Chapter 1

When Cara posted that picture to her friends on Facebook, I was still happily preparing dinner for Jason. The moment I saw her post, I froze. The cup in my hand fell on the floor, shattering into pieces.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

My husband had another child with another woman?! And that very woman was none other than my younger sister!

Worse, they publicly and openly showed it to me.

Shame, frustration, anger, disappointment… All these turbulent emotions surged inside of me like a vicious tidal wave.

My disappointment reached its peak the moment Jason returned home from work. He started yelling at me without bothering to ask why I felt the way I did. I bore it all in silence, then turned around to take a deep breath while caressing my slightly enlarged tummy.

I couldn't help but apologize to my unborn baby. With everything that was happening, I couldn't keep it. I tried my best to hold my sorrow, but tears still filled my eyes.

In a few days, it was going to be Jason's birthday. I was planning to surprise him on that day, but it looked like he didn't need it.

I was three months pregnant, and had looked forward to welcoming my baby into its new life. Yet, now…

I had seen Jason's phone—he was searching for information about taking care of expecting mothers and newborns. At first, I was overjoyed. I thought he was finally willing to have a baby with me.

But from the looks of it, it wasn't meant for me at all.

By the time Jason came back, he was almost three hours later than usual. I could smell the scent of milk powder from him. I didn't even have to guess who he was meeting.

The moment he came in, he immediately directed his anger at me. "What's with all the replies you posted today? I just donated my seed to Cara! You didn't have to make a scene about it!"

I wasn't in the mood for a fight and turned away from him, returning to the bedroom.

It wasn't long before I heard the sound of rushing water from the bathroom. After Jason had a shower and switched on the lamp on the bedside table, he took out a bracelet to placate me.

"Honey, there's really nothing between us. I just want to help Cara fulfill her wish. She's your younger sister, after all. I can't refuse her when she needs help. I guarantee that as soon as she's done, I'll keep my distance from her."

I looked at the bracelet and listened to his stupid excuses, but all I could feel was disgust. If I remember correctly, I had seen the same bracelet from Cara's post online last month.

"Jason, are you going to give me second-hand items as gifts now? Sister? I'm not even blood-related to her. What kind of sisters are we?" I shot back.

Correct—Cara wasn't my sister. She was just a girl my family adopted.

As I said that, I turned away.

Upon hearing what I said, Jason instantly became upset.

"I'm already trying to please you! What else do you want? Aren't you the one who said you just wanted to live with me? Can you stop being so jealous? I can choose not to tell you, but I still did because I respected you! Do you think it's fine for you to throw a tantrum like this?"

Jason immediately blathered on about how upset he was with me.

I listened to him in silence. Exhaustion dawned on me, and I murmured, "Let's get a divorce."

"What?!"

He was stunned.

A second later, he grew enraged. He shoved the blanket away and stormed out of the bedroom.

"You want a divorce because of this, Barbara? Can you please stop being so petty? I'm disappointed in you!"

As the door closed with a bang, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly—at my crumbling marriage, and my blindness. In Jason's eyes, apologizing to me was his way of respecting me. If I refused his apology, it was because I was a green-eyed monster.

All my love for Jason throughout the years turned him into this prideful man today…and me into a cheap woman.

I turned around and wiped my tears, then booked to have my abortion the next day.

Early in the morning, Jason was already gone. These past few days, he had been leaving early and coming home late. I had thought it was because he was busy—but from the looks of it, he was taking care of Cara.

Once I made the booking, I took a cab to the hospital. The abortion went well, and I was pushed out in ten minutes. While I was paying for the abortion, I ran into Jason.

When he saw me in the hospital, the first thing he did wasn't ask me if I was sick. Instead, he frowned and demanded, "Are you following me, Barbara?"

I couldn't be bothered to answer him. Instead, I simply looked at Cara, who was standing next to him. She avoided my eyes and pretended to be angry as she pinched Jason's ear.

"Look, my sister wouldn't follow us! We have nothing to hide. She understands us, right?"

Looking at how close they were, I couldn't help but give them an icy smile. "That's right. Why would I be following a husband and wife here for a checkup? If someone doesn't know, they might even think I'm the illicit lover."

Hearing how open I was about their relationship, Jason was so furious that he shoved my shoulder hard.

"Hey, Barbara, can't you speak properly? I told you, I'm just treating Cara like she's my sister!"