Chapter 1

The woman my husband cherished most got divorced. The day she returned happened to be my birthday. Haley and I were vacationing on an island at the time. But one call from Mia, and Haley’s expression changed. After hanging up, Haley spoke without hesitation, “I have to go to the airport. I can’t stay for your birthday. Mia’s back.” Mia, his childhood sweetheart. They were supposed to marry right after graduation, but a family business crisis forced Mia into an arranged marriage, ending their long relationship. But I knew Haley had never gotten over her. My smile faded as I instinctively touched my stomach. “Could you see her tomorrow? I have a surprise for you today.” The baby inside me was exactly three months old. I’d waited so long to tell him on my birthday. But Haley’s smile quickly froze. Leaning against the speedboat, he lit a cigarette impatiently. “Lola, you know I’ve never let her go. I told you that from the start; you chose to marry me.” I fought back my unease. “Just one day, please…” “Stop being unreasonable.” Haley slowed the boat near the shore. I didn’t move. I lifted my chin defiantly. “Is she really that important? Even after three years of marriage?” “Yes!” Without another word, Haley executed a sharp turn, swinging the cabin door open. He grabbed me and hauled me up. The icy seawater instantly surged past my knees. “Swim back yourself.” I was a strong swimmer, an advanced diver, but the cold water stabbed at my abdomen, making it hard to steady myself. I grabbed his arm frantically. “No, don’t go! My stomach hurts, Haley! I’m preg—” “Still acting? Give it a rest!” Haley shot me a cold look and shoved me away. “You owe everything you have today to this face of yours.” With that, Haley drove the speedboat away without a backward glance. The engine’s roar echoed along the coast. It was true. My face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Mia’s. Intense pain enveloped me. I couldn’t stay upright. Only steps from the shore, I began to sink. The seawater swallowed me. I struggled desperately, but it was useless. Cold, piercing, suffocating. If he had just looked back, even once, he would have seen something was wrong. But he didn’t. The speedboat speeding away exposed his eagerness to see Mia. As the water closed over my head, my heart died. How stupid I was. A little kindness from someone, and I’d repay it with my whole life. Growing up with divorced parents, I was often bullied. It was Haley who stood in front of me, time and again. Back then, I naively thought I was special. Later, I realized it was only because I somewhat resembled Mia. The woman he’d carried in his heart since childhood. The day Mia was forced to marry, Haley drank himself into a stupor. That was the night he grabbed me, always trailing behind him. “I only have you now. Don’t leave me…” One reckless night. After that, I devoted myself entirely to him. But Haley would often stare at Mia’s photos, lost in thought. When his parents pressured him to marry, Haley simply married me. I thought years of companionship meant I mattered to him. Only now did I realize that to him, anyone besides Mia was just… anyone.