Chapter 1

After three years of marriage, I finally got pregnant. I called him immediately.

"Ethan, can you come home early tonight? I have some amazing news."

There was a second of silence on the other end.

"Not tonight. Nicole is craving that mango crepe cake. I promised I'd wait in line with her, and we're hiking up to catch the sunrise later."

"Whenever I asked you to watch the sunrise, you said it was a total waste of time."

"Why do you always have to ruin the mood? She’s all alone in this city. I can’t just ignore her."

Right after he hung up, a text from his childhood best friend, Nicole, popped up on my phone.

He’s mine tonight. And I’ll enjoy the sunrise in your place.

I looked down at the pregnancy test in my hand with its two bright pink lines, and laughed bitterly.

Then I texted her back:

He's all yours from now on.

After sending that message, I opened my medical app and booked an abortion procedure for the following morning.

I didn't sleep all night.

I sat alone on the living room couch, watching the sky shift from pitch black to pale gray, and finally into morning light.

Not a single text appeared on my phone.

Ethan was probably too busy—busy watching the sunrise with Nicole.

At eight sharp the next morning, I arrived at the clinic.

I checked in, waited in line, and signed the consent forms.

The nurse reviewed my chart and asked, "Is your family member here with you?"

"He's busy."

She didn't press further and simply handed me a cup of warm water.

The surgical lights were blindingly bright.

The anesthesiologist told me to count backward.

I barely made it to seven before darkness swallowed me.

When I woke up, I was in the recovery room.

I lay there for two hours. Nobody called to ask where I was.

I slowly sat up, put on my coat, and called an Uber home.

It was already two in the afternoon when I walked in.

As soon as I pushed the door open, laughter echoed from the living room.

Ethan and Nicole were curled up on the couch, surrounded by snacks and drinks.

They were huddled over a phone, laughing uncontrollably at their photos.

"Look at this angle! The sunlight hitting the clouds was perfection," Nicole chirped, her voice dripping with sickly sweetness.

Ethan turned his head to look at her, wearing a soft, tender smile I hadn't seen in years.

A smile that used to belong solely to me.

I stood by the entryway taking off my shoes, and neither of them even noticed.

It wasn’t until I walked past them to pour a glass of water that Nicole finally looked up.

Her gaze swept over me and lingered for a second on my face.

Then she beamed.

"Chloe, you're back! Where did you go today? Why do you look so pale?"

Only then did Ethan turn to glance at me, his brows instantly knitting into a frown.

"Where the hell have you been? Couldn't even bother to leave a note or text?"

I didn't answer. I just held my glass and sat down at the dining table.

Nicole piped up again, "Chloe, are you upset with us because we went to watch the sunrise last night?"

My hand froze on the glass.

Ethan's face darkened, and he glared at me.

"Chloe, are you serious right now? It was just a sunrise! Who are you rolling your eyes at?"

I looked up at him.

In his eyes, there was no concern, no guilt—only sheer impatience.

"I didn't roll my eyes."

"Then what’s with the miserable attitude?"

"Nicole rarely has a chance to enjoy herself. Do you really have to be such a buzzkill?"

Nicole gently tugged on Ethan's sleeve.

"Ethan, stop. Chloe’s probably just exhausted today."

At her soft touch, Ethan’s tone immediately softened.

"You're always so considerate."

He stood up and walked to the kitchen, pulling out a takeout box from the fridge.

"By the way, there's one slice of that mango crepe cake left from last night. I saved it for you."

He shoved the box across the table toward me, as if handing down charity.

"Eat up. We waited in line forever for this."

I stared at the slice of cake, the bright yellow mango chunks peeking through the cream.

"I don't want it."

"Why not? I thought you loved sweets."

"I'm severely allergic to mangoes."

The air went still for two seconds.

Ethan froze briefly, but his face quickly hardened again.

Nicole tilted her head, batting her lashes.

"Chloe, actually, a lot of people with fruit allergies only react when the juice touches their skin."

"Ingesting it usually doesn't do anything."

"One of my friends is like that. She gets a rash if she touches it, but she eats it with zero issues."

Hearing that, Ethan instantly nodded.

"See? Nicole knows what she's talking about. You're just being dramatic and using allergies as an excuse."

"It's just a slice of cake. What could possibly happen?"