ManyWriters

On the day I was seven months pregnant, Alaric proposed to his pure love.
That woman took off the ring Alaric had placed on her finger himself and tossed it into the sea.
"Alaric, I heard Miss Langdon used to be a state swim team champion. Why don't you have her jump in and fetch my ring for me?"
Her finger traced Alaric's pecs as she breathed into his ear, "I'll play any game you want tonight."
Alaric's heated gaze roamed over her legs, then he turned to me with a smirk.
I understood his meaning and frantically clutched my belly, pleading, "Alaric, I'm seven months pregnant, and it's winter..."
But Alaric just swallowed hard and scoffed, "You don't actually think I care about that bastard in your belly, do you? It's not like you haven't miscarried before. Why act all precious now? Jump in and find that ring, or you're never coming back up!"
He had someone forcibly lift me and throw me into the sea.
I bobbed up and down in the frigid water, searching back and forth for hours.
Until I felt something draining from my belly, until the azure sea water was stained with a streak of crimson...
I looked up at the scene on the cruise ship, where Alaric was marrying his pure love amid the cheers of the crowd, and my heart finally shattered.
Seven years of marriage, nine miscarriages, this was the last time.

Seven Months Pregnant into the Sea to Retrieve a Ring

The once-adored Harlow, whom Alaric cherished as his pure love, was found brutally murdered on the streets, her clothes in disarray.


Her death bore a striking resemblance to Aria's; she had been violated by many before her demise and stabbed dozens of times all over her body.


Around the corpse's neck hung a small wooden tag, to which an old newspaper clipping was attached.


It was Harlow who had hired those thugs to kill Aria all those years ago.


Back then, she had been deceived by an older man, believing him to be a wealthy foreigner. She agreed to bear his child through IVF.


Only upon arriving overseas did she realize she'd been duped. Fearing her shameful secret would be exposed, she went to great lengths to abandon her own flesh and blood at an orphanage, never imagining that Aria would catch wind of this.


To prevent Aria from uncovering damaging evidence against her, Harlow hired those thugs to ambush and murder Aria.


Chapter 10