Turning around, Alvin looked at me, his deep eyes filled with surprise, which quickly shifted to frustrated anger. “Zoe, you can be reckless at times, but with Thea… she-


    “I’m your fiancée,” I cut him off. Saying those words made me feel so small.


    I used to watch scenes like this on TV and thought the female lead was pathetic for wasting her breath on a man like that. Now, in my own shoes, I finally understood the feeling.


    “Thea is pregnant. She can’t afford to be in danger!” Alvin said, stepping back.


    A few stepster, he turned and rushed outside. In the end, he chose her over me.


    Sitting there, I watched him catch up to Thea, saw him pull her close, and then watched her grab onto his shirt and bury her face in his chest.


    I couldn’t watch any longer. Whether or not something had happened between them didn’t matter-his choice that day gave my heart, which had been wavering, a final answer. I barely touched my meal and ended up paying 1000 dors for it.


    I didn’t go back to the Dolton family. Instead, I went to Jasmine’s ce.


    “Are you really going to break up with him?” Jasmine, a gynecologist who was an expert in acupressure, helped ease my cramps, but she couldn’t fix what was broken in my heart.


    “Yeah.” Iy on her bed, my eyes red at the corners, where she couldn’t see.


    “You and him… breaking up might not be as simple as you think.” Jasmine paused before adding, “Don’t forget, you’re still working for Alvin.”


    “I’ll quit,” I said firmly. I’d already thought this through on the way over.


    Jasmine nodded. “Okay, fine. But even if you quit working for Alvin, what about the Dolton family? They’ve supported you all these years. You can’t just cut ties with them because of a breakup.


    “As long as you’re still tied to the Dolton family, you’ll never fully cut ties with him.”


    Her words hit home. I did owe the Dolton family a lot-ten years of support, to be exact.


    “I’ll handle it. I’ll talk to Michelle. I can still be like a goddaughter to her,” I said, my mind made up.


    Jasmine didn’t push me further. She just said, “Whatever you decide, I’m here for you.”


    That night, I turned off my phone and fell asleep, not dwelling on the past. When I woke up, Jasmine had already made


    breakfast.


    “Eat some cereal. It’s good for your energy,” Jasmine said, ncing at my face. “Drink up.”


    I didn’t want to let her down, so I drank two bowls and even had two eggs.


    Jasmine had an early shift, and I had to go to work too. So we went downstairs together. But just as we reached the lobby, we saw Alvin leaning against his car, holding a bouquet of white roses.


    “Looks like the apology is here.” Jasmine nudged me and walked ahead.


    As we passed him, she added, “Be careful, Mr. Dolton. Women can suffer from heavy bleeding during their period. Do you


    know that?”


    Jasmine didn’t wait for his response, and Alvin started walking toward me.


    “I’m sorry aboutst night,” he said, handing me the flowers.


    I didn’t take them. “Alvin, we’re breaking up.”


    Since I’d said it the night before, I wasn’t going to take it back just because of one gesture.


    His face stiffened slightly. “In the situationst night, I was worried about her. You know that Benjamin is his parents’ only child. The baby in Thea’s belly is the Mills family’s only hope. If anything happened…”


    He didn’t finish his sentence, but I understood.


    “So, from now on, everything to do with her will always be your priority, right?” I asked coldly.


    Alvin paused for a moment, then answered, “Once the baby is born, things will calm down.”


    I gave a bitter smile. As I turned, the rising sun hit my eyes, stinging with its brightness.


    I looked at him. “Alvin, even after the baby’s born, there will still be problems. The baby might get sick, there might be idents.


    “As long as you keep using that baby as an excuse, you and Thea will always be tied together, and I’ll always be the one you leave behind.”


    Alvin went quiet.


    I made my stance clear. “Alvin, if we get married, I don’t want my husband spending all his time taking care of another


    woman.”


    “Zoe, just give me some time. I’ll sort this out,” Alvin said, his eyes showing signs of conflict.


    “Sort it out?” I scoffed. “She’s someone else’s wife. Even if you want to take care of her, it shouldn’t be like this… And…” I hesitated. “Benjamin had other brothers, right? Oscar, and a few others. Why is it only you who’s so invested?”


    Alvin’s expression shifted, his voice suddenly firm. “Because I’m the only one left by Benjamin’s side after his ident.”


    Hearing the pain in his voice, thinking about the guilt and self-me he must feel over Benjamin’s death, I asked softly, “Alvin, did you do something to wrong Benjamin?”


    “Zoe,” he called my name sharply, his tone icy. “Do you really want to dig into this?”


    “Yes,” I said without hesitation. “Because it’s affecting me now.”


    I pressed my lips together. “Alvin, if you care so much about brotherhood and want to look after your brother’s widow, then let’s break up.


    “That way, you won’t have to choose between me and Thea anymore. Besides… you’re clearly not interested in me. So why keep forcing this?”


    As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized just how deeply his words had hurt me that day.


    “Zoe!” Alvin’s anger broke through. After a moment, he coldly asked, “Break up? Are you sure?”


    “Yes, I’m sure,” I said firmly.


    (