Chapter 1
My fiancé and his first love just got their marriage certificate.
The same day I found out I was pregnant, Liora posted a marriage certificate on her Instagram story.
The caption read, [The man who is not even into marriage stuff even made an exception for love. I am truly the happiest woman in the world!]
On that paper, the words Luke Grayson pierced my heart like needles. I silently hit the like button. Not long after, Liora Sinclair, who had prided herself on never deleting anything from Instagram, broke her own rule and removed it. Soon after, my phone rang.
It was Luke and he was furious.
“Liora just wants to prove you’re still my wife. Please, don’t stir up trouble, okay?”
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I smiled, not bothering to answer. Instead, I turned around, deciding to end the pregnancy and walking away from the Grayson Family.
When I touched my flat belly, my eyes stung with tears. I tried to tell myself the baby was only a month old, just the size of a tiny sprout. But that did not stop the pain from swallowing me whole.
In seven days, it would be Luke’s birthday. I had planned to surprise him, to tell him he was going to be a father.
But now, there was no need for that
anymore.
Looking back over the past two years, I remembered his mother’s words. She once said, “Luke isn‘ t the type to marry, but if you give birth to a child, he won‘ t be able to bear having his own flesh and blood left outside. He‘ ll marry you
then.”
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For two years, I reluctantly endured
ovulation injections and kept pressing Luke to prepare for pregnancy. I held onto the hope that a baby would secure our future. together. However, now all my efforts had
been in vain..
Since he and Liora had gotten their marriage certificate, then my unborn child was nothing more than an illegitimate burden, unworthy of being acknowledged.
It was nine in the evening and it was rare for Luke to come home this early. He pulled a small bracelet from his pocket and slipped it on my wrist himself.
“I bought this just for you. Do you like it?”
he asked.
I looked down at the green four–leaf clover bracelet on my wrist, wanting to say something, but I swallowed my words. Just two days ago, the Landon Family launched a new ruby necklace worth more than seven hundred thousand dollars. And here I was, being gifted a one hundred fifty
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dollar four–leaf clover bracelet.
“Okay, don’t think too much,” Luke said.
For the first time, he pulled me into his arms, rubbing his head gently against my neck. His tone was soft, even affectionate.
“Liora went to a friend’s wedding today and got caught up in the moment. She suddenly felt that her life wasn’t complete. without a marriage certificate, so she asked me for it but later regretted it.”
“It’s just a piece of paper. It doesn’t really matter. But don’t worry, she and I have no such relationship. You‘ re still the only Mrs. Grayson in my eyes.”
Luke had always been cold by nature. This was the first time he had said so many words to me all at once.
Sadly, every word he spoke was for another
woman.
I gently pushed him away and walked toward the bedroom with a heavy heart. At
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the time, his coldness quickly turned into frustration.
He raised his voice and said sternly,
“Calista Hale, the fact that I’m telling you all of this means I respect you! But you‘ re acting so jealous and childish and you are really disappointing me. I‘ ve already bought you a gift as compensation, so be satisfied with that. If you keep
making a fuss, don‘ t expect me to
cooperate with you on having a baby this month!”
He slammed the study room door behind. him, leaving me standing there, feeling the weight of the love I had fought for over the last three years. At that moment, it all felt
undeserved.
After thinking about it all night, I made up my mind to take a chance. I decided to tell Luke that I was pregnant. Perhaps, just perhaps, this news would make a
difference. But when I searched the entire
villa, it was empty. There was no sign of
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him anywhere.
I felt a sinking sensation and pulled out my phone. I scrolled through Liora‘ s Instagram stories. At seven that morning, she had already posted something new.
[I wanted to eat crab roe buns, so my man came over at four in the morning and started cooking at five. From washing the crabs to making the dough, he did it all yourself. I can’t tell you all how touched I am right now.]
The small flicker of hope I had left in my heart was completely extinguished.
I called a taxi and headed to the hospital. It
took half an hour to remove the child I had
yearned for over the past two years. The child that was supposed to change everything. The emptiness inside me grew as the procedure ended, but I did not stop.
After leaving the hospital, I made my way to the bridal shop, determined to cancel the wedding dress appointment. But as I
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walked in, I froze. My fiancé, Luke
Grayson, was in the shop. He was adjusting the low–cut neckline of Liora s wedding dress.
My chest tightened, but before I could say anything, he spotted me.
“Are you following me here?” he snapped, irritation clear in his voice. His brows furrowed in frustration, his eyes cold.
Liora Sinclair, ever the actress, slapped his hand away and scolded him, her eyes wide with mock annoyance.
“How can you talk to your wife like that?” she pouted. “You‘ re just helping me take some wedding photos, Luke. Calista isn’t so petty. Why would she follow us over something as trivial as this?”
I gave a half–hearted nod, trying to ignore the sting in my chest.
“You‘ re right,” I said quietly. “You are his wife. Whatever you say is right.”
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I turned to leave, but before I could take a step, Luke grabbed my wrist, his grip firm.
“Why are you being so arrogant?” he demanded. “Liora and I aren’t like that. How many times do I need to explain it to you?”
I stared at his hand on my wrist. Just a minute ago, this hand had been on Liora’s chest. A wave of disgust swept over me and without thinking, I slapped his hand away.
He looked stunned for a second, but as I tried to pull away, he suddenly released me. I stumbled back and my lower abdomen hit the edge of a table. Pain exploded through me and I broke into a cold sweat.
Liora gasped dramatically and rushed forward, pretending to be concerned. But before she could even reach me, she dropped to the ground, clutching her hand.
“Ah! Calista, I was only trying to help you.
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How could you do this to me?” she whimpered, eyes glistening with fake tears.
Luke immediately picked her up, cradling her like she was something precious. His cold eyes glared at me as he spoke through gritted teeth.
“If anything happens to Liora s hand, I will never forgive you!”
With those words, he stormed out, carrying Liora in his arms as if she were the one who had been wronged.
But I saw the truth. It was not me who had hurt her. It was her own wedding dress, the diamonds on it scratching her palm.
Yet there he was, blind to everything but her.
At that moment, despite the pain in my abdomen, I felt relief. I was grateful that I had lost the child. How could someone like him, someone who gave all his care and attention to another woman, ever be a good father to our child?
