Chapter 1

My best friend and I marry into the Xylander family at the same time. Everyone says we're lucky. My best friend's husband is a master negotiator, while my husband is a bomb disposal expert.

Their enemy abduct us after we've just discovered we're pregnant. He ties bombs to our bellies.

When our husbands negotiate with the abductors, they choose to save Melinda Sutton, a woman they grew up with.

The bombs are detonated, and we're gravely injured. After surviving the explosion, we decide to get divorced together.

Chapter 1

Quinn Louvre and I were lying in the hospital room.

I struggled to turn my head to look at Quinn's pale face. Under her gaze, I reached for my phone from the bedside table and dialed Chuck Xylander's number.

Usually, Chuck would use work as an excuse to ignore my calls. This time, perhaps out of guilt for what happened at the abandoned factory yesterday, his tone was unexpectedly soothing.

"Scarlett, are you okay?" he asked. "I'm a bit busy right now. After the fright yesterday, Mel didn't sleep all night—"

"Chuck, let's get a divorce," I calmly said, cutting him off.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, followed by Chuck's angry voice, demanding, "Just because I chose to protect Mel when I was defusing the bomb? Scarlett, is this really necessary? Mel is still young. What if she can never have children because of this accident?"

I was puzzled. "What about me? What if I can't have children?"

As if it were obvious, Chuck replied, "We just won't have kids, then. I don't mind."

I looked down at my abdomen wrapped in white gauze, and a bitter smile appeared on my lips. He didn't care, huh? But what about the child I just lost?

A few days ago, Quinn and I hadn't been feeling well, so we decided to go to the hospital for checkups. We found out yesterday that we were both pregnant.

As we looked at the results of the pregnancy test, joy filled our faces. We had both married Chuck and Harry Xylander, and we were both pregnant at the same time.

But before we could share this good news with them, we were kidnapped by their old enemy, Chester Wind.

It wasn't just the two of us in that abandoned warehouse. Their childhood friend, Melinda Sutton, was there too. She had grown up with them.

Quinn and I were on one side, and Melinda was on the other.

When Harry and Chuck arrived with the police, Chester stood by the window, sneering. "I didn't know who mattered most to you, so I brought all three.

"If it weren't for the two of you, my wife and child wouldn't have died. This time, I'll let you know how it feels to lose someone you love dearly."

Harry held a megaphone in his hand. His handsome face looked even more striking under the sunlight.

I had a moment to tease Quinn. "See? You always said we'd never get a chance to see the two brothers at work. Well, you're witnessing it now."

Before Harry spoke, both Quinn and I had complete trust in our husbands. We had entrusted our lives to them.

But then Harry demanded, "We're the ones you hold a grudge against. Let Melinda go. She's innocent."

Quinn's face gradually turned pale.

As if he had caught onto something, Chester burst into laughter. "You act all loving, but it turns out Melinda is the one you care about!"

Chester saw the sniper outside aiming at him, but he showed no fear. "I've strapped bombs to all three of them. If you kill me, you'll only be able to save one side."

Chapter 2

Melinda's soft, pitiful voice came from upstairs. "Chuck! Harry! I'm so scared!"

Chester's expression darkened, and he turned his head angrily, snapping, "Shut up! If you make another sound, I'll kill you right now!"

Harry, who was on the floor below, could see Chester was serious. After a brief pause, despite Chester's threat, he signaled the sniper to fire.

Chuck rushed in the moment Chester fell. Looking at the bombs strapped to the three of us, Chuck hesitated, his eyes scanning between us.

Melinda's eyes were red with tears. "Chuck, please save me, I don't want to die."

Chuck touched Melinda's face with trembling hands. His voice was hoarse as he comforted her. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

He completely ignored me—his wife—beside them.

My heart grew colder by the second.

As Quinn's cold hand gripped mine, I looked over at her. I realized I couldn't let this happen. Even if Chuck abandoned me, I couldn't let Quinn get hurt. After all, she was pregnant too!

I raised my voice. "Chuck, I'm pregnant!"

I had thought Chuck would choose me and Quinn for the child's sake.

But to my shock, Chuck's expression turned impatient. "Scarlett, how can you be so selfish? Are you actually lying just to save yourself? Do you think I wouldn't know if you were pregnant?"

He lowered his head and carefully began disarming the bomb on Melinda. "Also, so what if you were pregnant? I checked the bombs. They won't kill you. They'll just injure you a little."

He added, "Mel is still young; she's never been through anything like this. I promised her I'd protect her."

I was stunned. It felt like I was seeing the man beside me for the first time. The pain in my chest was now far worse than the fear.

Quinn sighed softly. "Don't be afraid, Scarlett. I'm here."

Tears slowly slid down my cheeks.

Just a few hours ago, I was still looking forward to the birth of my child, imagining it growing up alongside Quinn's, just like we had grown up together as best friends.

The beeping of the bomb strapped to my stomach grew more rapid. My heartbeat, too, quickened.

At that moment, my eyes lit up when I saw Harry rush in. If Harry knew that Quinn was pregnant, surely he would make Chuck choose to save us both.

Quinn also looked at Harry and softly called out to him, "Harry."

Harry glanced at Quinn, his steps faltering for a moment.

I quickly said, "Harry, Quinn is pregnant. You can't let Chuck save only Melinda."

Harry froze as if struggling to find the words.

On the other side, Melinda's sobs grew louder as her arms reached out to Harry. "Harry, I'm so scared! Why did it take you so long?"

Chuck frowned deeply and reprimanded us sternly, "Scarlett, Quinn, are you two done? One moment, Scarlett is pregnant, and the next, it's Quinn. To steal Mel's only chance of survival, you're both willing to tell such vile lies.

"Harry, don't listen to them. Come comfort Mel; she's terrified."

Ignoring Quinn entirely, Harry walked straight toward Melinda.

But Quinn wasn't like me. She was decisive. She spoke firmly, "Harry, if you go to Melinda, we're getting a divorce."

Harry turned to look at her with his eyebrows raised slightly, clearly irritated. "Are you threatening me?"

Chapter 3

When Quinn lifted her head, her eyes were filled with disappointment. "I'm not threatening you, Harry. I'm informing you."

Harry turned away indifferently and coldly said, "Do what you want."

Quinn and I stared at the two men before us in disbelief. They weren't like this when we fell in love and got married.

Though stern and rarely smiling, my husband, Chuck, was always considerate. In private, he would even clumsily try to braid my hair.

Meanwhile, Quinn's husband, Harry, was a gentle and patient man. He was always willing to yield to her strong-willed nature.

When we got married, people praised us for finding the perfect partners.

But why had they changed so much in just one short year? Or had they been like this all along, and we just didn't see it?

I couldn't wrap my head around it.

As the pain from the bomb became unbearable, I screamed and clutched Quinn's hand. We huddled together like two helpless, wounded creatures, trying to comfort each other.

In the last moment before I blacked out, I saw Chuck carefully holding Melinda, carrying her out the door while murmuring comforting words to her.

A thought flickered in my mind as consciousness slipped away. It seemed like everything started to fall apart the moment Melinda returned from abroad.

…

I could vaguely hear Melinda's voice over the phone, sweet yet tinged with a hint of triumph. "Chuck, is Scarlett throwing a tantrum again? It's all my fault. It's because I was so scared that I had you to myself.

"Scarlett must be upset because of that. She didn't really mean it when she asked for a divorce. Go and comfort her. My foot is fine now."

Chuck's voice softened slightly. "Don’t say such childish words. A sprained ankle needs proper care, or it'll leave lasting problems. Don't worry about Scarlett. She's just acting out."

After he finished speaking, he casually hung up the phone.

I stared blankly at the phone, listening to the beeping sound. After holding myself together for so long, I could no longer stop my chest from tightening. Tears began to roll down my cheeks.

Just as my call ended, Quinn's phone rang.

Harry's impatient voice came through. "Quinn, when are you and Scarlett going to stop with this farce? This whole situation started because of Chuck's and my work.

"Since Melinda got caught up in it, why is it a problem if we take better care of her? You're two grown women throwing a fit over a young lady. How childish can you be?"

Quinn closed her eyes in frustration, trying to remain calm, but she couldn't help reminding him, "Harry, are you and Chuck even human? Melinda only twisted her ankle, but Scarlett and I ended up in the ICU because of the explosion.

"It's bad enough you two are fawning over Melinda. How dare you blame us now? Have you ever considered that we just got married?"

Harry scoffed. "You two are alive, aren't you? Listening to you, one would think you were dead. When we got married, Chuck and I warned you that our jobs were dangerous. Being with us meant taking on risks.

"Do you remember what you said back then? You said you weren't afraid, that you'd support our work. Now, what's changed? Is it just because of Melinda? Why are you two acting crazy otherwise?

"And pregnancy? I didn't even know you were pregnant! Quinn, if I remember correctly, you took the pill every time we did it. You said you were afraid having kids would affect your career."

Chapter 4

Quinn was trembling with anger. Worried about her injury, I glanced at her with concern.

I had never seen Quinn cry before. However, her eyes were now red, though she tried hard to keep her voice steady. "Harry, I didn't take the pill last time. I'm pregnant."

Harry gave an ambiguous laugh. "Sure, if you say you're pregnant, you're pregnant. Whatever you say, Don't bother me before Melinda's mood gets better."

Harry was about to hang up when Quinn stopped him in a hoarse but firm voice. "Wait. Before the bomb exploded, I told you we're getting divorced."

"And I said,"—Harry's tone turned cold—"do what you want."

Both Quinn and I were pregnant, but not only did Chuck and Harry not believe us, they didn't even care if we were injured during the explosion. The fact that we lost our ability to have children meant nothing to them.

Quinn turned to me and insisted, "Scarlett, no more tears. We're getting divorced."

I wiped my tears and nodded resolutely.

…

On the day we were transferred to the general ward, we had our lawyer deliver the divorce papers to Chuck and Harry.

However, both of them were furious upon seeing the documents. They kicked the door open and stormed into the ward.

"Are you two out of your minds? Do you want a divorce?"

Quinn remained calm. "That's right. That way, you'll have room for Melinda."

Harry's eyes flashed with barely restrained anger. He pulled out a lighter from his pocket and was about to light a cigarette when the doctor walked in, frowning.

"What are you doing? No smoking in the ward."

After saying that, the doctor handed two documents to Quinn and me. It was a notice regarding the handling of our unborn children.

"The aftermath of the explosion was too severe," the doctor explained. "We've preserved the remains of your fetuses as much as possible. You can choose to let the hospital take care of them, or you can take them home."

I forced myself to sit up and calmly replied, "We'll take them home. Thank you, doctor."

The sound of a lighter dropping to the floor echoed from the doorway. I looked up to see Chuck and Harry's faces filled with disbelief.

Chuck's voice wavered when he asked, "Doctor, what did you just say?"

The doctor turned, looking confused at the expressions on both Chuck and Harry. "And who are you two?"

Harry's gaze flickered between Quinn's and my pale faces. He instinctively answered, "We're their husbands."

Hearing Harry's response, the doctor wore a disdainful and disapproving expression. "Both patients have been hospitalized for a week. Why haven't you shown up until now?"

Just then, Melinda peeked out from behind Harry, timidly looking at Quinn and me. "Scarlett, Quinn, it's all my fault. The explosion a few days ago left me with severe emotional trauma. Harry and Chuck were just taking care of me. That's why they couldn't come to see you."

Her voice, so delicate yet laced with subtle provocation, made me clench my eyes shut in frustration. Despite my efforts to hold back, I couldn't contain myself any longer.

"Chuck, can you take your sweetheart and get out of this room?"

Chuck, still trying to process the news he'd just heard, instinctively defended Melinda. "She didn't say anything wrong. She's just trying to comfort you.

He added, "Scarlett, do you really have to act like this? I never realized you were this kind of woman."

His words ignited a storm of bitterness and anger in my heart. I thought of the child I had just lost and all the times Chuck had defended Melinda.

I now looked at him with a mixture of resentment. "Does it even matter to you what kind of person I am? We're getting divorced anyway."

Chuck seemed to finally notice the hatred and resolve in my eyes. He only stood there, stunned.

Chapter 5

This was the first time I had openly shown my emotions. In the past, I always looked at Chuck with eyes filled with admiration and warmth. It was as if nothing he did could ever anger me.

Chuck opened his mouth slightly and asked, "Scarlett, are you mad? Is it because you and Quinn miscarried?"

His voice was hoarse, perhaps because the mention of two lives that had never fully formed had finally made him feel guilty toward me.

"It was a pressing decision for Harry and I. You and Quinn are already married to us, but Mel isn't married. If something happened to her, how would she get married in the future?

"Can you be more understanding? When you said you wanted to marry me, I warned you about the risks of my job. You said you weren't afraid of any danger."

I bit down hard on my tongue, and the metallic taste of blood slowly spread in my mouth.

Ignoring the doctor's attempts to stop me, I threw off the blanket. Without warning, I ripped open the huge bandage on my stomach, exposing the ugly, crooked stitches that resembled worms crawling across my skin.

A tear fell as I asked, "Chuck, do you even have a heart? Quinn and I barely survived that explosion. We lost our children, and we lost our ability to have children.

"What right do you have to ask us to be understanding? We're talking about four lives here. But to you and Harry, are they worth less than a scratch on Melinda's finger?"

Chuck was speechless. However, his guilt made him more irritable and impatient. "What do you want, then?" he spat. "You and Quinn have miscarried anyway."

Quinn sat silently in the bed beside mine, but I knew she was a woman of even greater resolve than I was. My words, sharp and fierce, were merely a façade. Inside, I was in unbearable pain.

Harry understood Quinn. He remained quiet, simply watching the unfolding situation.

I didn't know what was going through his mind, but the air in the hospital room felt like it had thickened, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

Quinn and I faced Harry and Chuck. We were sitting, while they stood.

In that moment, it became clear to all of us that the issues between us weren't just about the times they had abandoned us for Melinda or the small compromises we had made. It was about two innocent lives lost.

I noticed Chuck and Harry's expressions wavering. They were about to apologize when Melinda bit her lip and quickly interrupted them.

"Chuck, Harry, don't be sad." She offered cheerfully, "Even though you can't have babies anymore, I can do it!"