Chapter 3

All he got in return was a barrage of insults when he came home.

...

As time went on, there were more and more tearful pleas. Scarlett would often say late at night that she missed the baby, and Callum would disappear from my bedside time and time again.

Until three days ago, the day I miscarried from the car accident, Callum asked Scarlett if she would be willing to raise the child that was mine and his.

Scarlett: "Faye will find out eventually. What will you do then?"

"I don't want to put you in a difficult position because of me... The pain of losing that child, I've long forgotten..."

Callum: "She'll understand. Besides, she loves me deeply. She can't live without me."

"She'll forgive me... We'll see..."

My child had become a tool for Callum to comfort Scarlett's grief over losing her own.

I wanted to cry, but no matter how hard I tried, the tears wouldn't come.

...

I sat motionless, watching Callum for a while longer. When the sky had completely lightened, I stiffly put on a coat and went out to get breakfast.

But I never expected that I would run into Scarlett downstairs.

Scarlett was wearing high heels and a knee-length pink dress. She looked radiant and full of life, clearly well-cared for.In contrast to me, with my bulky cotton slippers, oversized hospital gown, and face haggard from a sleepless night, I was quite a sight.

Scarlett approached me with a smile, looking me up and down, her lips curled in mockery. "I thought you'd hide up there forever, never coming down."

"You must have heard all the commotion last night. Even if you hadn't come down, I would've come to find you, Faye!"

She emphasized my name harshly, as if she utterly despised me.

I stared at her coldly, saying nothing.

"Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Callum's first love and his soulmate for life, Scarlett."

An enormous diamond flashed before my eyes, coming to rest on Scarlett's cheek.

"I heard you and Callum were in the same class in college. So you must have heard about our relationship, how deeply in love we were."

"If I hadn't let him go, Callum would never have ended up with you."

"Now I'm back, and look at this engagement ring. Callum put it on my finger when he proposed last week. He said he's going to fulfill the promise he made years ago and marry me~"

...

Even though I knew Scarlett was speaking in this passive-aggressive manner just to upset me, I couldn't help the bitterness that welled up inside.It turns out that all my previous imaginings about their sweet relationship, even with a sky-high psychological defense prepared, could be easily shattered by a few words from someone else.

I looked up at Scarlett, who was still chattering away and showing off in every possible way. I raised my hand and slapped her face so hard it turned to the side.

"As a former ex and now a homewrecker, what right do you have to speak in front of me?"

Scarlett froze, turning her face back to look at me in shock.

"If you were really so confident that Callum would marry you, why would you need to come here and deliberately show off to me?"

I made my conclusion, saying calmly, "Callum, he won't marry you."

"What gives you the right to say that!?"

"You don't understand anything!"

Scarlett's face twisted, becoming almost grotesque. "Callum will marry me, he definitely will!"

I stood by, quietly admiring each of Scarlett's expressions until she had an emotional breakdown.

"But Callum gave me your child, don't you see? You mean nothing to him. He only loves me!"

"Only me!"

...

The hand at my side had already begun to tremble slightly.As I became aware that my emotions were about to spiral out of control, I took a deep breath and prepared to leave.

Children... They're a path I can never seem to avoid.

I turned, head down, and had barely taken two steps when I collided with a solid chest. It was Callum.

When I looked up, I could hardly make out the face in front of me. After all, tears are such treacherous things, flowing without my permission.

"Faye... I... let me explain..."

Callum's voice was panicked, as if all his strength had gone into the hands gripping my shoulders, preventing me from moving.

"Faye, I can explain, I can explain..."

"It was Scarlett, she seduced me... I... there's nothing between us, really..."