She Got the Baby, I Got the Ring

Chapter 1 Arthur sent me a message.

“I drank too much at the celebration party that night. Jenny has gotten pregnant. I need to take care of her at all times.

“Initially, she planned on hiding the pregnancy from me and raising the child on her own. But she’s still so young, and she wants to become the country’s best heart surgeon in the future. I don’t want to ruin her future, nor can I turn my back on this innocent life.

“You wanted us to have a baby soon, right? Once Jenny has given birth, I’ll send her abroad to further her studies. You can raise her baby. In the future, the baby will only acknowledge you as their mother.”

Seeing that I hadn’t responded, Arthur sent another message. “About our marriage registration, we might have to reschedule it until after Jenny has given birth.”

I stared at the phone screen and laughed until my eyes had turned red. Did Arthur think I was to be trifled with? I came from the illustrious Parker family in Talovia.

I called Peter Sullivan right away. “Let’s get married. What do you think?”

…

After registering our marriage, Peter grumbled as he hurried to the airport. Initially, he had been waiting at the airport to catch a flight to Itoria for a business meeting. However, I gave him a call and asked him to drop by the city hall.

As I recalled Peter’s irritated expression from earlier, I couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty.

He had told me over the phone, “Susan, were you playing hard to get all this while? I pursued you for eight years, but you barely even looked at me. Now, you want us to get married?”

I looked at the time and replied, “The city hall’s opening hours are almost over. Do you want to get married?”

Peter immediately gave in. “Yes! I have my identification documents with me, and I just changed my flight. My parents already know about this. It’ll all be for nothing if we don’t get married now.”

…

Since I hadn’t replied to any of Arthur’s messages, he finally gave me a call. He sounded anxious over the phone.

“Susan, please don’t overthink things. You’re the only one I love. All I feel for Jenny is admiration. What happened that night was just an accident.”

“Oh, I get it.” I sounded extremely calm. “You’re a man. It’s bound to happen.”

Arthur remained silent on the phone for some time. Then, I heard him taking a deep breath. “Where are you now? I’ll send my driver to pick you up. Jenny is experiencing morning sickness, so I really can’t leave—”

I interrupted him. “No need to pick me up.”

Arthur’s voice immediately turned cold. “Susan, are you throwing a tantrum with me now? I’ve already made things clear. Once Jenny has given birth, I’ll send her away. What else do you want me to do?”

My chest felt tight, and I unconsciously tightened my grip on the marriage certificate. I did my best to keep my voice calm. “Arthur, let’s break up.”

Arthur was taken aback for a moment. Then, he sneered mockingly, “Don’t you know how well I’ve treated you all these years? Yes, I made a mistake. But what man wouldn’t? I’m already trying to make up for my mistake. Must you be so pushy about it?”

I pursed my lips tightly without a word. Since I wasn’t saying a word, his patience seemed to have reached its limit. “Fine! Since that’s what you want, let’s break up! It won’t take half an hour before you come back crying for me!”

Arthur ended the call right away, and all I heard was the busy signal.

I hailed a cab to take me back to what used to be mine and Arthur’s home. But I wasn’t there to look for him. I just wanted to pack up my things and quickly leave.

As soon as I opened the door, I noticed Arthur was inside, wearing an apron. He had thoughtfully prepared lots of dishes, which were all laid out on the dining table.

Arthur and Jenny were sitting facing each other, chatting happily over their food. He showed his affection for her by serving her some food. He was even considerate enough to feed her.

I naively used to believe that Arthur’s gentle expression was reserved only for me.

Chapter 2 Whenever I used to cook for Arthur in the past, he always hugged me from the back and whispered, “You’ve worked hard, baby.”

Although Arthur seemed gentle, he had never even gotten me a cup of warm water over the past five years. After all, he was the youngest professor teaching heart surgery at the country’s top medical school.

Arthur often said, “I need these hands to operate on patients. I must take care of them at all times.”

Even when holding my hands, he would do it cautiously.

But now, he had made an exception for Jenny by cooking for her.

As soon as Arthur saw me, he scoffed to himself. He shot me a look that seemed to say, “I knew it.”

Meanwhile, Jenny greeted me warmly, “Susan, you’re back! Shall we eat together?”

I quietly walked past her and headed straight for the bedroom.

“Hold up!” Arthur suddenly got to his feet, his expression looking rather terrifying. “Jenny was talking to you. Could you please respond? Don’t you have any basic manners at all?”

I slowly turned around and sneered, “What kind of response are you looking for? Do you want me to thank her for giving birth to my fiance’s baby? Should I thank her for making me a mother without needing to go through the pain of giving birth? Or should I just disregard everything and slap her a few times? Should I call her a shameless mistress and then kick her out of my home?”

“You!” Arthur choked at my words. The vein on his temple bulged.

Suddenly, Jenny covered her mouth and began to dry heave. Crying seemed to come easily to her.

Arthur panicked and asked, “Jenny, what is it? Do you feel awful?”

“Arthur, I’m fine…” Jenny shakily held onto his sleeve, but she was looking at me tearfully. “Susan, it was all my fault. I don’t want to stay at your place either, but I don’t have anywhere else to go. Once the baby is born, I’ll leave right away. I definitely won’t disturb you and Arthur in the future.”

With that, Jenny suddenly caressed her stomach and sniffled. “Little one, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to leave you behind either, but I’ve done something terrible. I must suffer for it. I’m sorry…”

After saying all that, Jenny suddenly began dry heaving violently while lying in Arthur’s arms. His gaze directed at me was full of hatred. It was as if I had committed some unforgivable crime.

“Are you happy now?”

I snorted before walking away. My attitude had infuriated Arthur completely. He immediately picked up a glass from the table and violently threw it at me.

I immediately felt a sharp pain at the back of my head before hearing the sound of glass shattering. I fell on top of the staircase, hard.

Thanks to the sharp pain, I instantly broke out into a cold sweat. For a moment, I was unable to stand up.

“Why are you pretending? Quickly get up!” Arthur yelled impatiently behind me.

Meanwhile, Jenny feigned concern as she approached me. “Susan, you’re okay, right? I saw that the glass merely grazed past your shoulder—”

“Shut up!” I interrupted, hissing through gritted teeth. Then, I forced myself to stand up.

Seeing how rude I was to Jenny, Arthur’s gaze turned icy. “Jenny doesn’t have much of an appetite. You should prepare your special chicken noodle soup for her. Remember not to add onions. She doesn’t like those.”

“No way.” I objected without hesitation.

“This is an order!” Arthur’s expression looked horrifying. “Susan, do you really think you have a choice?”

I clenched my fists as I met his gaze. “I refuse to cook for Jenny. What are you going to do about it?”

An icy glint flashed through Arthur’s gaze. He strode forward and grabbed me roughly by my arm. Then, he shoved me hard into the kitchen before shutting the door with a slam. “As long as you don’t prepare the soup, don’t even think about leaving!”

“Arthur, have you lost your mind?” I banged my fists against the door. I kept yelling with all my might, demanding him to let me out. But all I heard was silence.

My palms were burning and swollen from hitting the door. In the end, I slumped to the floor weakly and leaned against the cold door panels.

Chapter 3 Through the door, I could hear Arthur and Jenny’s conversation clearly.

Jenny whispered, “Arthur, have we gone too far by doing this to Susan? If she doesn’t want to cook for me, she doesn’t have to do it. I’m fine with not drinking any soup.”

Arthur sighed. “Jenny, Susan has been spoiled rotten by the Parkers for many years. I need to fix that entitled behavior of hers. Since I’ll be marrying her in the future, she needs to do things according to the rules of the Campbell family. Otherwise, can she even raise our child well?

“The Campbells are a family of doctors, and we’ve always valued kindness. But Susan is way too straightforward… My mom has never really liked her.”

Jenny asked in confusion, “If so, why didn’t you just break up with her, Arthur?”

Suddenly, things were silent outside. I held my breath as I quietly leaned against the door. That was a good question. Since Arthur found me rather awful, why did he continue putting up with me?

Arthur remained silent for a long time. Jenny cautiously probed him. “Arthur?”

His calm voice seemed to pierce right into my heart. “The Parkers are one of the most powerful families in Talovia. All these years, they’ve been a big help to my career.”

I clutched my chest hard. I could no longer hold back my tears as they rolled down my cheeks. So, that was why. All these years, Arthur had just been interested in my family’s power—not me.

In a daze, I recalled what had happened back then. Grandpa suddenly had a heart attack, and it had been Arthur’s bold surgical plan that saved his life. I fell in love at first sight with Arthur, a young doctor with such impressive skills.

Out of gratitude, I gave him a large sum of money for saving Grandpa’s life. I never thought he would start pursuing me like mad.

Arthur had never asked for my family’s help. I had secretly done everything for him behind his back.

What a joke. I had even been worried that Arthur would reject my help once he found out.

Just then, the kitchen door was pushed open. Arthur was clearly taken aback to see me on the ground, and he frowned instantly. “Do you really need to cry just because I asked you to prepare some soup? Get out! Just looking at you irritates me!”

I held back my dizziness as I got to my feet. I stumbled my way to the room, but a chill immediately ran down my spine the moment I opened the door.

The sheets had been replaced with the pink lace style, which I hated the most. The photo of me on the bedside table had been changed to a photo of an unknown baby. None of my clothes were in the closet.

I heard Arthur’s voice behind me. “The guest room is too small. Since Jenny’s pregnant, it’s not convenient for her to stay there. She needs to be in the master bedroom.”

Jenny added timidly, “Susan, you don’t mind, do you? Don’t worry. Once the baby’s born, I’ll—”

“Sure,” I interrupted Jenny right away. “Where are my things?”

Arthur looked away. “I asked the maids to move them to the storeroom. Since the nearest guest room will be transformed into a nursery, you can choose any of the other guest rooms to stay in.”

I was silent for a moment before nodding. “Sure.”

In the storeroom, my custom dresses had been tossed carelessly to the floor. My jewelry had ended up in a dirty corner of the room. All these looked like stuff no one wanted anymore.

I took a deep breath before gazing mockingly at Jenny, who had followed me into the storeroom. “Are you really that eager? Can’t even wait for me to leave?”

An embarrassed expression crossed her face before she looked at me innocently. “Susan, what are you talking about? Arthur ordered the maids to bring them here. I didn’t do anything.”

I pointed at the shoe prints on my dresses and sneered, “Did the maids do this too?”

“So what if it was me?” Jenny suddenly lowered her voice. An evil glint flashed through her gaze, but she pretended to back away in fright. “Susan, I beg you. Please let me go!”

Chapter 4 After saying that, Jenny suddenly shrieked and pretended to fall backward. But Arthur was able to rush into the storeroom and catch her in time.

Jenny immediately caressed her stomach and started sobbing. “Arthur, I didn’t do anything. Why did Susan push me? I’m glad you came. Otherwise, the baby—”

“I didn’t push her!” I felt choked up as I instinctively tried to explain myself.

Arthur’s eyes were filled with intense rage. He immediately grabbed me by the neck and pinned me against the wall.

“Did you think I’d believe you? Would Jenny use the baby’s life to accuse you? When did you become so evil?”

His grip was extremely strong. I was on the verge of suffocation as I struggled to say, “I really… didn’t do it…”

“Enough! I don’t want to hear your excuses!” He was so angry that he laughed in exasperation. He shoved me roughly to the ground. “Go back to your family! Come and find me once you’ve understood that this was all your fault!”

I staggered to my feet as I stared at Arthur in disbelief. It was 11:00 pm. Was he really kicking me out at this hour?

In the past, I remembered how he would insist on accompanying me even if I were just going out for a walk in the middle of the night.

Now, Arthur’s chin was raised defiantly. He couldn’t even be bothered to look at me.

Suddenly, I felt a sting in my nose. How many times had Arthur raised his voice at me because of Jenny? No matter what I said, he would always believe that I was wrong.

In fact, we were supposed to register our marriage today.

I closed my eyes. Without even taking my clothes, I fled this suffocating place and did not look back.

As soon as I reached Parker Residence, my phone began to buzz. Jenny had sent me a video. Although I knew I shouldn’t even watch it, I couldn’t help but press play.

In the video, I saw Arthur gently embracing Jenny. His eyes were shut as he kissed her on the forehead. He looked like he was enjoying the moment, and his expression was tender.

His voice was filled with regret. “If only I had met you earlier, Jenny. Then, I wouldn’t have gotten together with Susan. You’re so talented in medicine and genuinely want to improve.

“But Susan? She’s always doing whatever she wants just because she’s from the Parker family. She always neglects her responsibilities. The Campbells are a family of doctors. If I really do marry her, she’ll eventually ruin our reputation.”

Every word Arthur said was filled with poison, each piercing me in my most vulnerable spot.

Jenny had been relying on her family’s connections in the medical field. That was how she became Arthur’s apprentice in no time, and he even acknowledged her as his godsister. That was what he meant by Jenny being talented.

But I had given up my family’s resources and started from scratch. I had worked hard to become the investment director of Parker Group.

To Arthur, that was me neglecting my responsibilities. All this while, I had always been worthless to him. How could he have genuinely fallen for me before?

I set my phone down and let my tears soak the pillow. I tossed and turned the whole night, unable to fall asleep.

At the crack of dawn, Peter gave me a call. “Honey, did you sleep well?”

There was undeniable joy in his voice. “I just landed in Mirol. Although the flight took more than ten hours, I could barely sleep out of excitement. I can’t believe that we’re really married.”

Suddenly, his voice softened. “Honey, you’re my wife now. I’m already missing you. Do you miss me?”

Honey? Wife?

I was instantly wide awake at Peter’s words. Then, I remembered I had married him yesterday out of anger.

“Honey? Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you… regret it?” He sounded terribly disheartened.

“No,” I answered softly. Peter and I had grown up together. Although I wasn’t sure whether he genuinely liked me, I did know him well.

Chapter 5 The Sullivans were a good match for the Parker family. Indeed, Peter was a suitable marriage prospect.

I clearly heard him sigh in relief from his end of the line. Then, he sounded excited again. “I’ll rush back tomorrow! Let’s pick our wedding rings! Although we did get married in a hurry, we shouldn’t skip the engagement and wedding. Just relax and focus on being the most beautiful bride. Leave the rest to me.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I agreed to Peter’s arrangements. That was how he always had been. As long as I was with him, he would make all the arrangements. I only needed to go along with his plans.

As for Arthur, all I ever remembered was him rushing around. I was even the one to bring up marriage. At the time, he frowned at me and said, “It’s only been five years. Isn’t marriage a little early?”

Now, I knew how different it was to be loved and not loved.

The whole day passed, but Arthur never contacted me. Instead, it was his mother, Avril Potter, who couldn’t wait any longer and gave me a call.

Avril’s voice was dripping with condescension. “I’m sure you know all about Arthur and Jenny’s baby, right? Now that she’s pregnant with the Campbell family’s first grandchild, we won’t ever mistreat her. We’ll definitely get Arthur to marry her. Thank goodness you and Arthur didn’t get your marriage certificate yesterday. It’s fated!

“I once said that you and Arthur weren’t a suitable match. The Parkers have been in the business for three generations, and the Campbells have been a family of doctors for as long as we can remember. Our family backgrounds don’t match well, don’t you think?”

I sneered, “Mrs. Campbell, I’ve already broken up with Arthur. If there’s nothing important, don’t contact me again.”

Avril was clearly taken aback. She probably never thought I would talk back to her. After all, I had always been rather gentle.

Avril was about to blow up, but I ended the call without hesitation. However, she immediately called me back a few more times.

Without even thinking about it, I blocked her number. Then, I blocked Arthur on all platforms to prevent him from contacting me. After deleting my photos with him, the love I’d had for him for the past five years faded away too.

…

The next day, I accidentally ran into Arthur and Jenny while choosing a wedding ring at a jewelry shop. He was happily putting together a custom set of expensive jewelry for her. They were even buying a locket for their unborn baby.

Upon realizing that I was trying on wedding rings, Arthur’s expression immediately darkened.

“Susan! I asked you to go home and reflect on your behavior. But here you are, buying a wedding ring? With that kind of attitude, do you think I’ll still marry you?”

He grabbed my hand roughly and forcefully took off the ring. Handing it to the shop assistant, he said, “We’re not buying this ring. Thank you.”

The edge of the diamond cut my finger, and blood immediately oozed out. The shop assistant panicked and wanted to help me bandage my wound, but Arthur stopped her in an icy tone. “It’s just a small wound. No need to bandage it.”

I ignored Arthur and wiped the bloodstains away. Then, I said to the shop assistant, “Please change that ring for me.”

Arthur immediately grabbed my wrist and yelled, “Haven’t I made it clear enough? You’re not allowed to buy any rings today!”

The surrounding customers began to whisper among themselves.

“That pregnant woman is his wife, right? This mistress is really arrogant. She’s so shameless to show up here and choose a wedding ring for herself.”

“So shameless! She’s already a mistress, and now, she’s dreaming of becoming his wife. That must be why he yelled at her.”

Upon seeing the situation, Jenny feigned concern and began to advise me. “Susan, stop making a fuss. So many people are watching us, and I’m getting embarrassed. Why don’t I give you the ring Arthur just bought for me? Have a look and let me know if you like it.”

The shop assistant advised me as well. “Miss, why don’t you buy it some other day? If you keep this up, we’ll have trouble making sales today.”

Arthur gripped my wrist more tightly than ever. Clearly, he was on the verge of dragging me out of the shop.

Meanwhile, I struggled hard. “Arthur, what does me buying a wedding ring have anything to do with you? Please don’t be such a busybody!”

“You’re saying it’s none of my business? Fine. I shall officially announce that our engagement is off. You don’t ever have to buy a wedding ring!”