Chapter 1

My best friend Summer Woods often made me play the "instant reply game" to test our boyfriends' loyalty.

She said you could tell how much a man loved you by how quickly he replied to you.

During a meal, less than three seconds after she sent the text, her mysterious boyfriend transferred $800 to pay her bill.

I sat there until we finished all the food before I finally received a reply from Cody, which said, "I'm in a meeting."

On a certain rainy day, Summer simply texted, "I forgot to bring an umbrella", and ten minutes later, a luxury car was there to pick her up.

Meanwhile, I stood drenched in the rain for an hour before Cody finally replied, "Just grab a cab."

Summer would poke my head and say, "You're such a fool. You wouldn't even notice if he was cheating on you."

More than once, I defended Cody, "He loves me very much. He's just too busy." Then, I'd cling to her arm and whine playfully, "Besides, I have you~"

During my bachelorette party, we were drugged at a bar.

Summer anxiously took out her phone and said, "Rebecca, I feel bad for you. If he still doesn't show up this time, you should just break up with him."

In despair, I sent a distress message to Cody.

Ten minutes later, he burst in like a madman.

I thought, this time, I'd finally won, but he rushed past me and pulled Summer tightly into his embrace.

"Summer, I'm sorry I'm late."

I watched him carry my bestie away in shock.

It turned out Summer's "mystery boyfriend", who was always there at her beck and call, was none other than my fiancé, Cody Langford.

Chapter 1

A hand was clamping my mouth tightly, so I couldn't make a sound.

By the time it was over, Cody had comforted my best friend and carried her into the private room next door.

Soft gasps and low moans intertwined, seeping through the crack of the door left slightly ajar.

I dragged my torn, wounded body to the doorway.

My hand, which was about to push the door open, paused. A black card was tossed at my feet.

In the darkness, Cody spoke, his voice hoarse, "Waitress, buy me a box of ultra-thin condoms. Hurry."

Numbly, I picked up the card, limped to the front desk, and bought a box of condoms.

I pushed open the room door and placed the box on the table.

"I brought what you asked for."

The two people on the couch, locked in a passionate kiss, suddenly went rigid.

When Cody saw it was me, the lust in his eyes disappeared bit by bit.

"Rebecca... what are you doing here?"

"I sent you a text."

My gaze fell on their intertwined bodies, my voice utterly lifeless.

Cody finally came to his senses. He abruptly pushed Summer away and scrambled to put on his clothes.

In the chaos, I pulled his phone from his pocket and entered my birthday.

The screen lit up.

What greeted my eyes was Summer's chat pinned at the very top.

Next to my profile picture hung a cold "Do Not Disturb" icon. The icon of 99+ unread messages stung my eyes.

I thought he just couldn't be bothered to reply, but it turned out he couldn't even be bothered to read my texts.

Staring at that screen full of blatant favoritism, I forcibly swallowed back all the grievances that had risen to my lips.

Cody grabbed my hand, his voice laced with a rare panic.

"Rebecca, I can explain."

I said nothing and simply stared at his chest.

Cody was a clean freak. He was always restrained and under-control even in sex. He never allowed me to leave any marks on his body.

Once, I accidentally left a love bite on him, and he was so furious he forbade me from being near him for three months.

Yet now, his chest was openly covered with large, suspicious-looking red marks.

Seeing me neither argue nor make a scene, the panic in Cody's eyes intensified. He tried to explain, "Rebecca, Summer was drugged. This is an accident."

Summer leisurely sat up and put on Cody's shirt right in front of me.

She then wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at me with a smile.

"Since you've seen us, there's no point hiding it from you anymore. Let's reintroduce ourselves. This is Cody, my boyfriend."

Cody snapped at her, "Shut up!"

Summer didn't listen. She picked up the box of ultra-thin condoms from the table and let out a chuckle.

"Cody really hasn't touched you much, has he? You don't even know his size. This is way too small for him. Are you trying to torture him?"

"Summer, I said shut up!"

Cody's eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed her throat.

Summer giggled coquettishly and stroked the back of his hand.

"Stop yelling. When you were choking me earlier, you sounded way better than you do now."

"Get lost!"

Cody exploded in anger and flung her out the door.

Then, he turned and grabbed my hand.

"Rebecca, you have to believe me, it was just a moment of weakness..."

Before he could finish, the light from outside finally revealed the blood and grime covering my body.

Cody's pupils constricted sharply, his eyes filled with pain.

"Rebecca, how did you get hurt?"

I evaded his touch, my voice wooden.

"I slipped."

"Wait here, I'll go get a first-aid kit."

Panic-stricken, Cody carefully carried me to the couch and rushed out of the private room.

Some time later, the pain hit me belatedly.

Cody was gone for a long time. Dazed and groggy, I curled up.

Somehow, I accidentally called Cody.

This time, the call connected in less than a second.

Chapter 2

On the other end, Cody's voice was gentle and deep, but he was not talking to me.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, I got a little too emotional just now. Be a good girl and stop moving. Let me apply the medicine."

Summer's coquettish voice followed immediately.

"Why are you here with me? Rebecca is waiting for you."

Cody let out a scoff.

"Rebecca has a good temper. She‘s used to waiting. She's not like you, you little troublemaker."

A wave of nausea surged up, and I abruptly hung up.

The phone screen went completely dark.

I looked at the mess around me and forced out a smile that looked uglier than crying.

Yes, I had always waited for him.

But a rotten relationship could never return to what it was. I no longer wanted to wait for a reply that would never come.

I picked up my phone and calmly dialed a number:

"Hello, I would like to report a crime."

-

The police station's harsh white lights shone upon me, piercingly cold.

A police officer tapped the table.

"This is really serious. Why isn't your family here?"

I opened my mouth, about to say I had no family left, when the door suddenly swung open, and Summer walked in wearing high heels.

"I'm her best friend. I was there too. If you have any questions, you can ask me."

The officer looked at me, covered in blood and dirt, then at Summer with her immaculate makeup.

"You were at the scene too? How come there's not a single scratch on you?"

Summer looked at me, a meaningful smile curling on her lips.

"Because my boyfriend rushed over immediately to rescue me."

The place fell silent.

The officer looked at me with pity.

The draft in the station was very cold, so Summer took off her coat and wrapped it around me. She then bustled about to help me sign papers and fill out forms.

A policewoman passing by handed me a cup of hot water and remarked, "You have a great friend."

Holding the hot water, I watched Summer through the swirling steam.

I remembered when I had a high fever back in college, she ran around just like this, taking care of me. She stayed by my side for two days and two nights.

During the toughest time in my life, I had no money for food after paying tuition, so she shared all her meals with me.

We once vowed to be each other's pillar of support forever.

How did it come to this?

Summer finished dealing with the procedures and came back. She helped me pull up the coat that had slipped off my shoulders like it was the most natural thing to do in the world.

I stared fixedly at her and asked, my voice hoarse, "Why did you do it?"

Summer's hands paused, a flicker of frustration in her eyes, as if she was disappointed in me.

"Rebecca, you were too in love with him. You loved him so much you lost yourself.

"I told you a long time ago, Cody is a sly man and is always surrounded by women. A nice girl like you could never keep him in check.

"As your friend, how could I just stand by and watch you jump into a fire pit? So I tested him for you. He was so easily seduced."

Summer always said Cody's flirtatious eyes were untrustworthy, that he was no good man.

Cody always said Summer had bad intentions and told me not to listen to her too much.

Every time they met, there was conflict and hostility.

I persuaded Cody to be more tolerant of Summer and begged Summer to accept my boyfriend.

Like a fool, I tried to mediate between them.

Summer clearly remembered it too. She laughed so hard she swayed.

"The day you introduced us, I nudged him with the tip of my shoe under the table. Guess what? He reacted instantly. That night, after he dropped you off at home, he came straight to my apartment. Rebecca, you never told me your fiancé was so good in bed."

That day... was my birthday.

My stomach churned in disgust.

Summer looked at my pale face and said slowly, "Oh, and also, every time he takes a long time to reply to you, it's because he's having sex with me. Unfortunately, he can last very long, or you would have received his replies sooner."

"Stop it!"

I covered my ears, trembling uncontrollably.

No wonder. At some point, Cody's attitude toward Summer shifted from "Your friend is so annoying" to "Why didn't Summer come today?"

No wonder his clothes occasionally carried the same scent as Summer's perfume.

Memories overwhelmed me like a tidal wave. All the clues, all the signs, were mocking my foolishness.

Suddenly, Cody called.

Summer leaned close to my ear and whispered with a chuckle, "Would you believe me if I told you that if I send him a text now, he'll hang up on you to come see me without any hesitation even if you tell him you were violated?"

I fell silent. Clinging to a last shred of hope, I spoke, "Cody, I was rap—"

At the same time, Summer opened her chat with Cody and sent a single, lonely dot.

Ding.

A clear notification tone came through the receiver.

The next instant, my call was disconnected without a moment's hesitation.

The cold dial tone pierced through my heart like a dagger.

Immediately after, Summer's phone rang.

A provocative smile played on her lips as she deliberately, unhurriedly, slid to answer.

Looking straight at me, she enunciated every word, "Cody, I'm pregnant."

Chapter 3

Cody burst into the police station, his face alight with joy, and swept Summer into his arms.

His expression was filled with barely containable excitement and happiness.

A long moment passed before he finally noticed me sitting nearby. He guiltily came over and took my hand.

"Rebecca, you heard it too. Summer's pregnant. If I hadn't saved her just now, both she and the baby would have been in danger."

Right after he said that, two police officers walked past, talking amongst themselves.

"Did you hear? Earlier, a girl was violated by a few thugs at a bar. She was brought to the station..."

Cody's expression changed into one of horror. He held Summer even more tightly and turned to me.

"Did you hear that? If I hadn't gotten there in time, that could have been Summer. You're a woman too, so you should understand."

Watching him being so protective of Summer, a bleak, bitter laugh echoed in my heart.

I looked at him expressionlessly and said, my voice hoarse and broken, "Cody, what if I told you... the girl who was violated... was me?"

The air seemed to freeze.

Cody paused, then frowned. Undisguised impatience rose in his eyes.

"Enough, Rebecca! I know you're upset because Summer's pregnant, but to make up a story about being violated purely out of spite… You're being utterly unreasonable!"

Seeing him turn on me so viciously for another woman, I couldn't bear it anymore. I turned and ran away.

But memories of Summer flashed uncontrollably through my mind.

My parents died when I was young. I had long considered Summer my only family in the world.

One time in college, thugs cornered me in an alley. Summer rushed forward with a brick and stood in front of me, refusing to retreat a single step even after her head was cut open.

That day, I held her blood-soaked body and cried until I nearly fainted.

She still managed to smile and comfort me. "Anyone who wants to touch my Rebecca will have to step over my dead body first!"

And now, the person who was once willing to die for me was carrying my fiancé's baby.

A fierce gust of wind hit me in the face.

Without realizing it, I had wandered onto the edge of a rooftop.

"Rebecca!"

Summer's panicked voice came from behind.

She yanked me down hard, her eyes red with urgency.

"Why are you throwing your life away for a scumbag who can't keep it in his pants?! Are you stupid?!"

I looked at her, unable to utter a single word. My heart ached as if it was being sliced apart.

Summer pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a fierce drag.

Then, looking me right in the eye, she said, her voice utterly serious, "Don't worry. Without your permission, I absolutely will not give birth to this baby. I told you, no one is allowed to hurt you except for me."

When I said nothing, Summer threw away her cigarette. Without a shred of hesitation, she bent down, picked up a steel pipe, and smashed it down hard on her own abdomen.

Summer's face turned deathly pale. She collapsed stiffly to her knees clutching her stomach.

"Summer!"

The rooftop door was kicked open.

Cody saw Summer kneeling amidst a pool of blood, as well as the bloodied steel pipe next to my feet.

Eyes blazing with murderous rage, he charged forward and kicked me viciously, sending me flying.

"How dare you hit her?!"

I crashed heavily onto the cement floor. A tearing, agonizing pain erupted from my lower abdomen.

He didn't ask me a single question. He instantly decided I had hurt Summer and struck me with such lethal force without any hesitation.

The pain was so intense my breath carried the taste of blood. I used the very last of my strength to speak.

"Cody, the engagement is off. We're breaking up."

Cody carefully lifted Summer into his arms. The look he threw me was vicious and cruel.

"Stop threatening me with breaking up. I don't have time for your tantrums!"

"This time... it's for real..."

Before I could finish, Summer fainted.

Cody anxiously carried her away and didn't spare me another glance.

I curled up on the floor like a dying fish. Beneath me, a large, shocking pool of crimson spread out.

It was our baby – one we had waited for, for three years – that I hadn't yet had the chance to tell him about.

Chapter 4

I stared vacantly at the hospital ceiling.

Cody sat next to my bed, holding my cold hand, his face full of guilt.

"Rebecca, the baby... we can have another one in the future."

My gaze skimmed past Summer, standing nearby with teary eyes, and landed on him.

My voice was as light as a passing breeze.

"Cody, this is the second baby we've lost."

Cody went rigid.

Three years ago, on a blizzard day, Summer made me play the "instant reply game" to test our boyfriends for the first time.

Ten minutes later, a Maybach pulled up to the curb and whisked Summer away.

I was left in that blizzard, alone. I called Cody dozens of times. Every single call went unanswered.

In the end, I lay unconscious in the freezing weather for an entire night.

When I woke up, I had already miscarried. I didn't even know I was pregnant.

And now, Cody had once again killed our baby with his own hands for my best friend.

Clearly, the two people before me had also recalled that blizzard day. Immense guilt surged in their eyes.

Tears welled up in Summer's eyes. She started hitting her stomach frantically.

"Rebecca, it's all my fault! I'll pay with my life! I'll atone for my sin!"

Cody's expression changed drastically. He immediately pulled her into his arms.

He kissed away her tears, murmuring "It's not your fault" over and over again.

Watching this tragic melodrama play out, there was not a single ripple of emotion in my heart.

I pulled out the IV needle, turned around, and left the hospital room.

Back at the mansion, I calmly packed my things.

I took out the wedding dress that I had spent countless sleepless nights stitching, needle by needle, from deep inside the walk-in closet to throw it away.

Just then, the door opened.

Cody saw the wedding dress on the bed, and the guilt in his eyes deepened.

"Rebecca, I know you're afraid that if Summer gives birth to the baby, it'll threaten your position, but you have nothing to worry about. You'll always be Mrs. Langford. Even if Summer has this child, you will be its legal mother."

He reached out to embrace me as he spoke. I sidestepped, dodging him.

Cody's hands froze in mid-air.

He took a deep breath and patiently coaxed me, "Let's hold the wedding tomorrow. After that, I'll take you to Finland to see the aurora. That should quell your anger, right?"

Wedding. Aurora.

These were promises I had once dreamed of hearing. I never could have imagined that when I finally heard them, my heart would feel nothing.

I received notifications from the court on my phone.

[Ms. Henderson, all three suspects in the sexual assault case have been apprehended. The trial is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m. Please appear in court on time.]

[According to their testimonies, someone else may have orchestrated it.]

Before I could say anything, a sharp ringtone interrupted me.

Cody answered his phone immediately. Then, he grabbed his coat and hurried toward the door.

"Summer's feeling unwell. I need to take her to the hospital for a checkup. Get some rest. I'll come pick you up for the wedding early tomorrow morning."

The door slammed shut.

The words in my throat – "My court case is tomorrow" – stuck there, unsaid.

My lips tugged bitterly. I organized the documents for the case and placed them on a table in the hallway.

-

The next day, a grand wedding procession arrived at the mansion.

Cody, in a crisp suit, walked up to the front door with a broad smile and keyed in my birthday.

"Incorrect password."

The smile on Cody's face froze. A strange feeling of unease rose in his heart.

Next to him, Summer egged him on.

"The bride deliberately changed the password to test you! Our Rebecca is not that easy to marry!"

Cody forced down the growing unease and rammed the door open with force.

When his gaze landed on the table in the hallway, his entire body went rigid.

Behind him, two police officers suddenly approached and addressed Summer.

"Ms. Summer Woods, please come with us...