In the fifth year of my marriage, I hated the bitter Vitamin C Lucas bought me, so I grabbed the bottle and walked into the hospital.
The doctor stared at it for a long moment, then suddenly looked up and said, "This isn't vitamin C."
I froze, thinking I had misheard. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"
"This is Mifepristone." He tapped the bottle with his fingertip. His tone was calm, but every word cut like a knife. "Keep taking this, and you'll never have children. It's poisoning your organs."
My throat felt stuffed with cotton, and my knuckles gripping the bottle turned white.
"No way. My husband, Lucas, gave me this. He's also a doctor at this hospital."
The doctor's gaze shifted. Suddenly, his eyes looked strange, a mix of pity and mockery.
Finally, he pulled out his phone and showed me a photo. "Miss, you should go see a psychiatrist instead. We all know who Dr. Harrington's wife is. She just gave birth two months ago."
In the photo, Lucas wore a white lab coat, holding a swaddled newborn in his arms. Beside him stood a woman with gentle, smiling eyes. That's Vivian Knight, the "little surprise sister" he was always talking about.
A loud buzz exploded in my head. I stumbled into the elevator, desperate to get to the fifteenth floor and confront him.
Just as the elevator doors closed, two familiar voices drifted in.
Maybe I was too bundled up in my thick scarf and hat, because the men ahead didn't notice me.
"Lucas, aren't you afraid Emma will find out? Why did you beg her to come back in the first place? If you'd married Vivian ages ago, you wouldn't have to sneak around to see your child now."
That was Kyle Knight, Lucas's friend.
Lucas's voice was cold as ice. "She won't find out. Kyle, watch your mouth. You know what you should and shouldn't say around Emma."
"I really don't get you," Kyle scoffed. "Vivian came to your family as a child bride when she was five. You doted on her so much when you were little. Then you grew up and got charmed by Emma."
"You sent Vivian away for Emma, then went out of your way to bring her back. So dude, who do you actually love?"
After a long silence, Lucas's voice carried exhaustion. "I love Emma, but I can't let go of Vivian either. Just thinking about how much she suffered those years abroad makes my heart ache."
"I've already given Emma the official title. Let Vivian have the child. At least that gives her something to rely on."
Kyle sighed. "What if you and Emma had a child too? Could you really treat them both fairly? Vivian is my cousin, after all."
The elevator's arrival chime rang out. The moment the doors slid open, Lucas's voice came through, clear as day. "That won't happen."
Kyle froze. He didn't understand, but I did.
Five long years of "vitamin C"... this was just a sterilization drug to remove an obstacle for his child bride.
Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The screen lit up, showing a screenshot of a plane ticket sent by Lucas. "Emma, see you at the racetrack tomorrow. Don't forget to bring the good luck charm I prayed for you."
Tears came crashing down out of nowhere.
No matter how busy Dr. Harrington was with work, every year when I had a race, he would always be waiting at the finish line on time, even if it meant taking a red-eye flight to get there. He would book a restaurant in advance, hold a bouquet of flowers, and be there to congratulate me on my win. He did this every single year.
But this same man had actually built another family behind my back.
Just now, I was still thinking that if Vivian dared to break up my marriage, I would never tolerate it.
Only now did I realize that I was the real intruder.
I held back my tears.
My finger hovered over the dial pad for a long time. Finally, I pressed that long-forgotten number.
The moment the call connected, my voice trembled uncontrollably. "Ethan Gray... does that bet we made still count?"
After a moment of silence at the other end of the line, Ethan's deep voice came through. "In half a month, the Gray family will be moving. I'll come pick you up."
"Okay." That short, simple word felt heavier than a thousand tons.
With his abilities, half a month from now, even if Lucas dug three feet into the ground looking for me, he would never find me.