Dr. Li gave me a warm smile and confirmed the news: I was pregnant.
I was stunned. My husband Ryder and I had been using contraception. He had emphasized multiple times that he didn't want a child.
My mind was in a whirl, but happiness took the dominant position. I had always dreamed of becoming a mother. I believed this was fate's arrangement.
I had to protect my child, whether my husband Ryder allowed it or not.
"Is something wrong? You don't seem very excited..." the doctor asked in puzzlement. I shook my head and told her I was just too shocked. I looked forward to being a mother more than anyone.
"That's wonderful, Mrs. At your next checkup, I suggest allowing your husband to accompany you. You know, with the father's involvement, the fetus will behave very obediently," the doctor suggested with a smile.
I nodded and smiled as I said goodbye to the doctor.
In the car, I wasn't sure about Ryder's attitude. In fact, our marriage was not like that of a traditionally happy couple.
My husband Ryder had never been very close to me. We didn't marry for love; our union was merely a business deal, a contract between our two families.
I was the heir to the renowned Harlington Corporation, a global conglomerate founded by my ancestors. But its glory only lingered in the past. Many of its management systems were constrained by the patriarchal traditions of the family, so it ultimately didn't go far in the technologically advanced modern society. My parents were desperate to save the company from bankruptcy, arranging for me to marry Ryder, the heir to a leading technology company. They hoped this marriage would facilitate a merger, saving Harlington from bankruptcy.
Ryder's group also needed us.
Initially, the marriage wasn't meant for me. My sister Sage and Ryder had known each other since childhood; they were childhood sweethearts, the perfect lovers. But three years ago, when they were about to get engaged, Sage ran away in fear. I don't know what she was afraid of, but my father thought of me, living in the small town.
You didn't misread that - I didn't always live in the city. I only joined the Harlington family at 16. Sage and I were twins, but I was born two minutes earlier than her. However, my grandmother and grandfather placed great importance on fortune-telling. The fortune-teller they consulted predicted that my destiny would clash with Harlington's fortunes, so I was sent away.
Before I was 16, I was fostered at a friend's house in my mother's small town. My mother's friend was an alcoholic, and her house had different men over every night. Every night I was afraid to sleep, fearing one of them would barge into my room. I hated the smell of alcohol. One day, I called my mother in fear, but she coldly told me the fortune-teller said I couldn't return until I was 16.
Sixteen years was enough time for me to understand the fact that my parents didn't love me. Even my departure didn't make Harlington Corporation better, but they showed no regret.
But I still belonged to the Harlington family, and they had a thousand reasons to ruin my life.
There was one important reason I obeyed the arrangement: I loved Ryder. When I joined the Harlington family at 16, at the family's evening banquet with all the celebrities present, Ryder was the only one who smiled at me. He was like a prince. But I hid my feelings very well because Sage's possessiveness toward Ryder was intense, and anyone would fear being her target.
Ryder was abandoned by Sage. I believed the gods of fate had finally favored me. My past misery would be erased the moment I married Ryder, and everything would get better and better.
But at the wedding, when he lifted my veil, his icy gaze completely dispelled the beautiful illusion in my heart.
Perhaps that fortune-teller was right - my destiny was cursed, but it only cursed me alone.
The car pulled up in front of the familiar luxurious villa. Taking a deep breath, I walked into our opulent mansion and began to ponder how to tell Ryder. I dialed his number.
At that moment, my phone rang with an incoming message. When I saw Sage's name on the screen, my hands trembled. I hesitated, my heart screaming not to open it, but my curiosity won out.
Those photos made my blood run cold. Sage and Ryder were embracing, kissing, and lying on the bed together. Those images were seared into my mind like a branding iron.
I felt my phone slip from my hands, immobilized, my heart shattered into countless pieces. The room spun around me, and I felt myself on the verge of collapse.
How could they do this to me? My own sister, my husband. The pain suffocated me, crushed me.
I don't know how long I stood there, agonized, until finally my legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor, surrounded by the shattered remnants of my marriage and broken heart.
Fate was so cruel. Everyone knew Sage was a venomous snake, yet everyone loved her. I was always praised for having all these wonderful qualities, but I was always the one cast aside.
I had endured enough. Sage's return could allow the partnership between Harlington and Ryder's company to continue. I could ask for a divorce.
I rubbed my belly - I didn't want my child to always live a life of resentment. I would take them far away from here.
Suddenly, Ryder walked in through the doorway, even wearing the same clothes from when he was with Sage. My stomach immediately turned.
"Were you with Sage?" I looked at him resolutely and asked.
His expression changed from annoyance to shock. "How did you find out?"
I walked over and slapped him hard across the face. "You bastard!"
He grabbed my arm, his powerful grip making me wince in pain. "What are you doing, Aubrey? What's wrong with you? Have you gone mad?!"
I struggled to break free. "Have you been deceiving me? You were cheating on me with my own sister!" I felt like vomiting, my stomach churning with rage and anguish.
He had an innocent look on his face. "What are you talking about? I don't know what you're insinuating, but it's not true."
I almost laughed at his Oscar-worthy performance. "You're a great actor, Ryder. A great player. But I can see right through you now."
I saw his brow furrow again as he shoved me away impatiently, refusing to engage. I immediately blocked his path.
"Did you ever love me, Ryder?" I felt tears streaming down my cheeks, my body shuddering with sobs. I knew I was seeking confirmation of an answer I already knew, but I still asked.
"I only needed to take care of you. That's all," he declared coldly. "Because that's what our marriage dictated."
His words felt like a knife in my heart. I laughed, completely disillusioned now.
I stated resolutely, "I want a divorce."
He suddenly released his grip on my arm, his expression one of disbelief. "You can't be serious?"
"Oh, I'm serious," I stared defiantly into his blazing eyes and spat in his face. "We should get divorced."
I would rather raise our child alone than be with a man like him - a deceiver, a liar, a manipulator.
