He Tried to Keep Me, But Another Man Won My Heart

Chapter 1

"Ms. Moore, congratulations! You're expecting."

The doctor's words barely registered Vivian Moore before tears streamed down her face.

Dr. Foster had witnessed every step of her struggle over the past three years. Endless treatments. Round after round of fertility shots. Each attempt ended in the same crushing disappointment.

He handed her a tissue. "The pregnancy is still in its early stage. Right now, we can only confirm that you're expecting. Take good care of yourself during the first trimester. We'll schedule a full prenatal checkup once the baby has developed further."

Vivian left the hospital clutching the test report, still floating in disbelief and happiness. All she wanted was to tell her husband, Julian Ford, the incredible news.

She and Julian had grown up in the slums together. He had always been the brilliant student everyone admired, while she found fame through her looks. Back then, she accepted every role she could get, pushing herself to the limit so she could help him chase his dreams.

An injury on set had left lasting damage to her uterus, yet Julian proposed to her the instant she regained consciousness. He swore he would love her for the rest of their lives, with or without children. Still, she knew how much he longed to become a father, and for his sake, she endured treatment after treatment, doing everything she could to get pregnant.

At last, the miracle they had waited for was here.

Her fingers trembled as she unlocked her phone, but she quickly put it away. News like this deserved more than a text. Without calling anyone, she headed straight for Julian's office.

He was in his morning meeting. She decided to slip into his office first and surprise him when he returned.

Standing outside the door, she tightened her grip on her purse strap, excitement racing through her as she reached for the handle. She couldn't wait to see Julian's face light up with happy tears.

"I'm pregnant."

A woman's voice drifted through the door.

Vivian was rooted to the spot.

What came next shattered everything.

The woman laughed softly. "Thanks to you, we'll have a baby of our own very soon."

Thanks to you?

Did that mean Julian had gotten another woman pregnant?

Anger exploded inside Vivian. She threw the door open.

"What the hell is going on?"

The woman stood beside Julian with her fingers gently tracing his cheek. Seeing Vivian, she reluctantly stepped away, though she still held a pregnancy report in her hand.

The instant Julian looked up and saw Vivian, his expression changed. He tried to hide the report, but she was quicker. She snatched it away before he could react.

The report clearly stated:

Vanessa Blackwood. Seven weeks pregnant. Fetal heartbeat confirmed.

Vivian's hands trembled as she stared at the page. "Is this your baby?"

She prayed she had it all wrong. Julian loved her more than anything. He couldn't have done something like this.

Julian's composure cracked.

"Vivi, it isn't what you think..."

Before he could explain, Vanessa Blackwood interrupted him.

"Vivian, if anyone's at fault, it's me. I only borrowed Julian's sperm."

Vanessa wore an angelic smile, but every word dripped with quiet triumph.

"Julian didn't want to keep it from you, but we wanted a baby so badly."

Borrowed?

She actually called this borrowing?

Fury rushed through Vivian. As Vanessa stepped closer with tear-filled eyes, playing the victim, Vivian drew her hand back and slapped her across the face.

Vanessa gasped as her cheek turned bright red. She covered it in disbelief.

"You actually hit me?"

Vivian's eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall.

"You knew he was my husband, yet you still went after him. That slap was the least you had coming."

Vanessa shot her a bitter glare. Moments later, she put on a wounded expression and looked toward Julian.

Julian immediately stepped in front of her. "Vivi, calm down."

Vanessa lowered her eyes, looking perfectly innocent. "Vivian, you and Julian couldn't have a baby after all these years. I only wanted to help."

Watching them stand together like that, Vivian felt as if her heart was being crushed until she could hardly breathe.

Only yesterday, Julian had held her close and softly asked whether she would forgive him if he ever made a mistake.

She hadn't questioned him for a second. All she saw was a man terrified of losing her. She had even reassured him that as long as he never betrayed her, she could forgive anything else.

Julian had gazed into her eyes and vowed, "Vivi, I love you. I'll never betray you."

Everything suddenly fell into place.

So his questions yesterday had never been born from guilt. He had been testing whether she would accept him having a baby with another woman.

Vivian finally saw the truth for what it was. Tears slipped quietly down her face.

Through tear-blurred eyes, she watched Julian open his desk drawer, pull out a contract, and lay it in front of her.

"Vivi, the baby is mine, but nothing ever happened between us."

The agreement clearly stated that once Vanessa gave birth to his baby, she would receive 20 million dollars along with top-tier promotional opportunities.

Julian looked at her and explained, "I only gave her a sperm sample for IVF. Your condition wasn't suitable for the procedure. It was too dangerous. I couldn't bear the thought of you risking everything and still losing the baby. I couldn't watch you suffer through that."

As he spoke, he gently wrapped his hand around hers.

"Vivi, this was only a deal. There was never anything else between us. Once the baby is born, we'll raise the baby ourselves. Our life together doesn't have to change."

He actually expected Vivian to accept another woman's baby? To raise it alongside him as if it were theirs?

Vivian's hand flew up and struck him across the face. "Julian, do you honestly think I'll raise the child you fathered with another woman as if it were my?"

The slap sent his face turning to the side.

"Vivi, I wanted a baby more than anything."

No one knew better than Vivian how much he wanted a child. That was why she had sacrificed everything to give them a baby. Yet the moment she finally became pregnant, another woman was carrying his baby too.

Seeing the tears on her face, Julian reached for her hand, his eyes filled with regret.

"I swear I never touched her. My heart has always been yours, and so has my body. If you can forgive me, I'll do whatever you ask."

Vivian met his eyes.

"What if I made you choose—between me and that child?"

Julian stiffened.

He said nothing.

Vivian still loved him. She had been ready to give him one final chance. If he chose her, she would tell him about her pregnancy, and they could rebuild their family together.

Instead, he said quietly, "That baby means too much to me."

Vivian laughed, hollow and bitter, tears still shining on her cheeks.

She slipped free from his arms. He had coddled her for years, but he had never taken away her pride.

Keeping her head lowered, she spoke in a quiet voice that carried unmistakable resolve.

"I gave you your chance. I can't forgive betrayal. Since you can't let that baby go, then I'll let you have the future you want. We're getting divorced."

Julian stared at her, stunned and devastated. He reached out to stop her, but Vivian had already rushed out of the office.

The moment she got home, she packed everything that belonged to her. Julian hurried back after her, holding on to her hand and pleading again and again, but she never paused.

Her gaze drifted across every familiar corner of the house, and her chest tightened with unbearable pain. Every inch of this place held memories of their happiness. She slowly slipped off her wedding ring as tears fell onto the black velvet ring box.

Julian stood there in silence. Pain filled the eyes that had once looked at her with nothing but love.

"Vivi, you promised you'd never leave me."

Part of Vivian wished he had been colder, crueler. That way she could've walked away without feeling like her heart was being torn apart.

Her voice was rough when she answered.

"Julian, every mistake has consequences."

She packed only a few changes of clothes and pulled her suitcase into the chilly autumn evening.

Vivian opened the car, placed her luggage in the back seat, and slammed the door shut. Julian's grief-stricken face still lingered in her thoughts. Before today, she would've rushed into his arms without thinking twice. But he had betrayed her.

She drove away without looking back. The instant the villa disappeared behind her, the tears she had been holding in finally spilled over.

Julian had betrayed her. He didn't deserve forgiveness.

Vivian dug her nails into the leather-wrapped steering wheel and repeated the same words to herself over and over.

"Keep moving forward. Don't look back."