Chapter 2

I had stolen Gabriel from Rachel.

The golden boy of the Young family, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Sullivan family.

They were the perfect match in everyone's eyes.

And I was just a lowly orphan adopted by the Sullivans.

Back then, when Gabriel married me, Rachel went abroad to nurse her broken heart.

People in our social circle gossiped endlessly about it.

They said I had shamelessly schemed my way into Gabriel's bed.

That Gabriel had been forced to marry me against his will.

And that was indeed the truth.

Perhaps because of our inglorious beginning, I always felt insecure when facing Rachel.

It seemed she could effortlessly take away everything I had.

Ding—

A new message notification.

It was from Rachel again.

In the photo, the man who had been kissing me half an hour ago was now lying with his eyes closed next to her.

Rachel snuggled in his arms, mockingly smiling at me through the camera.

[Gabe says he's really looking forward to our baby's birth.]

So, Rachel's child was acceptable?

I suppressed the nausea in my chest and scrolled up through the messages.

[Little sister, how does it feel to sleep alone in an empty bed?]

[Gabe was so wild, he left hickeys all over my neck.]

...

[Gabe said he missed me so much.]

The screen was full of taunting words and photos.

They had been coming non-stop every day since Rachel returned.

I had always known who Gabriel was spending his nights with recently.

Counting the time, Rachel had been back for two months and was eight weeks pregnant.

They really were like newlyweds after a long separation!

I put down my phone.

Once again, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep in the dead of night.

When Gabriel pushed open the door in the morning, I was sitting on the couch in the living room.

He looked up and met my gaze, his eyes flickering for a moment.

"Why are you up so early?"

"I had an urgent document to deal with last night, so I went back to the office."

I walked up to him, and a familiar scent wafted into my nose.

"Gabe, will you stay with me tonight?"

I hugged his waist tightly, burying my face in his chest.

As if doing so could dispel the scent on him that didn't belong to me.

Gabriel froze for a moment, then raised his arms to hug me back.

"Okay."

I savored the warmth of Gabriel's embrace, greedily wanting more.

He also didn't push me away for a long time.

Until a phone ring broke the silence.

Rachel's familiar voice came clearly from the other end of the phone, piercing and harsh.

"Gabe, where are you? My stomach hurts so bad."

Hesitation flashed across Gabriel's face, but he still hurriedly left.

Before leaving, he looked back at my pale face.

"If you're not feeling well, call someone to take you to the hospital later."

"I'll come back to stay with you tonight."

I nodded, not saying anything.

Gabriel probably forgot.

In my world, apart from him, there was no one else I could rely on.

That night, I didn't wait for Gabriel to return as promised.

I only received new photos and messages on my phone.

He had accompanied Rachel to the hospital for a prenatal check-up.

[Gabe was so worried about me and the baby, the doctor said he'll definitely be a good father.]

In my memory, I was always waiting for him.

Waiting for him to notice me.

Waiting for him to come home.

Waiting for him to fall in love with me.

But it's okay, I'm good at waiting.

However, my child can't be like me.