Chapter 1

1

I was three months pregnant when the unbearable pain hit. Blood began to flow down my legs, staining everything in a terrifying red.

With my last bit of strength, I called Grant for help. The moment he picked up, his voice was laced with nothing but cold impatience. "What is it this time?"

My vision was fading into darkness. I tried to gasp for help, but then I heard her. His childhood sweetheart, Vivian, giggled in the background. "I won't let anyone ruin our night, Grant."

The line went dead. He hung up on me without a second thought.

When I finally woke up, my stomach was flat. The life that had been growing inside me was gone.

I opened Instagram and saw Vivian's latest post. The photo showed her and Grant with their fingers intertwined. On her wrist was the Rivers' family heirloom―an emerald bracelet.

The caption read, "Someone said only this bracelet is worthy of me, so I guess I'll take it!"

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If this had happened before, I would have called Grant immediately. I would have screamed, cried, and demanded to know why he did this.

But this time, I felt strangely calm. It was as if the baby had taken all my feelings for Grant with it when it left.

My hand moved instinctively to my belly. Just hours ago, I was imagining what the baby would look like. I wondered if they would have Grant's eyes or my smile.

I had hoped for Grant's looks and my personality. I thought that would be the perfect combination of us.

But now, my stomach was empty. I could no longer feel that spark of life that was once part of my own blood.

I had loved Grant for six long years. It started with a single glance in college, followed by three years of me shamelessly chasing him. It took that long just to get him to say yes to me.

The day Grant proposed, I was the happiest woman alive. I truly believed I had finally touched his heart. I thought he wanted to marry me because he loved me.

But on the night of the proposal, I went to his study to talk about wedding dates. That was when I heard him on the phone with his best friend.

His friend sounded confused. "You can't be getting married just because Vivian moved to Europe, Grant. Is it really worth it? What will you do when she comes back?"

"Besides," his friend continued, "Nina has been following you around like a lost puppy for three years. Now that you've proposed, you'll never get rid of her."

I stood outside the door, waiting. I desperately wanted Grant to deny it. I wanted him to say he loved me.

But the room stayed silent for a long time. Finally, his voice came through, sounding irritated.

"I'll marry whoever I want."

I heard the click of a lighter. The faint scent of tobacco drifted out.

I remembered then that Grant didn't even smoke.

Back then, I told myself he just hadn't realized my worth yet. I thought that once we were married, he would eventually fall for me.

But now I realize that love isn't a transaction. You don't always get back what you give.

Grant was like a block of ice. No matter how much I tried to melt him, he stayed frozen.

When I finally dragged my weak body back to our apartment, Grant was leaning against the sofa with a newspaper. He didn't even look up when he heard me.

"Give me a massage," he commanded.

I didn't move. I just walked to the other end of the sofa and sat down to rest.

Grant rubbed his temples, his voice dripping with annoyance.

"Fine, I'm sorry, okay? Last night was Vivian's birthday. I couldn't just walk out and ruin her mood."

"I'm already exhausted, Nina. Can't you just be mature for once?"

In the past, I would have felt bad for him. I knew his job involved sitting for long hours, so I had specifically learned massage techniques to help him.

I used to do it every night, trying my best to make him feel relaxed.

But now, I just spoke calmly. "Grant, let's break up."