're hiding such a different side?

"Come on," he coaxed.

I made myself drink a little, but everything tasted like nothing.

"Oh, by the way, there's something I want to talk to you about," Benjamin said, setting the bowl down.

"I've got a distant cousin. She's pregnant now, and there's no one to look after her back home.

"I'd like to bring her here to stay with us. That way, we can help her out whenever she needs something, and the medical care here is better too."

I grabbed the bedsheet and clenched my teeth.

"It's not really convenient, and honestly, I don't like the idea of strangers living with us."

Benjamin's face turned dark.

"After living together for a long time, she'll become family. She's just a young girl. She won't spend much, won't take much money. Don't be so stingy."

"Doesn't she have any family? What about her husband?"

I tried hard to keep my voice steady.

"What are you talking about?" Benjamin said with a frown. "We're just helping someone out. It's no big deal."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm heading to work!"

He slammed the door behind him with a loud bang.

The room was completely silent. I held onto the hand warmer, but it didn't help me feel any warmer.

Over the next two days, Benjamin didn't come home, saying he had to work late.

Not wanting to stay stuck in my own sadness, I pushed myself to go outside and get some fresh air.

I had just gotten downstairs when I noticed someone familiar.

A girl in a black and white dress, with a noticeable baby bump, was walking along the sidewalk outside the apartment.

She looked almost exactly like the girl I'd seen at the villa.

My chest felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, a suffocating weight pressing down on me.

No wonder Benjamin hadn't come home. He was busy picking her up instead.

The phone suddenly rang.

It was Benjamin calling. I took a deep breath and answered.

"Are you feeling better? I bought some black gold abalone and king crab. I'll come home tonight and cook something nice for you."

I looked at my phone and saw that 650 dollars had been automatically deducted from the "shared payment" account. It was almost half of his monthly salary before we got married.

"Aren't you allergic to seafood? Why did you buy all this?" I asked, holding the phone tightly.

He coughed a bit. "I just wanted to do something good for you."

I hung up and quietly turned off the "shared payment" feature.

Back then, my parents felt bad that I married someone from a less privileged background, so they gave me a big sum of money as a wedding gift.

In just six months, almost 150,000 dollars had been spent on my card—random expenses for all kinds of things.

To avoid making him feel bad, I never asked where the money went. And he just kept spending like it was totally normal.

That evening, Benjamin came home with a bag of seafood and started moving around the kitchen.

When the crab was done and smelled amazing, there was barely a quarter of it left on the plate.

"I know you wouldn't eat all of this anyway. I'll take some to the team," he said.

I paused mid-cut and said, "Wow, you're really generous."

"It's just part of working with people—you've got to build a good relationship with them. It's not like this is that expensive, anyway. We need them to keep working hard."

He finished the rest, carefully picking out every bit of crab meat and putting it into a container like it was some kind of treasure.

He'd never shared anything with his coworkers before. In fact, he used to complain to me all the time about how clueless they were—like they couldn't even understand simple instructions.

He's acting really attentive now, though.

I didn't say anything and just kept eating the king crab, which tasted like chewing on wax.

"My birthday is the day after tomorrow. I booked a flight to Paris earlier..."

Before I could even finish, Benjamin cut in, "I can't get away from work for the next two days. Let's skip the trip. We can just grab dinner at a place nearby instead."

"Fine."

I was about to say I actually wanted to cancel too.

The phone on the table suddenly lit up. I glanced at the screen and saw the contact name "Babe."

Benjamin immediately snatched up the phone.

"I've got an urgent meeting. I need to step out for a bit."

He quickly got dressed and left with that container of king crab.

The air around me suddenly felt cold.

I lost my appetite, put down my fork, and just wanted to go somewhere and grab a drink.

As I passed a crossroads, of all the bad luck, I saw Benjamin—walking with that girl. And he was the one who said he had a meeting.

"You're still coming out to be with me now. Aren't you worried about being found out?"

"So what if they do? I know her. She's not going to leave me anyway. I told her to get an abortion, and she did exactly what I said," Benjamin said proudly.

"What if she finds out your infertility report is fake and causes a scene?"

"Let her. I only have kids with people I actually care about." He smiled.

A chill ran down my spine.

All these years, what kind of jerk had I actually fallen for?

He took advantage of my kindness, dragged me through hell, and used me just to get what he wanted.

That night, I got completely wasted.

The next day, Adeline showed up at my door with a bag of carrot cakes, smiling sweetly.

"Hi! I'm Adeline Meane, your new neighbor.

"We're neighbors now, so I brought this little gift for our first meeting. Hope we can look out for each other from now on!"

I looked at what she was holding and gave a cold laugh as I thought, "So that's what it takes to get a king crab—just a few carrot cakes."

"Thanks, but I actually hate carrots the most," I said.

She stood there awkwardly and pulled her hand back. "Oh, I'm really sorry."

I was about to shut the door when she suddenly reached out and stopped me. Her eyes had this smug look in them.

"Wait, can I just come in for a minute? I'd like to sit down for a bit," Adeline said, peeking past me into the apartment.

"It's not really convenient."

"Come on, don't be so tight. I'm not here to steal anything—I just want to be friendly."

I was getting annoyed, so I pushed her hand away and tried to close the door again.

She let out a loud scream, grabbed her stomach, and fell back dramatically, scattering those carrot cakes all over the floor.

Just then, the elevator door opened and of course, Benjamin saw everything and immediately rushed over.

"What the hell are you doing? She's pregnant! Do you even realize what could happen?"

Adeline's eyes got all red, and she frowned like she was in pain.

"It's okay, really. She didn't mean it.

"It was my fault for showing up uninvited. I didn't know she hated carrots, but I still brought her those cakes I made."

Benjamin looked at me with a mix of anger and pity. "Even if you don't like someone's gesture, you don't have to be so rude about it."

I didn't say a word. I just turned around and slammed the door shut.

Some people's kindness can't be let down, but mine can be treated like nothing. How ridiculous is that?

I slowly slid down the wall and sat on the floor. My heart started aching again.

It was frustrating. How could I have been so blind back then?

I unlocked my phone, booked a new flight overseas, and got in touch with the butler at the house abroad.

To my surprise, it was my brother, Theodore Waldrick, who answered the call.

"You've been out of touch for so long—I thought you'd forgotten your own brother," Theodore said, starting off with a complaint.

I felt a little guilty.

I left my family behind for Benjamin and moved to his city.

And in the process, I ended up ignoring the people who cared about me the most.

"Theo, I just booked a flight for next week. I... I miss home," I said.

"Really? Then I'll have the driver pick you up!" Theodore immediately sounded excited. "How long are you planning to stay this time?"

"Probably a very long time," I said quietly.

"What's going on? If that Benjamin guy is giving you a hard time, you've got to tell me. No one messes with my little princess," Theodore said, sensing something was wrong. His tone turned serious right away.

My eyes filled up right away.

I almost forgot that before I got married, I used to have the purest love in the world.

And after the wedding, my whole world became just Benjamin.

"How could that be? No one's treating me badly," I mumbled, not wanting him to get worried.

After I hung up, I saw a message from Benjamin with the location of a restaurant.

"I have work tomorrow, so let's celebrate your birthday a day early."

I held the phone tight and slowly typed back, "Okay."

Let this be our last meal together.

I changed my clothes and made my way to the French restaurant we'd agreed on.

There were roses, candles, and even a violin playing in the background... It was still full of romantic touches, but somehow, none of it could cheer me up.

Benjamin cut the steak and put it on my plate like a gentleman.

"Hey, what's wrong? You look really pale."

I didn't know why, but I'd been feeling off in my chest lately—especially tonight.

I grabbed my chest, and a cold sweat broke out down my back.

I was about to say something when Benjamin's phone rang.

He stood up, walked off to the side to take the call, and came back a moment later with a serious look on his face.

"If you're not feeling well, you should go home and rest early. That girl you pushed earlier had an issue—I need to go check on her."

"Wait." I pressed my hand against my chest and reached out with the other to grab his arm.

"Please... call an ambulance for me first," I forced out through clenched teeth.

The pain was getting worse by the second. I started gasping for air and even hurt when I tried to talk.

"What a pain," Benjamin muttered. He was already heading for the door when he stopped just long enough to grab a waiter.

"Can you call 911, please? Thanks."

And with that, he walked out without looking back.

The waiter looked at me confused, then rushed to call for help.

I slid off the chair in pain and curled up on the floor.

Everything was spinning. The next thing I knew, I was being carried into an ambulance.

Luckily, I got treatment just in time—avoiding what could've been a real disaster.

When I opened my eyes, I was staring at the white hospital ceiling, and suddenly, tears just started streaming down my face.

After all these years of marriage, it felt like my whole life was just a joke to Benjamin—like I meant absolutely nothing.

There were ten missed calls from him on my phone.

I didn't even bother checking them. I just threw the phone aside.

In the afternoon, Benjamin stormed in, clearly upset.

"What's going on? Why did you turn off the shared payment feature?" He practically grilled me the moment he walked in.

I looked up. "So that's why you came?"

"How could you say that? It's because you pushed her yesterday that she had a panic attack. Her baby was unstable last night, and she had to go to the hospital," Benjamin snapped angrily.

I took a deep breath, remembering how I'd almost collapsed last night, and still felt a chill thinking about it.

"Luckily, the tests came back fine. Now you just need to cover the medical fees and some compensation for emotional distress."

He shoved my phone at me, insisting I unlock it.

I gave a cold laugh. "Benjamin, let's just get a divorce."

I was a failure for having ended up like this.

Even before we got married, I was the one paying for everything.

He did all these sweet things for me, and I ended up paying for them anyway.

999 roses, drone proposals, yacht parties... Every single penny came out of my account.

"What's wrong with you? You pushed her first, you should be the one compensating," Benjamin said, frowning hard.

I didn't even feel like arguing anymore. I pressed the nurse call button and asked them to get him out.

I turned to my phone and started listing the house for sale.

I had given Benjamin way too much, and that was exactly why he had gotten so full of himself.

Since I was leaving, it was time I started taking back what was mine.