"As for the dead fetus… take it out and dispose of it."
I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but when I finally opened my eyes, my body felt weak and heavy.
The first thing I saw was Sean, lying beside my bed, gripping my hand tightly.
The moment he noticed I was awake, his eyes reddened with emotion, and his voice trembled with concern.
"Marie… I’m sorry. If not for saving me, you and the baby wouldn’t have suffered this."
"I’ve already handed those people over to the police, but… the doctor said you were badly injured. They had to remove your uterus…"
"But don’t worry. Even without a child, I will never leave you. I still love you, Marie."
If I hadn’t overheard his words in the operating room, I might have been deeply moved by his devotion.
But now…
Watching him feign affection so effortlessly, I suddenly wanted to laugh.
So this is what love looks like to him—an act, played so convincingly.
He could pretend to love me so easily, yet his heart belonged to someone else.
But I’m done. I want no part of it anymore.
Seeing my silence, Sean assumed the anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off. He gently pulled the blanket over me before hurrying out of the room.
The moment he left, I opened my eyes fully, my gaze falling on the laptop he had carelessly left behind.
A thought sparked in my mind.
I reached for it, unsure why. But when I opened it, my breath caught.
There, in a private folder, was a note labeled: "I will only love Mandy in this life."
I clicked it.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of photos filled the screen. All of them of Mandy… her son, who had just turned one month old.
Each photo was meticulously time-stamped, a total of 9,999 images.
Yet the child I had carried for ten long months—our child—didn’t even have a single posthumous photo.
My gaze landed on one picture.
It was from the day of Mandy’s baby’s full-month celebration. Sean was holding the child tenderly, a protective hand cradling his tiny frame.
And in his other hand, he held a longevity lock.
I recognized it instantly.
It was the pendant Sean had spent nine months crafting, carving late into the night.
Back then, I had foolishly believed he was preparing it for our baby, which he shared in my excitement and anticipation.
But now…
Now, as I looked closer, I saw the truth carved into the metal.
One word.
"Mandy."
At that moment, even though my heart was already shattered beyond repair, I felt another sharp pang of pain.