Chapter 1
The first time, he cheated, and I caught them red-handed.
The girl herself pleaded on her knees, claiming Julian was drunk and unaware.
I believed her.
The second time, he told me, “Willow is pregnant. Once she has the baby, things will go back to how they were.”
I believed him again.
It wasn’t until later, all because of a single word from Willow, that he tore down my dance studio—my only solace—and stomped on our cherished love token.
When I cried, he lashed out, calling me cruel.
“Can’t you just give her a break? Once the baby is born, we can go back to how things were.”
That time, I picked up my phone and called my lawyer.
“Please draft a divorce agreement for me, as soon as possible.”
No one knew that Julian Davies, the “model husband” everyone praised, had betrayed me three times.
The first time, he had a one-night stand with Willow, whom I considered my own sister.
Afterward, they both knelt before me.
Willow’s eyes were red. “Miss Aria, Mr. Davies was drugged! He just thought I was you. Please, don’t be mad at him!”
Julian’s face was etched with pain. He hadn’t even had time to shave before rushing to confess his wrongs.
“Aria, you’re the only one in my heart. Please, don’t leave me.”
He wouldn’t get up until I spoke.
So, my heart softened.
The second time, he was absent from our wedding anniversary celebration. He told me, “Aria, Willow is pregnant.”
“She had a terrible stomach ache and was crying from fear. I couldn’t leave her alone.”
I accidentally put him on speakerphone, and the entire room of guests fell silent.
My mother-in-law, hearing this, immediately grabbed me anxiously and dragged me towards the hospital.
“Quick, quick, save our baby!”
In the hospital room, Julian held Willow’s hand, comforting her softly, “Don’t be afraid. The doctor said the baby is fine.”
He only let go frantically when he saw me.
Willow struggled to sit up, her eyes red, her voice trembling but incredibly firm. “Miss Aria, you and Mr. Davies have always been so kind to me since I was little.”
“Since you can’t have children, I don’t want money or status. I’m willing to bear this child for you.”
Julian’s mother even threatened to die. “The baby is six months along! I’ve heard its heartbeat. If you can’t accept this child, then I’ll just die with it!”
Julian also repeatedly held my hand and promised, “I’ll send her away after she gives birth. Nothing will change.”
His hand felt as warm as it always had. I couldn’t bring myself to pull mine away.
The third time, Julian tore down my dance studio because Willow said, “A spiritual guide told me the baby needs to live in the southeast room to be healthy.”
He didn’t even ask me.
I watched blankly as workers moved in and out. Willow intimately held Julian’s hand, dreaming aloud, “We can play games with the baby here later!”
Julian fondly ruffled her hair. “You’re still such a kid yourself.”
But as he turned and saw me, his smile vanished. “Aria, just give her a break. Once the baby is born, we can go back to how things were.”
How things were?
Before we married, I was almost a principal dancer in a top troupe. But my mother-in-law said, “A Davies family wife doesn’t perform publicly.”
For love, I gave up my dream.
As compensation, Julian specifically set up this dance studio for me. He even bought the potted plants and figurines himself. Later, it became the only place in this house that truly belonged to me.
Willow stroked her visibly swollen belly and looked up at me. “Sister, this is all for the baby’s good.”
She was the daughter of our housekeeper. She used to call me “Miss Aria” no matter how many times I told her not to.
It was only today that I finally saw her true colors.
I couldn’t help but scoff, “It’s your baby, so of course, you call the shots in this house.”
Willow’s face instantly turned pale. She awkwardly stood up, her eyes red, and said, “Miss Aria, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I didn’t mean to stay.”
The next second, she suddenly clutched her belly and screamed in pain.
Julian panicked. He scooped her up and rushed out.
He only threw over his shoulder, “She’s pregnant. Do you really have to be so cruel?”
He knocked my bracelet off my wrist, and stomped on the bell charm attached to it.
It was a gift he clumsily made for three days and three nights for my sixteenth birthday.
When I looked up again, I couldn’t even see his retreating back.
My tears fell uncontrollably.
That was the first time he had ever spoken to me so harshly.
This liar.
How could anything ever go back to how it was before?
I pulled out my phone.
“Ms. Hayes, please draft a divorce agreement for me.”
I had told Julian before that the way Willow looked at him seemed off.
But he didn’t believe me.
He said she was just starved for affection and saw him as a brother. He continued, without restraint, to buy her a high-end laptop worth thousands just because she mentioned envying a classmate.