While waiting in line for a hospital checkup, I ran into Michael Shaw, who was accompanying his wife for a prenatal visit.
After a long silence, he greeted me gently,
Nicole Young, you've thought it through now. A woman needs a childsomeone to rely on.
I gave a faint smile and handed him the pregnancy test results.
He narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening gradually.
"Nicole, you... you didnt want to be childless?"
I curled my lips into a smile but stayed silent.
He probably didnt know that during our premarital checkup, I had been diagnosed with congenital infertility. To save his pride, I had insisted it was a health issue and that I wished to remain childless.
He studied me with a complex look, finally asking,
"Is he good to you? You love him very much, dont you?"
I smiled but didnt answer.
What could I say to someone who didnt understand love?

I took back the pregnancy test results and just as I slipped them into my bag, a familiar figure pushed open the door.
Our eyes met. Fiona froze for a moment, a hint of joy lingering on her face, then naturally linked arms with Michael.
"Nicole, long time no see! Youre here for a checkup, too?" she said, patting her slightly rounded belly.
I stepped back, expressionless, offering a polite hum, and turned to leave.
Fionas soft voice followed me.
"Nicole, let me treat you to a meal. Lets catch up."
I paused, then walked forward.
How could Fiona, once so eager to compete, now invite me so easily?
Indeed, her former sponsored student was now a top lawyer, her husband an internationally renowned attorney, and she owned three nationally acclaimed law firms.
It was true: when Michael chooses to support someone, even an overlooked girl can soar into greatness.
When Michael came after me, I was waiting for a taxi by the door.
He extended his hand,
"Get in the car. Ill give you a ride."
I stepped back, calm.
"Michael, no need. I dont want your wife to misunderstand."
His face darkened.
"Nicole, do you have to be so stubborn?"
"If back then you had been more tolerant and generous, you wouldnt be in this situation today."
"I just wanted a child. Why did you..." He glanced at my tracksuit and mud-stained canvas shoes.
He didnt finish, but I understood.
It was all about wanting Fiona Young to have a child for us, so I could graciously accept them and their daughter, and live a complete life of three.
Then we would be secure, no longer wearing tracksuits and carrying canvas bags like this.
The boy I had risked my family for, the boy who had promised me he would endure torture rather than betray me, had ultimately died in this glittering world.
In silence, the taxi arrived, and Fiona ran after it.
She pressed a card into my hand, panicked.
"Nicole, take this first. If you need anything, just let me know. Michael is busy every day..."
The taxi arrived just then, and I shoved the card back, letting it fall to the ground in haste.
The car sped off, belching exhaust fumes. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Michael gently embrace Fiona, comforting her. She stood there, tears in her eyes, leaning on his shoulder, quietly sobbing.
At the villa, Aunt Wendy came over and said Leo Miller wouldnt be home for dinner, asking what I wanted to eat.
I touched my stomach, suppressing the acid reflux, and requested only a bowl of gourmet soup.
Back in my room, I wanted to keep the pregnancy test report, and while searching, I found the forged infertility test report.


That was six years ago. I spent $6,000 to have a classmates classmate get me a fake test report.
Six years ago, Michael and I were a pair of star-crossed lovers, relying on each other for survival.
Our lives werent actually that hard. My parents ran a small shop; I was their only child, and Michaels parents were successful businesspeople.
The tragedy struck when Michael was ten. A car accident took their lives, and his uncle quickly seized control of everything.
He even sold Michael to human traffickers in the mountains.
I was the neighbor of that buyer.
Not long after, the neighbor had his own child, and Michael became a burden, a useless burden.
He was always doing endless chores, his body covered in bruises.
I secretly gave him bread from the shop and laid out his blankets in the pigsty.
Until one day, the neighbor lost money gambling and whipped Michael until he rolled on the ground.
I rushed forward and bit the neighbors hand tightly, but he flung me away, sending me crashing into a stone in the yard, bleeding profusely.
Enraged, Michael grabbed a lawnmower from the yard and slashed his neighbors neck.
The neighbors blood spurted a meter high, and he collapsed without uttering a word.
I looked at Michael, trembling and huddled in a corner, and knelt before my father.
Dad, please save Michael! He did all this to save me!
I begged him, crying.
Dad, we cant be heartless! Michaels life is ruined if he goes to jail.
My father, his eyes red, went to the police station. Less than a year later, he died unexpectedly in prison.
Michael was evicted, and our small grocery store was given to the neighbor.
From then on, we began a life of homelessness.
We were bitten by stray dogs, bullied by homeless people, and Michael even suffered from pneumonia and fever, nearly dying. I knelt before the doctor, begging to donate my blood to sell for money, and thats how he was saved.
Until I was sixteen, Michaels uncle, who had been living abroad, returned. Using his skills as a top international lawyer, he won Michaels case, recovering most of the family fortune, and six months later found me, Michael, and among homeless children.
From that moment on, Michael became the eldest son of the Shaw family.
He entered a prestigious private school, and under his uncles influence, he went on to study law and political science, becoming a top lawyer.
I, however, wasnt particularly gifted and barely managed to study law, becoming a junior assistant.
At that time, he held my hand, looking at me earnestly,
Nicole, you dont need to be outstanding. Ill take care of everything.
And then, at twenty-two, the year I graduated from university, Michael proposed to me in front of the entire faculty and student body,
Nicole, marry me. I will love you for life. If I ever break this promise, may I swallow ten thousand needles and die in agony.
A month later, we got married.
However, during the premarital checkup, it was discovered that Michael was infertile. Michael was so proud, and his relatives were all waiting to kick him while he was down.
That day, I hid his test results, got a fake one, and told him I was infertile.
That day, he held me tightly, comforting me that it was okay, as long as I was there, that was enough.
After marriage, Michael didnt despise me; instead, he did his best to cultivate me, helping me gradually become a lawyer with some reputation.
I felt ashamed of being a burden to him, but he looked at me seriously,
Nicole, a person must have a conscience. The moment your uncle walked into the police station, I swore that I would take care of you for the rest of my life.
Nicole, without you, there would be no Michael today. Everything I have is yours.
But conscience has no legally binding force.


In the third year of our marriage, he cheated on me with Fiona, a law student we were sponsoring.