Chapter 1 Chapter 1

I stood on a flight of steps leading to an old settlement as it rained on me. I watched silently as Benjamin Gray, my fiancé, stood before Jennifer Robinson, who wore a wedding gown. Per local custom, he leaned close and passed her a heart-shaped pendant that he was biting. She shyly caught it with her mouth. Before she could do anything else, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. The friends and family surrounding them cheered and whooped at the sight. The kiss went on for close to ten minutes. Jennifer almost couldn't stand up when it ended, and Benjamin panted as he pulled away from her. The fall breeze lifted the chiffon curtains that framed the entrance to the old settlement. Only then did I see that my friends and family were also present. My brother, Hector Monroe, who I'd once protected with my life, was even the host of the wedding. He wore local traditional robes, and all he could see was Jennifer, who was actually our stepsister. He'd long since forgotten that Jennifer and her mother, Lisa Stone, had once tried to kill us by sending us to a so-called correctional facility. "Let us wish Benjamin and Jennifer all the happiness in the world and a wonderful life together!" he cried. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the villagers watching the ceremony set off fireworks that had been prepared beforehand. As the fireworks exploded in the sky, filling it with color, Benjamin lifted Jennifer into his arms bridal-style. This sight made Hector's excitement peak. He shouted, "The ceremony is complete. Let us watch as the happy couple enter their room to consummate the marriage!" A suffocating loneliness washed over me as I watched everything play out. It deafened me to the noise and celebrations before me. I pulled out my phone and called Hector. He'd once swore he would always be on my side, but he rejected my call after glancing at the caller ID. I didn't stop there. I called Benjamin next. His expression turned frosty when he saw the caller ID. He wanted to reject the call but impatiently answered after Jennifer said something to him. I asked softly, "Where are you?" He snorted. Then, as everyone watched, he snarled, "Are you checking up on me again? Can't you settle down now that you're pregnant? Are you that desperate for someone to love you, Samantha? Will you die without a man by your side? "I've already told you that Jennifer and I are at this old settlement because our museum discovered an ancient tomb! Only a revolting woman with a mind as dirty as yours would constantly mistake our professionalism for us having an affair behind your back!" His nasty words suffocated me and made me choke up, but I still spoke up due to a lingering remnant of my love for him. "But it's my birthday today…" Benjamin had once promised me he would celebrate my birthday with me, no matter what happened. That was why I'd made the difficult journey to reach him despite him being thousands of miles from me. I'd taken countless forms of transport and walked miles, suppressing my fear while passing through a forest to get to him. However, all I'd gotten in return was a local telling me there wasn't any ancient tomb in the vicinity. All there was was a professor by the surname of Gray preparing for a traditional wedding at the old settlement with his lover. The preparations had started half a year ago.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

My words seemed to remind Benjamin of his promise. He fell silent for a brief moment. He wanted to say something when Hector snatched the phone from him. "Stop being so pathetic, Samantha! Do you think everyone loves competing with other women as you do? You'd better stop trying to cause trouble. "Can you bear the consequences of keeping Benjamin and the others from their work? Stop doing stupid things and expecting others to clean up after you!" He hung up after that. Jennifer leaned into Benjamin's embrace and rubbed Hector's head affectionately. She said dotingly, "Alright, that's enough. You guys know what Samantha is like, so don't be mad. Today's the most important day of my life. Be happy for me." That was enough to appease Hector. Then, everyone proceeded to the room where Benjamin and Jennifer would spend their wedding night. The festivities were over. I was left standing alone in the darkness of the night like a clown that no one cared about. I made an appointment for an abortion on my phone. Then, I turned to leave. I'd spent the past 15 years trying and failing to win Benjamin's heart. If that was the case, I didn't want it anymore. It was late at night when I returned to the nearest town. I got a room at a hotel and drifted off into a restless sleep. In the wee hours of the morning, I was jolted awake by the ringing of my phone. My superior at the TV station sounded anxious yet excited. "I heard a 5.3-degree earthquake happened at the old settlement near your location. You need to head there immediately to get the latest scoop!" He hung up without waiting for me to respond. I found the situation mocking. If I'd known this would happen, I never would've come. Still, I got out of bed, feeling resigned. When I unlocked my phone to check the latest news, I saw Jennifer had updated her social media with a photo. It showed her hand in Benjamin's, and they wore matching rings. I looked at the faint scar on the back of Benjamin's hand. My heart was dead, but it still ached at the sight of that scar. He'd gotten it after being stabbed by a broken beer bottle when trying to protect me from my abusive father when I was 18. I'd always believed it was proof of him caring about me, but everything had turned out to just be a figment of my imagination. The remnants of my love for him dissipated when I saw the photo. I turned on my laptop and hurriedly compiled questions for interviews. Then, I contacted a friend who was a lawyer and had him draw up a divorce agreement for me. … When I returned to the old settlement, it was in a mess. I set aside my personal matters and started contacting rescue services on behalf of the injured. My heart was heavy when I saw the damage. For some reason, the earthquake's aftereffects seemed particularly severe in this area. I looked at the detonators that had been laid around the old settlement to carve out a new path, and a sense of unease rose within me. That was when someone suddenly kicked me hard from behind. I was caught off guard and fell to the ground, landing on the debris from the earthquake. My face and hands were cut and scratched from the fall. Hector's voice rang out behind me. He sounded furious as he snarled, "Are you a stalker or something? I can't believe you came all the way here to try to catch Benjamin and Jennifer red-handed! What's wrong with you?" I didn't know when this had happened, but he seemed to have forgotten what our mother had looked like after Lisa had forced her to her death. Now, he was nothing more than Jennifer's lapdog. If this was what my brother was going to be like, I didn't want him anymore! I silently got up and dusted myself off. Then, I approached him, my face devoid of emotion. I slapped him hard. His head turned to the side from the force. He turned back to stare at me in disbelief, not expecting me to retaliate. Before he could say or do anything, I said in disgust, "Stop thinking you guys are worth my time and effort. Since you adore Jennifer so much, you can spend the rest of your life being her dog. That slap was for what you did to me. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." I ignored his angry look and turned away to continue interviewing the earthquake victims. In the distance, Benjamin approached with a pale-looking Jennifer in his arms. A trace of diffidence flashed in his eyes as he said, "I forgot to wish you a happy birthday yesterday, Sammy. I'll head home once the excavation works here are done, and we can celebrate then."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I calmly looked away from Benjamin's and Jennifer's interlaced hands and shook my head. "No, that's not necessary." This caught them and Hector off guard. Hector snorted and asked, "What's with the act, Samantha? Save it for someone who cares. You've fawned over Benjamin to the point that you've gotten yourself knocked up, yet you still want to play hard to get. "Don't you see how ridiculous that is? Even if you're pregnant with Benjamin's child, you still can't hold a candle to Jennifer! You're beneath her!" He was still the same as always and couldn't grasp the situation. Benjamin got mad when he saw how indifferent I looked. He scowled and snapped, "I can overlook stalking me and disrupting my work, Samantha. But how can you come all the way here to throw a tantrum? "My patience is limited. Jennifer's condition requires her to have peace and quiet so she can recuperate—your presence is only going to affect her mood. Get the hell out of here and go home now!" He reached out to grab me, wanting to force me to leave. Suddenly, there was a tremor. Benjamin and Hector immediately ran to Jennifer, who stood in an open space. Benjamin even shoved me to the ground despite seeing the concrete pillar that was about to collapse behind me. It landed on my left leg, and I passed out from the overwhelming pain. When I woke up again, I was in the hospital with my left leg in a cast. None of my family or friends were by my side. When a nurse saw that I was awake, she came to remove my IV drip. She sounded concerned as she said, "You're lucky a broken leg is all you have. You would've lost your child if the pillar had landed on your belly." I looked at the ceiling calmly and said softly, "I don't need to keep the child. Could you arrange for me to have an abortion, please?" I only learned that the village head was the one who'd taken me to the hospital after the nurse wheeled me out of the hospital ward. Benjamin had only sent me a short message. "Your broken leg scared Jennifer, so I've brought her back to Riverton City." He and Hector had then requested for an emergency rescue helicopter to take them and Jennifer back to Riverton City. He couldn't care less about my injury. I was already used to the constant ache in my heart, but the pain still suffocated me. … My abortion was scheduled to start in three hours. During that time, my lawyer and I finalized the divorce agreement. After quitting the conversation with him, I saw several messages in the group chat I shared with my family. My father, Hector, and Benjamin had shared the transaction slips of the money they'd transferred to Jennifer's account. I curled my lip mockingly while looking at the birds that flew past my window. It turned out everyone remembered Jennifer's birthday despite forgetting mine. My father, Frank Monroe, shared his transaction slip. He also wrote, "Happy birthday to my darling Jennifer!" Hector wrote, "I hope you'll always be happy, Jennifer!" Benjamin wrote, "No matter what happens in the future, Jennifer Robinson is the only woman I'll ever love." I silently read their messages before exiting the group. Benjamin called me almost immediately and snarled, "What the hell are you up to, Samantha? You just can't stand us being nice to Jennifer, can you? When we were in high school, you claimed she and her mother caused your mother's death, but how did that turn out? "Frank already told me the truth ages ago—your mother took her own life because she was insane! But that wasn't enough for you. You even made up lies about Lisa tricking you and Hector into some correctional facility!" He didn't conceal the contempt and disgust in his tone as he continued, "I've already had someone investigate the matter. That so-called correctional facility doesn't even exist! "Hector told me you tricked him into going to an abandoned school, leading to him knocking his head there and losing his memory. Jennifer was the one who cared for him for a whole month after he was injured!" Benjamin seemed to have finally found an avenue for him to vent his anger and continued to berate me. "I never wanted to marry you. If not for Jennifer being kind enough to worry that you would do something stupid, I would never have gone to the hotel that night and drank the drink you laced. We would never—" I was silently listening to his rant when a robotic voice suddenly interrupted him. "Ms. Samantha Monroe, please head to the abortion procedure room." Benjamin abruptly stopped. His breathing sped up, and he asked, "Are you getting an abortion?" For some reason, I detected a hint of disbelief in his words. I was about to speak when I heard Jennifer chuckle on the other end of the line. "You're being silly, Benjamin. How could Sammy bear to get an abortion when you and the child mean so much to her?" Benjamin's tone turned frosty at her words. "You're right. Samantha, you've really disappointed me. I can't believe you've turned out to be so evil when you and Jennifer share the same father. You used unscrupulous methods to make me marry you, and now you're trying to threaten me with the child. "I'm not falling for your tricks this time. We can just get a divorce if you continue like this!" He fell silent after that, seemingly waiting for me to cry and beg him for forgiveness. Unfortunately for him, I merely heaved a sigh of relief after a brief silence. "Alright, then. Let's meet at the courthouse in a couple of days." I hung up and headed into the abortion procedure room.