They were, after all, husband and wife. And not long after their marriage, Hailey Tang found herself pregnant.
The moment the doctor confirmed the news, Hailey's heart soared. She felt like she had been handed the entire universe.
To her, this child was more than just a baby—it was hope.
Hope that Ethan Yu, the man who had always looked at her with disdain, would finally look at her differently.
Hope that their relationship, which had long been plagued by cold wars and misunderstandings, might finally warm with this spark of new life.
Hope that maybe, just maybe, she would finally receive the love she had chased for so long.
Without even waiting to process her emotions, she rushed to Dongfang Corporation's headquarters. She wanted to be the first to tell Ethan. She imagined his reaction a thousand times in her head—his surprise, his awkward joy, the way his cold façade might crack just a little at the edges.
But what she found instead was an empty office. Ethan was out.
And in his place stood Lin Xin'er—his ever-loyal, ever-silent chief secretary.
Hailey had never liked Lin Xin'er. There was something too perfect about her, too composed, too obedient. She never fought back, never showed emotion. It made her feel like she was screaming into a void every time she tried to assert herself.
But today, Hailey was on cloud nine. And like a fool, she couldn't resist gloating.
"I'm pregnant," she blurted with a proud smirk. "With Ethan's child."
For a split second, Lin Xin'er's expression faltered, but she quickly masked it with her usual polite blankness.
Hailey, foolishly mistaking that silence for defeat, grew bolder.
"You might as well stop dreaming about him now," she said with venom-laced sweetness. "Whatever fantasy you've been clinging to—give it up. Ethan and I… we're going to be a real family now. His parents have been praying for a grandchild. Once they know I'm carrying their first one, you won't stand a chance. You're just a secretary, Lin Xin'er. Know your place."
Lin Xin'er said nothing.
That silence, again, infuriated Hailey. She took out her phone, deliberately calling Ethan right in front of her.
"Ethan, I have something really important to tell you," she chirped. "Can we meet tonight? Just the two of us?"
And when he agreed, she flashed Lin Xin'er a victorious smile. "He said yes. I'll tell him the news tonight. I can't wait to see his face."
This time, Lin Xin'er's expression cracked.
Exactly what Hailey had hoped for.
Feeling triumphant, Hailey turned on her heel and left the office, already imagining the happy future she was about to build—finally, a life where she wasn't just chasing Ethan's shadow, but standing beside him, loved and cherished.
But fate was cruel.
On the way to meet Ethan that night, Hailey's world came crashing down.
She was driving through a quiet intersection when a man suddenly stumbled into the road. She slammed the brakes, heart pounding, thinking she had hit someone.
Panicked, she jumped out of the car, only for the man to suddenly pull out a knife.
A mugger.
"Give me your wallet. Your bag. Everything," he barked.
Shaking, she handed over what he asked for, her only thought being to protect the tiny life growing inside her.
But the mugger wasn't satisfied.
His eyes gleamed with something far more sinister than greed.
He lunged at her.
"No—don't touch me!" Hailey screamed, struggling violently.
The man growled and, in the scuffle, delivered a savage kick—right to her stomach.
Pain. Blinding, white-hot pain.
She collapsed to the ground, blood already soaking through her skirt.
And in that single, cruel moment—her baby, her hope, was gone.
She was rushed to the hospital.
It was too late.
She had miscarried.
When she woke up, the world felt cold. Too bright. Too sterile.
And Ethan wasn't there.
But Lin Xin'er was.
Of all the faces Hailey didn't want to see, hers was at the top of the list.
She lost control.
"You did this!" she shrieked. "You knew where I was going—you're the only one who knew! You sent that man to kill my baby!"
Lin Xin'er stood frozen, pale and stunned. "I didn't—Hailey, I would never—"
"Liar!" Hailey cried. "You've wanted him for years! And when I got pregnant, you couldn't stand it! So you got rid of the baby!"
The accusation was as vicious as it was heartbroken.
But Ethan… Ethan didn't believe her.
"Hailey, calm down," he said. "You're grieving. You're upset. But Xin'er would never—"
"You think I'm making this up?" she snapped. "You think I'm some hysterical woman who lost her baby and just needs someone to blame?"
"I think you're in pain," Ethan said, cold and distant. "And you're lashing out."
Hailey looked at him and felt something inside her snap.
He didn't believe her.
He was defending her.
The other woman.
The woman she had warned him about for years.
In a fit of fury, she grabbed the fruit knife from the tray by her bedside and slashed it across Lin Xin'er's arm.
Blood dripped onto the white tiles.
Everyone screamed.
It was only a shallow wound, but it was enough to cause chaos.
Enough for Ethan to shout her name in fury. Enough for security to be called.
He didn't press charges.
Maybe out of guilt. Maybe out of pity.
But from that moment on, something changed in Hailey.
Something broke.
The woman who had once believed in love—even a toxic, painful love—began to disappear.
She no longer smiled at Ethan's rare tenderness.
She stopped trying to win his affection.
Because she finally understood:
He had never truly loved her.
Not in the way she had loved him. Not in the way she had sacrificed for him.
And when she had finally had something of his to hold onto—a child, a future—fate, and perhaps someone far more human, had taken it away from her.
From that moment on, Hailey Tang wasn't the same.
She no longer begged for his attention.
She no longer cried for his love.
She had loved Ethan Yu with everything she had.
And now… she had nothing left to give.