The night before our wedding, my fiancé, Nolan Daston, came home drunk and told me he had a child with my best friend, Alicia Harlan.

"The baby's mine. I have to take responsibility. Let's call off the wedding for now. Once the child starts school, I'll come back and marry you.

"She's your best friend, too. You know how tough it is for her to raise a child alone."

I forced a weak smile. "If that's what you've decided, I won't stop you."

When we got home, he didn't say another word. He grabbed his suitcase, turned around, and walked out.

I wiped away the last tear and sat on the bed, staring into space.

That's when my phone rang. It was my childhood friend, his voice rough and strained.

"Rachelle, don't marry him. Please."

I paused, then whispered, "Okay."

***

The room was decorated for a wedding—soft lights, floral garlands, and romantic signs scattered everywhere. Just hours ago, I worried it wouldn't be perfect. Now, every single detail felt like a cruel joke.

I had chased him for two years in college. We'd been together for three more years. And tomorrow, we were finally supposed to get married.

But instead, I found out that he slept with my best friend Alicia three years ago. Their son was already two years old.

The betrayal from the two people I trusted most hit like a hammer to the chest.

I felt my heart crack open, but I held the tears back. I just needed to get out of that suffocating place.

My phone buzzed again.

"Rachelle," he said, like nothing had happened, "Alicia's been busy all day with the child. She hasn't eaten. I haven't eaten either. Make some dinner and bring it over."

He spoke as if it were an order. Then he hung up—without giving me a chance to reply.

I forced a bitter smile, my heart aching.

The past three years hadn't been easy for Alicia—getting pregnant before marriage and all. I've been there for her from the very start, all through her pregnancy, and up until her son turned two. As her best friend and his son's godmother, I've done everything I could. I never wronged anyone.

Every time she avoided talking about his son's father, I felt sorry for her.

What I didn't expect was that the man who betrayed her was the same one who lay beside me every night.

The irony burned. I used to think Alicia was the fool. Turns out, the joke was on me.

Only now did I realize there were signs I had missed.

Whenever we went out, Alicia always dressed a little too provocatively, casually brushing against Nolan.

It was all planned, right under my nose.

Sometimes, I'd get jealous and hint to Nolan to keep some boundaries.

He always brushed me off.

"Oh, Alicia's your best friend, and I'm your boyfriend—but you don't believe either of us? Well, then, who on earth are you gonna trust?"

His words shut me up, and I even thought he made sense.

Looking back now, I was just too foolish. I laughed at myself, half in mockery.

I opened Uber Eats and purposely chose the worst-rated restaurant I could find.

When the food finally arrived, I dumped it messily onto some plates and grabbed the whole lot. I just had to see how the pampered Mr. Daston, the golden boy who never lifted a finger, would survive an actual parenting moment.

At Alicia's place, I rang the doorbell, and a sudden wave of dizziness hit me.

She opened the door wearing a tight skirt, her cheeks flushed.

My expression went cold instantly. I wasn't naïve—I knew exactly what she'd been doing.

But Alicia just smiled like nothing was wrong and ushered me in.

Seeing me silent, she was the first to speak. "Rachelle, have a seat. Nolan took Halston to wash up. You wouldn't believe how happy those two were just now, having their little father and son bonding time."

How cute, it sounds like they're one big happy family. Funny how I never noticed before. Guess I was too busy seeing through the fake smiles.

Father and son—now they don't even bother hiding it anymore!

I sat down stiff as a corpse.

Before long, Nolan came out carrying their son.

I instinctively smiled at my godson.

But the little boy didn't run into my arms like he usually did. Instead, he pointed at me and said, "Homewrecker."

Halston Harlan—barely two, barely able to string full sentences together—and that word came out of his mouth like he knew exactly what it meant.

Alicia glanced at me and playfully scolded her son.

"Halston, what are you saying? She's your godmother! She's always been the one who loves you the most."

Nolan quickly covered Halston's ears.

"Alicia, don't be so hard on him. Children say what they want.

"Rachelle is my girl. She wouldn't hold it against a child."

I forced a bitter smile and sat quietly to the side, feeling like a criminal who'd just crashed a happy little family moment. I'm not exactly feeling like Nolan's girl right now.

And Halston? I'd never heard a supposedly innocent two-year-old say "homewrecker" so clearly.

That's when it hit me—Halston. Harlan and Daston. Their son's name was a stitched-together secret. And I'd never noticed until now.

But Nolan didn't seem to flinch. He even stepped closer, nudging Halston toward me like nothing had happened.

I quickly dodged him.

"That's enough. I should get going."

Nolan freed one hand and grabbed my wrist.

"Rachelle, you've got time now. It's the perfect chance to learn how to take care of him."

I let out a cold laugh. "Nolan, I might be a fool, but I'm not insane. Why would I raise you and your mistress's child? Maybe you three don't think I'm in the way—but trust me, I do."

Seeing the tension, Alicia smiled and tried to lighten the mood.

"Rachelle, come on—you know me. I'm not the marriage type. The baby was unexpected. If he really bothers you, I can arrange for custody to be transferred. It won't stop you from marrying Nolan."

She said this while pretending to nudge Nolan, her chest brushing casually against his shoulder.

"You two go on back. I've been raising him alone for two years—I'm used to it. If you ever change your mind about becoming his mom, just let me know. I'll have the adoption papers ready."

Halston, in Nolan's arms, seemed to sense something and suddenly burst into tears.

Nolan instantly panicked, gently stroking his back, soothing him, and wiping his tears with a tissue.

When he finally stopped crying, he handed him back to Alicia and then turned to glare at me.

"Rachelle, that's enough. Halston's never had a father's love because of you. And now you want to rip him and Alicia apart?

"You're the one who's been taking care of him all this time. He's attached to you. So either step up and raise him properly, or forget about marrying me."

My breath caught in my throat. I turned and walked away quickly.

What does he mean by "Because of me, Halston doesn't have a father's love"?

I hurried downstairs, not wanting to stay another second. I opened the car door, ready to drive off.

But the moment I tried to close the door, Nolan blocked me.

His brows were furrowed, stopping me from shutting the door.

"Rachelle, when Alicia got pregnant, I wanted to be honest with you. I never meant to hide it.

"But she's your best friend. I thought, since she never wanted to get married anyway, if she gave birth and didn't want to raise the kid, she'd just give him to you."

I stared at him in disbelief, my eyes burning red.

"Too bad you slipped up. Maybe I'd raise her son—but I'd never raise a child born from you and a homewrecker."

Seeing my eyes redden, Nolan sneered. "You're the Denholm family's successor, born with everything, and you can't even handle this? Alicia came from nothing, and she's tougher than you'll ever be."

His words hit me hard. My nose tingled as I fought back tears.

"I can't argue with you. I don't want to say anything else."

Nolan yanked me out of the driver's seat and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Stop crying. I promise I'll make it up to you—but not right now."

I forced a bitter smile and struggled to break free from his arms.

I looked away for a moment, then spoke quietly.

"Forget it. Let's break up."’

Tears finally spilled over, and I couldn't stop sobbing.

Nolan froze, then cupped my face, forcing me to look at him.

He spoke like he was offering some great kindness. "I'll still come to see you every few days. Then I'll take care of Halston. Isn't that enough?"

When I stayed silent, he sighed deeply.

"Rachelle, this is the best I can do. Can you please stop making things difficult?"

I took a deep breath, trying to hold back my sobs until I calmed down.

"It's too much trouble. Just thinking about it wears me out. We're already broken up. You just stay with her and Halston. What happens to me is none of your concern."

He grabbed my shoulder firmly, thinking I was just throwing a tantrum.

"Rachelle, are you serious?"

I stopped resisting and turned toward the car.

Suddenly, he shoved me hard. "So you've had enough, huh? Now you're acting like a spoiled princess!"

My head slammed hard against the car roof, and then, off balance, I fell heavily to the ground.

Nolan's eyes were full of malice as he turned and walked away.

I didn't notice when Alicia showed up, but she started blaming Nolan.

"Rachelle's always been the little princess from a wealthy family. So what if she throws a tantrum? Can't you be a man and let it slide?"

Nolan sneered, casually resting his hand on Alicia's waist.

"I have limits, too. Why should I keep putting up with her drama? She's the one who chased after me. And now she wants to play the victim?"

He shot me a cold glance, then looked tenderly at Alicia.

"You're the better one—understanding and sweet. If it were Rachelle having a baby, with that temper of hers? She'd burn the whole house down. Just imagining it gives me a headache."

Their lovey-dovey attitude made me sick. I didn't want to deal with it anymore, so I got in my car to leave.

Scenes from earlier replayed in my mind, sharp and painful, making it hard to breathe.

My phone rang at the worst moment—it was Nolan's mother.

"Rachelle, I've heard everything. Nolan canceled the wedding. That was his fault, hiding the truth from us all. Halston was already two years old before he finally admitted it.

"I think the baby was an accident. It can be legally adopted under your name. As long as Nolan loves you, it won't affect your marriage.

"And Alicia agreed, too. She won't fight you. You're still Nolan's choice for a wife. If worse comes to worst, I'll raise the boy myself. I won't get in your way."

My throat tightened. After a moment, I croaked, "I've completely broken up with Nolan."

Her tone suddenly hardened.

"Rachelle, I knew rich families like yours were hard to deal with. I never liked the two of you being together. I was afraid Nolan wouldn't be respected by you. Now, Nolan just made a mistake every man would make. He confessed—why can't you forgive him?"

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my fingertips going numb.

"It's okay. Nolan has my respect now. He and Alicia are perfect for each other. I've stepped back and won't bother them anymore."

I hung up and slammed on the brakes at the side of the road.

I gasped for air. I had given up my luxurious life just for a little bit of his dignity.

Nolan finally agreed to date me, but he kept treating me like I was nothing.

Every time, I just smiled and nodded, thinking that being a quiet, understanding girl by his side would make him truly accept me.

But at family gatherings, they looked down on me for being too simple.

"Did you hear Nolan's dating some rich girl? Where is she? Is it the girl sitting next to her?"

"That girl looks poorer than all of us. No way she's rich. Nolan must've said it for appearances."

The relatives laughed, and Nolan's look of disgust toward me deepened.

I sat in the car, stunned, before finally driving home.

Not long after, Nolan called.

"Wanna hang out? Alicia had already put Halston to bed."

Over the years, he never took me shopping, never spent time with me. Today felt like some big favor—finally feeling guilty, trying to make it up to me?

I didn't have the patience for his games. Just as I was about to hang up, I heard Alicia's playful voice.

"Still soothing your princess this late? Aren't you tired? Because of you, I'm exhausted—I have to watch Halston and take care of you. Come give me a massage!"

Nolan hurriedly said, "Alright, I'll catch you next time," then cut the call abruptly.

A bitter ache rose deep inside me.

If only I had never let those two stay in touch, maybe my life wouldn't have turned out this miserable.

The next day, the wedding was called off. Nolan threw a reunion with his classmates, and I went, thinking it would be my last goodbye to this broken relationship.

The classmates exchanged greetings. When they saw Alicia holding their son, someone sneered, "Alicia has a son now? When did she get married? None of us knew."

"Alicia, who's the father? Why didn't you bring him for us to meet?"

The questions were full of malice. Alicia looked uncomfortable.

Nolan glanced coldly at me, then took Halston from her arms.

"I'm the father."

In an instant, all eyes turned to me.

Whispers broke out nearby.

"I heard Nolan and Alicia were together before, but something happened, and now he's with Rachelle. Judging by the timing, Alicia's son must be two years old."

"So, that makes Rachelle the homewrecker?"

I trembled with anger but forced myself to stay calm.

I stood up to get a glass of water, but suddenly felt a sharp tug.

Alicia had deliberately stepped on my dress. I lost my balance and fell to my knees, the room filling with cruel laughter.

My knees bruised instantly, the pain making it impossible to stand.

"Looks like Rachelle's guilty as the homewrecker—drop down to confess, huh?"

Nolan only shot me a disgusted glance and let the crowd keep talking.

I gritted my teeth and glared at Alicia. If anyone looked closely, they'd see she was the one who tripped me.

The anger inside me exploded. I raised my hand to slap her, but Nolan jumped up and slapped me hard across the face.

Smack!

The room fell completely silent.

Blood seeped from my lip. My ears rang loudly.

I stared coldly at Nolan, then suddenly swung my hand and slapped him back hard.

"Nolan, we're done. Completely done."

Without another word, I ignored the stunned look on Nolan's face, covered my swollen cheek, and hurried out.