Chapter 1 Chapter 1

My younger sister and I were married on the same day. I was married to Soren Doyle, a fire captain, and Juliet was married to Zach Lennon, who worked as a cop. As our husbands were childhood friends, we decided to buy neighboring apartments in the same unit. Not long after the wedding, Juliet and I got pregnant. Ten days away from my due date, a fire broke out in my apartment. My place was filled with heavy smoke. The smoke triggered my contractions, and blood trickled down my legs. I could feel myself slowly losing consciousness. After some fumbling, I managed to reach my husband on the phone, only to be yelled at in annoyance. "What's wrong with you, Eliza?" Soren snapped at me. "Why did you have to call me when I'm on duty? Did you know Jenna was tied on the rooftop by the suspect? Her life is literally hanging by a thread! You always cause so much trouble!" He hung up without giving me a chance to explain myself. I tried to call again, but he had turned off his phone. Just when I thought I was close to dying, it was Juliet who ran into the fire and carried me to safety on her back. However, she suffered symptoms of miscarriage after rescuing me. The security guard told me that they suspected the fire was an act of arson, as the wires in the electrical room were deliberately cut into half. After the harrowing incident, Juliet hurriedly called up her husband. Just like me, she was being scolded by Zach. "What's wrong with you and your sister? Can you stop disturbing me at work when we're working hard on arresting Jenna's abductor? Soren and I must have been fools to have married you and Eliza!" With that, Zach hung up on her. My baby didn't make it. I gave birth to a stillborn on my way to the hospital. Tragically, Juliet suffered a miscarriage as well. We hugged each other, wailing and weeping, as we came to the decision to divorce our husbands. … My body was weak and in pain. I trembled—my forehead dripped with sweat, and I was breathing heavily—from even the simple act of dialing a number from my phone. "What is it this time?" Soren finally picked up after my fifth time calling him. "Do you want me to yell at you again?" In the background, I heard a woman weeping pitifully. Oh, that must be Jenna McLeish. I laughed, feeling sorry for my foolish self. "Let's get a divorce. You and Jenna have my blessing." Soren was taken aback. There was a slight pause before he bellowed, "Eliza Kent, go fly a kite if you have too much time on your hands! I told you many times that Jenna and I are just friends! "She also suffers from a fear of heights, and she's now on the rooftop on the 24th floor! Do you get how serious it is? This is a life-and-death situation! "Stop overreacting whenever you hear Jenna's name! This is my final warning—I'll leave you if you keep making a scene. I don't care if you're pregnant!" When Soren hung up on me, my tears fell onto the phone screen.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

I had once dreamed of a blissful marriage. Yet, Soren cared more about Jenna's fear of heights than the asthma I developed in my pregnancy. I could barely breathe in the suffocating smoke and dropped my phone a few times. My yellow maxi dress was drenched in blood from my contractions. But Soren didn't pick up my calls. Just when I was about to faint, he finally answered. "Soren, my stomach… It hurts… S-Save me…" My voice was frail and punctured with short gasps, but all I could hear from the other end was Jenna's tearful cries. "Soren! It's too dangerous up here! I'm begging you. Don't save me!" My heart sank when I heard Jenna's voice. As the flames licked the apartment, Soren didn't hesitate to yell at me, "What hurts? You complain about the pain all the time! You make it look like you have a more difficult pregnancy than everyone else." He added, "You're not a princess, so stop acting like one. I'm going on my mission now. Stop calling me!" Little did he know that I lost consciousness a few times when he spoke to me. Voice hoarse, I still yelled into the phone, "No! I'm bleeding…" Suddenly, I heard Jenna's piercing scream from the other end. "Soren, I'm scared!" Soren's patience had worn thin. He barked, "That means you're in labor! I'm sure you don't need me to teach you about that! "Why did you have to call me when I'm on duty? Jenna's now tied on the rooftop by her abductor. She's fighting for her life! "You're always so dramatic. Just call a doctor for help. I'm not your midwife!" I had lost all my strength listening to his rant. I dropped the phone to the floor and closed my eyes as tears of despair stained my cheeks. Quietly, I waited for the grim reaper to arrive. But Juliet showed up at the last minute. Five months pregnant, she covered my face with a wet towel and carried me down 13 flights of stairs. However, she held her belly and grimaced after she placed me on the floor. … Unlike me, Juliet had lost her child to an emergency abortion. "Elsie, I'm in so much pain…" Juliet was resting in the bed next to mine. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks. Her eyes had lost their sparkle. She murmured, "I'm not just in pain. I'm heartbroken too." Her words were gut-wrenching. I couldn't think of how to comfort her because I overheard Zach's voice in the background of my phone call with Soren. From the sounds of it, he was gently comforting Jenna. How ridiculous! Juliet and I thought we married for love, but our husbands made a joke out of us! At that moment, Juliet received a call from Zach. He snapped at her, "Is this what they call baby brain? I told you many times to stay away from that vicious sister of yours! You're not listening, are you?" Zach further explained, "Jenna was involved in a scary and mysterious abduction. If Soren made a mistake in the rescue mission, she would have fallen off the building! "Eliza knew that, and that's why she timed her call to when Soren was rescuing Jenna, hoping that Jenna would fall to her death! "You're going to be like Eliza if you hang out with her all the time. One day, if you get into serious trouble, I promise I'm gonna arrest the both of you and give you the worst sentence possible!" He immediately hung up on Juliet after chastising her. She didn't have a chance to explain herself before he blocked her number. "Elsie, why is this happening to me?" Juliet asked. "Even if he had some misunderstanding about me, he should have asked me about our baby! He hasn't been home for a month now…" She sobbed as she gently placed a hand on her belly. Soon, her oxygen mask misted over. Her short breaths felt like a stab to my heart. "I'm sorry, Jules. It's all my fault…" I covered my face in regret as I sobbed uncontrollably.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Juliet and I relied on each other for strength as our parents passed away when we were young. We took care of each other; she was precious to me, and it would hurt me to see her in any form of pain. I couldn't believe that I dragged her into the mess due to my poor judgment of character. It was one thing for me to marry Soren, but I shouldn't have introduced Zach to my sister. They wouldn't have gotten married if it weren't for me. At the end of the day, we gave our all to our husbands. We even went through the challenges of pregnancy, only to be manipulated by Soren and Zach as they vied for Jenna's attention! Juliet let out a sudden snicker as her sobs grew heavier. I looked up and saw her raising her phone for me to see. She showed me a photo of a topless Soren with a rope tied around his waist. Jenna rested in his arms as they were lowered to the ground. And Zach, dressed in a police uniform, rushed over to them. The photo was really dramatic. Caught in the middle of two handsome men, Jenna looked like a frightened princess being saved by her knights in shining armor. The photo was from the tweet Jenna just posted. She even added a rather suggestive caption, "If I had to choose again, should I pick the firefighter or the cop?" Comments flooded into her tweet. "I want to eat my cake and have it too!""Oh, just kill me! I could make up an entire Wattpad story just from the caption alone!""I need the three of them married right away!" I flashed a bitter and painful smile when I noticed the rings on Jenna's necklace. Her rings and Soren and Zach's wedding rings were couple rings. "I thought all four of us shared the exact same rings as a testament to our relationships. But Jules, your ring and mine are the men's style.""Elsie, that's ridiculous!" Juliet started crying again, her voice trembling in pain. I struggled to get up and took her phone away. Then, I gently patted her on the back to soothe her, just like I did when we were younger. "Oh, Jules. Let's forget about this for now. We have to get better, first and foremost. We should put a stop to our losses before it's too late." I choked a sob as I comforted Juliet. It was so unfair. Before Juliet and I were married, we were unaware of Jenna's existence. Yet, we had to suffer because of her. She and our husbands had made us the audience to their flirting! … "Elsie, just how much do they resent us? They're avoiding us like the plague," Juliet lamented self-deprecatingly. After a few days of rest, she looked more energetic. However, she soon began to tear up. I lovingly caressed her hair and said to her, my voice choking up, "Don't you worry. I'll think of a way to get us both out of here. We'll live our lives freely, never dating, never marrying, and never getting pregnant again…" After some deliberation, I believed that hiring an attorney was the easiest way to handle the issue. Soren and Zach would definitely understand that Juliet and I were serious about the divorce. We were determined to see it through. They wouldn't dismiss it and thought we were just kicking up a fuss. But the attorney called me to vent. "Ms. Kent, I cannot take on you and your sister's cases! What kind of men did you marry? "They're basically hooligans who broke the chairs when they heard your names! Gangsters like them shouldn't be working as public servants. I've refunded the attorney fees. I'm sorry I can't help you two!" With that, the divorce attorney hung up on me. At the same time, I received a call from Soren, who had unblocked me. "Eliza, can you be normal for once? I blocked you for a good reason. If all women were as jealous as you and Juliet, it would be disastrous! "How dare you get a divorce attorney to show up at my workplace and Zach's office to make a scene? We're so unlucky to marry you and your sister!" Once again, he hurled humiliating insults at me. Gritting my teeth, I let out an angry scoff. That seemed to have set him off. He barked, "What are you laughing at? I will divorce you even when you're pregnant!"

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

"Why did you think I called up a divorce attorney?" Eyes closed, I took a deep breath. "Soren Doyle, I am serious about the divorce. You're the one who takes me for granted, thinking that I'll only follow you for the rest of my life. "By the way, send this message to Zach too. Meet us at the courthouse this afternoon." I was met with a long silence, but I couldn't be bothered as long as I managed to get my point across. Right as I was about to hang up, Soren bellowed, "Eliza, are you dead set on stirring up trouble? "How many times do I have to explain myself? I'm just doing my job! Jenna is so traumatized that she can't sleep. Am I wrong for spending two days by her side as a friend?" Then, I heard Jenna's weak sobs in the background. "Soren, you and Zach should leave. I'm fine alone… Eliza and Juliet are pregnant, after all. I'll forever blame myself if something happens to them, and I'll feel too guilty to meet with you again." Soren replied impatiently, "Don't listen to Eliza's nonsense. Jenna, just have a good rest and cheer up. Leave the rest to Zach and me. I'll go home to Eliza when she's in labor. "She's been complaining about some bleeding, but she's just fine. I'm so annoyed by her dramatics. She's embarrassing me!" Oh, was I truly fine? I flashed a wry smile as the color drained from my face. I quickly ended the call. Meanwhile, Juliet had overheard my conversation with Soren. "Elsie, just cry if you need to." Tears streamed down her face as she gave me a light hug. "You'll feel better after you let it all out." She added, "We'll look to the future. They will never get to look down on us! After we divorce them, I'll go on a trip with you!" "Sounds good." We wiped away each other's tears with bitter smiles. Soon after, Jenna tweeted again. She posted a photo of Soren cooking in the kitchen and Zach serving the food. Zach didn't tuck in his shirt like he used to, and his unbuttoned shirt exposed a large area of his chest filled with hickeys. It was as though he wanted to show it off to the whole world. "Did the three of them…" Juliet looked shell-shocked and disgusted, and she did in fact puke after that. I also felt appalled by their behavior. They had no shame; driven by animalistic lust, they could mate with anyone at any time as long as they felt the urge. Soon after, Juliet's phone rang with a call from Zach. "Juliet Kent, you have ten minutes to look up the emancipation form online and print it out," he barked out the order, as if Juliet was one of his suspects. "Fill it up and take a photo for me. You need to promise you'll never get in touch with that dumb and evil sister of yours. Got it?" He added, "I would have slapped you if you weren't pregnant!" Juliet nearly smashed her phone in anger. Zach, who didn't receive a response, yelled even louder, "Did you hear me? Are you deaf or what? Speak!" "Buzz off! You and Soren Doyle have no shame!" I snatched the phone from Juliet and hurled curses at him. "You like groveling at Jenna's feet, don't you? Get a divorce, then! You could do anything you want with Jenna and Soren. No one will care, even if you bang each other to death!" Then, I hung up and blocked Zach's number on Juliet's phone. Ugh! I had been too nice to these sleazeballs!

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Juliet laughed through her tears. "Elsie, you looked really cool just now when you cursed them out." I teased her, "I'll look even cooler when I shave my hair off after the divorce." Then, I held her hand and went to the nurse station to fill in the discharge forms. I even planned to find a place to live and get it ready for both of us. After that, I would get my hair styled along with Juliet to embrace our post-divorce freedom in our best forms. However, we were rudely shoved away by someone near the nurse station. "Nurse, call a doctor! She's taken a lot of sleeping pills!" We were shocked to find Zach carrying Jenna in his arms. Her eyes were tightly shut. The nurse immediately attended to Zach as he was in his police uniform. Following that, Soren hurried after them with a panicked expression. He briefly paused when he saw me before taking it out on me. "Eliza, I never thought you were capable of such evil! I'll hold you responsible if anything bad happens to Jenna today!" After threatening me, he rushed toward the emergency room. I snorted at his empty threat, but Juliet trembled in rage. She hissed, "Those two animals! I'll bet with my life that Jenna McLeish will not die today." This wasn't Jenna's first attempt at such acts, but Soren and Zach took the bait every time. "Juliet Kent!" After Zach sent Jenna to the emergency room, he marched toward Juliet. "Didn't I warn you not to be around your sister? You're doing this on purpose to get on my nerves, aren't you? Look at what you've both done to Jenna!" He slapped Juliet without warning, causing her to fall hard. As her forehead hit the corner of the wall and started to bleed, she fainted. "Zach Lennon, what are you doing?" My mind went blank, and I grabbed his collar. "You can't just hit your wife over your first love—not even when you're a cop!" My accusation immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers. "What bullshit is that? I know you're pregnant, but you shouldn't think that—" Zach was about to push me away in anger when he noticed my visibly slimmer belly and paused. Soren came over after he paid for Jenna's hospital fees, oblivious to my physical changes. "Look at what you've done!" He flung a parcel at my head. Though it wasn't heavy, the impact made me dizzy for a while. At that moment, Soren looked like a stranger to me. Papers fell out of it and scattered all over the floor. I saw the words on those papers—assembled with cuttings from various newspapers. "Call girl!""Go to hell!""Shameless tart! You'll get run over one day!" Those were a few examples of those messages. Soren yelled at me, "I told you I was just doing my job to save Jenna's life! I spent two days by her side as a friend! How could you shame and insult her over nothing? Huh?" He grabbed my hair and yanked it backward, forcing me to look him in the eye. His expression became wild. "Eliza, I really feel like strangling you right now.""I didn't do it! Soren, are you dumb? I don't even know her address!" But Soren didn't hesitate to pin the blame on me. I lost control of my temper from the pain. I flung the hospital report on his face before clawing him, leaving behind some bloodied scratch marks. "Bring it on! Let's die together! You're a total loser if you don't kill me today!" Triggered, Soren grabbed my neck. "You—""Soren!" Zach hurried over to stop him and showed him the report I had thrown away. Feeling conflicted, he revealed, "The baby… Both of us lost our babies…"