Chapter 7

That brief moment of clarity saved my life, and yet, it also shattered it.

I turned and threw the pregnancy test into the ocean.

Then, I went to the clinic and had an abortion.

I had to leave him.

Even if I wasn't Isabelle, even if I didn't possess her unique beauty,

I wouldn't willingly be a pawn in his spiteful games.

I had my dignity.

That day, I went to the clinic alone, had the abortion alone, and left the clinic alone.

Dragging my weak, exhausted body back to the resort we were staying at to pack my bags.

When Marcus learned I wanted to leave him, he went ballistic, snatching my things and throwing them aside.

He gripped my hand tightly, so hard.

"What's wrong? What don't you like about me? Just tell me!"

It was the first time I'd seen him so furious.

His anger usually simmered, a cold, silent threat that sent shivers down your spine without a single word.

But that time, when I said I was leaving, his fury erupted, threatening to incinerate me.

He kept asking what I disliked about him.

I couldn't say it. I couldn't tell him he didn't love me at all.

That he saw me as a mere pawn in his petty feud with Isabelle.

How could he possibly admit it? If he were that honest, he never would've confessed his feelings to me in the first place.

If he'd seen me as a human being, he wouldn't have played games with me, deceiving me for so long!

It was my own fault for being so foolish.

How could I have believed he'd ever truly let go of Isabelle?

I didn't explain anything, I just kept packing my bags.

Then, he proposed to me.

He got down on one knee, directly sliding the ring he had prepared onto my finger.

His voice was softer and more resolute than ever.

"You think I won't marry you, don't you? Fine, I'll tell you now: I, Marcus Sterling, will take responsibility for you until the very end. I'll spend my entire life with you."

Every word reeked of 'responsibility.'

Who needs your sense of 'responsibility'?

I couldn't help but laugh.

"When I went for the abortion today, the doctor told me I might have trouble getting pregnant again. Your family, with you as the only son, needs heirs. I'm not fit for that."