Chapter 1
On Christmas Day, I held a pregnancy report in my hand, full of excitement, as I hurried to share the good news with my boyfriend, Steven Jones.
But what I didn’t expect was to overhear his conversation with two of his friends.
“Steven, you’re not seriously planning to marry Cherry, are you?”
“The eldest daughter of the Cooper family has her eyes on you! If you marry Giselle, you’ll have everything!”
“Exactly, Steven, this is your one and only chance!”
I stared at Steven nervously, waiting for his response. After some time, he spoke, “I will break up with Cherry.”
At that moment, my heart shattered into pieces.
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I couldn’t remember how I made it back home. Sitting alone in my apartment, Steven’s words kept replaying in my mind like a broken record.
Steven and I were college classmates. In my first year at university, I developed feelings for him. Knowing his family was struggling financially, I pretended to be a poor student too, just to ease his insecurity. During our college years, though life was tough, we were genuinely happy. At that time, I truly believed I had found the person I’d spend the rest of my life with.
Even after graduation, when my father urged me to return to the family business, I resolutely refused. I wanted to stay with Steven and build a future together.
But in the end, he betrayed me.
It was only then that I realized how foolish I had been.
I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up, Steven had returned. The strong smell
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of alcohol and faint perfume lingered on him. I didn’t have to ask to know he had been with Giselle.
His eyes were conflicted as he looked at me, but all he said was, “I’m tired,” before heading straight to the bedroom to
rest.
I sat in the living room in silence, watching his retreating figure. Then, I made an appointment for an abortion the following day and called my father.
“Dad, I’m coming home,” I said.
My father was overjoyed. After all, he had been hoping for this moment for a long
time.
“Will you be bringing your boyfriend home with you this time?” he asked with a laugh.
Hearing his question, I broke down in
tears.
I had sacrificed everything for Steven, but
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the only thing that I got was his betrayal.
My father was alarmed by my sobs, repeatedly asking what had happened and offering to come to me immediately. But I refused.
I assured him I would handle everything before returning home.
After hanging up, I packed my belongings and left a note for Steven.
The next day, I went through with the procedure. The sympathetic gazes from the nurses cut through me like knives, but I forced myself to stay composed.
As I lay on the hospital bed afterward, my phone rang. It was Steven.
“Cherry, where did you go?” His voice was laced with anger. “What does your note mean? Are you breaking up with me?”
I let out a soft laugh. “Steven, isn’t this what you wanted?”
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“You chose Giselle long ago, didn’t you?”
My words silenced him on the other end of the line. After a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, “How do you know about Giselle?”
Hearing I didn’t answer, Steven anxiously said, “Cherry, it’s not what you think!”
I chuckled coldly, then ended the call. I no longer had the energy to entangle myself
with Steven.
I called my father again to confirm my
return.
This time, he came to pick me up
personally. When he saw me, his eyes were filled with pain and concern.
