Chapter 1

On my way to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday, I was dragged into a dark alley and subjected to a horrific ordeal.

When I finally woke up, I scrolled through social media and found a photo of my boyfriend, who had been unreachable, kissing his "little sweetheart" on a secret account.

"Even though there is a little one on the way, you will always be my only baby," the caption read.

The comments were full of people praising their beautiful love.

Only one comment stood out: "Your girlfriend is in the hospital after a tragedy, didn't you go see her?"

Suddenly, the post vanished, and my phone rang a second later with a furious voice on the other end.

"Can you stop being so jealous and making up lies to cause a scene? I told you, she's just my aunt!"

In the past, I would have cried and tried to explain myself.

But this time, I calmly hung up.

1.

When Quinton Sterling arrived at the hospital, the police had just finished their questioning.

"Baby, are you okay?"

That word made my heart sink.

In the seven years we had been together, he only used pet names like that at the very beginning.

He usually said those titles were too cheesy and that I wasn't a child, so I should stop acting like a "baby."

I let out a bitter laugh and pulled my hand away as he reached for me.

Quinton's face immediately darkened.

"Seraphina, what's wrong with you now?"

"It was your own choice to go out and buy a gift, which led to your accident. You can't blame anyone else for that!"

His words felt like a sharp blade, stripping away the last shreds of my dignity.

Hearing his interrogation, I finally broke down.

Yesterday was our anniversary, and I had gone to pick up a custom gift to surprise him.

I never expected to be followed by a predator on the way back.

I called him dozens of times, but the calls never went through.

I was dragged into that alley and endured the darkest three hours of my life.

Thankfully, my screams were heard by a passerby, and I was rescued.

I was unconscious for three days, and the first thing I wanted to do when I woke up was find Quinton.

Instead, I saw his secret account updated with a new romance.

The girl was the woman he called his "aunt," Lydia Vance.

My heart felt like it was filled with heavy, rotting mud.

"Seraphina, I've explained this a million times. Lydia is my aunt. What's wrong with being close to her? You honestly make me sick!"

As if fueled by shame, Quinton's temper exploded without warning.

"Women with your kind of relationship-obsessed brain are truly hopeless!"

How pathetic. While I was experiencing the darkest hours of my life, my boyfriend was frolicking with another woman.

And in the end, it was somehow my fault.

I opened my mouth to argue, but tears poured out uncontrollably instead.

Quinton seemed slightly moved by my state and moved to comfort me, but his phone interrupted.

"Quinny, is Seraphina okay?" a sweet, high-pitched voice asked from the other end.

Quinton's gloomy face instantly lit up with a smile. "She's fine. She went out wandering late at night and got herself into trouble. Don't worry about it."

"What? Your stomach hurts? I'll be right there."

He hung up and turned to leave, catching a glimpse of me sobbing on the bed.

He pulled a small box from his pocket and tossed it onto my lap.

"Seraphina, don't blame others. You shouldn't have been dressed so provocatively."

"This whole thing scared my aunt. You should remember to apologize to her."

The loud slam of the door made me flinch.

I curled up under the covers, crying until I couldn't breathe.

I deserved this for lying to myself and loving him for so many years.