You Want Open Marriage? Fine. Your Rival Is Next in Line.

The day of my prenatal checkup, my husband suddenly spoke up. "Once you're pregnant, let's try having an open marriage." My hand froze midair, still holding the report. He reached out to fix my hair, his gaze as gentle as ever. "We'll still be each other's closest family, but physically, we can each see other people. It's a waste to only sleep with one person your whole life. I don't want you to have regrets later. This is for your own good, too." I gently tucked the report into my bag and said okay. The next day, I left the signed divorce papers on the table and walked out with my luggage. When he found out, he blew up my phone. "I told you it wouldn't affect our marriage. Why are you so prudish?" I didn't reply. I simply blocked his number. The next time we ran into each other at the hospital, his eyes were red‑rimmed as he begged me to come back, saying he didn't want any freedom anymore. I rubbed my slightly rounded pregnant belly and smiled. "Sorry, I don't take back trash." After saying this, I walked around his rigid form and headed straight for the door. Only then did Daniel Garcia seem to recover from the shock of being called "trash." He spun around abruptly and grabbed my wrist. "Clara Carroll, explain yourself!" He stared fixedly at my rounded belly. Those bedroom eyes of his, which always held an amorous glint, were now filled with panic. "This is my child, isn't it? You deliberately hid away these past few months to secretly have the baby just to spite me?" I struggled hard, but couldn't break free. "Let go of me, Daniel," I said, looking at him coldly. "We've been divorced for four months. This baby has nothing to do with you." "Impossible!" His voice rose, making nurses and patients in the hallway glance over. "You were fine the day of the prenatal checkup. You even said you wanted us to have a daughter! Just because I mentioned open marriage, you left divorce papers and took off overnight?" He lowered his voice, his tone laced with that familiar, cloying tenderness and a note of self‑pity. "Clara, stop it. I admit I didn't come looking for you during this time because I wanted you to calm down." "I know you're traditional, but I only wanted physical novelty. In my heart, you'll always be my only Mrs. Garcia." With that, he reached out to caress my cheek, his fingertips smelling faintly of tobacco. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? Are you having bad morning sickness? Do your legs cramp at night? Come home with me. You can punish me however you want. I won't bring up the open marriage thing again, okay?" he continued. Watching this affectionate display, I found it absurd. This was Daniel. He could sleep with another woman while saying with red‑rimmed eyes that I was the one he loved most. He always knew how to twist the knife with the softest words. I turned my head to avoid his touch. "Mr. Garcia, save your affection for your new lover. I don't need it anymore." I was about to call for help when a cold voice cut in from behind Daniel. "Let go of my wife." Daniel jolted, then turned around. Charles Moore strode over, with prenatal checkup results and a box of folic acid in hand. He seized Daniel's wrist and twisted it sharply. Daniel winced and was forced to let go of my hand. Charles seamlessly drew me into his arms, his warm hand settling protectively at my waist. He looked down at my reddened, pinched wrist, and his usually expressionless face instantly frosted over. "Did he hurt you?" I shook my head and leaned into him. Watching this intimate display, Daniel looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. "Charles?" He ground out the name through gritted teeth, the panic in his eyes turning to full‑blown rage. "Clara, you're actually with him? You know he's my enemy in business! Are you treating marriage as a joke just to get revenge on me?" Charles paid no heed to his fury. He calmly pulled my coat tighter, shielding me from the cold draft in the corridor. Only then did he lift his gaze, regarding Daniel with a cold stare. "Mr. Garcia, pestering another man's pregnant wife seems rather unseemly. My wife frightens easily. If you take one step closer to her, Garcia Group's stock price tomorrow won't be pretty." With that, he put his arm around me and walked out of the hospital without looking back. Only Daniel remained standing there, his bloodshot eyes fixed on our backs.