Chapter 1
Halfway through my wedding with my childhood sweetheart, his secretary, Gloria Jameson, suddenly appeared … pregnant.
Brian Burrell supported her and looked at me without a trace of guilt as he told me, "I know I can't marry Gloria, but I promised to give her a wedding and provide our child with a complete family."
"From today on, she will also be my wife. You must love the child in her belly as if it were your own."
The guests whispered among themselves, their faces showing a mix of shock and disbelief. My parents obviously looked furious. They pulled me aside and urged me to leave, saying they couldn't stand this humiliation.
On the other hand, my in-laws tried to persuade me to stay, saying I should think about the bigger picture and complete the wedding. The only thing I could do was to glance at my childhood sweetheart’s indifferent face and Gloria’s smug expression. Then, I smiled.
I pulled off the corsage from my chest and threw it at Gloria.
Turning to my childhood sweetheart, I said with a grin, "A wedding for three? How tasteless. I'll step back and let her be the bride today."
"Congratulations on your pregnancy … it’s your wedding now!"
Then, I clapped loudly.
——
The entire hall fell silent in shock.
Brian's face darkened. "Sabrina, today is our big day and you have to make a scene, don’t you?"
He had the audacity to call me the one making a scene!
At my own wedding, he openly supported his pregnant mistress and declared he would marry both of us.
Did he think I would just accept this?
I snatched the microphone from the MC and spoke loudly, "Thank you all for coming. There has been a slight change of plans, but don’t worry ... the wedding will continue. Only the bride has changed."
"Today’s couple is getting married because of pregnancy, so let’s send them our blessings."
The entire room remained silent.
Brian’s expression turned even darker and his parents' faces twisted in embarrassment.
I ignored them and walked toward my parents, forcing a smile, as I said to them, "Dad, Mom, let’s go home."
Guilt filled my heart. My parents had never experienced such humiliation in their lives. And it was all … because of me.
My mother held my hand tightly, her eyes full of distress. My father stood up, bowed to the guests and said, "I have arranged another party. Everyone’s gift money has been returned. Tonight, I will treat you all."
Watching my father bow, my heart ached. In my entire life, I had never seen my father bow to anyone. He had always been strong and proud. But today, because of me…
Even though Brian and I were childhood sweethearts, my parents had always opposed our relationship.
We had countless arguments about him. I used to think they were being unfair, that they were simply biased against Brian. But now I understood how sharp their judgment was. They had seen the truth long before I did.
Brian was never worthy of my love!
I used to believe that he loved me as much as I loved him. I thought he would never marry anyone but me. Since childhood, I had followed him, watched his every move and adored him silently.
Fifteen years had passed.
Fifteen years was such a long time. Even a heart made of stone should have softened. But Brian’s never did.
That man remained distant, always flirting with other women.
Whenever Brian saw me, he always got annoyed. But no matter how many times he pushed me away, I kept going back to him, like a moth drawn to a flame even though I knew that I would get burned but unable to turn away.
I thought that, one day, the man would finally see my worth and love me wholeheartedly. But reality slapped me in the face. He even had a child with his secretary. Then, he brought her to our wedding!
Brian dared to humiliate me in front of my family, friends and everyone I knew without a single thought for my feelings.
Chapter 2
Brian never had me in his heart!
I gave up everything for him. I put him first in my life. I even argued with my parents because of him!
Yet, he wouldn’t even give me a proper wedding.
Watching him hold his secretary’s waist with one hand while touching her pregnant belly with the other, his eyes filled with tenderness to the point where I felt like I couldn’t breathe!
That man didn’t care about my love. He threw it away and stomped on it. I was exhausted. I couldn’t love him anymore.
Just as my parents and our guests were leaving, my mother-in-law grabbed my mother’s arm as the former said to the latter, “Mrs. Newell, what are you doing? Today is a big day for our children. You don’t want outsiders to laugh at us, do you?”
My father-in-law also spoke up, “Yes, Brian made a mistake, but you can scold or punish him later. This is something young people should handle themselves. We, as elders, should just watch.”
My mother sneered as she made a sarcastic remark, “Watch? Do you want us to stay and be humiliated even more? Our family has already lost enough face today.”
My father didn’t say anything. He just looked at me, letting me decide.
Brian helped Gloria walk up to me, his eyes cold.
“Are you done making a scene? Do you want to embarrass both of our families even more before you’re satisfied?”
I let out a bitter laugh. Who was embarrassing both families? Me?
Gloria looked at me with teary eyes as she said, “Sabrina, I’m so sorry. When I found out you and Mr. Burrell were getting married, I came to give you my blessings. But…”
She then touched her belly shamelessly, continuing, “I didn’t expect to get pregnant. I know I did something wrong and I’m willing to accept any punishment. But the baby is innocent. I can’t let my child be born without a father.”
She looked at me pleadingly as she said, “Sabrina, you’re kind. I know you wouldn’t want that, right?”
Before I could respond, my mother pointed at Gloria and shouted, “What a shameless woman! You had an affair with my daughter’s fiancé, got pregnant and now you dare come here and act pitiful? I’ve never seen someone as disgraceful as you.”
My mother-in-law quickly grabbed my mother’s arm.
“Oh, Mrs. Newell, please calm down. Gloria has a point. The child is innocent, after all.”
Then she turned to me and asked, “Sabrina, don’t you agree?”
My mother yanked her hand away angrily from my mother-in-law and coldly remarked, “Who’s your in-law? My daughter has nothing to do with your son anymore!”
She turned to me, saying, “Sabrina, let’s go. Don’t marry him. Let those three stay together.”
My mother-in-law’s expression darkened.
“What are you saying? We can’t act rashly. Relatives and friends are watching. We should handle this properly.”
She looked at me and spoke in a coaxing tone, “Sabrina, you’ve always been sensible. Talk to your mother. Don’t let everyone laugh at us.”
Brian spoke coldly, “Sabrina, if you love me, you should accept everything about me. Gloria is carrying my child. You should love the baby as much as you love me.”
That man spoke as if it was my duty to accept another woman’s child!
My father-in-law looked at both Gloria and me before sighing, saying, “Sabrina, Brian’s mother and I watched you grow up. We know what kind of person you are. What’s done is done. There’s no point in making a fuss. What we need to do now is fix things.”
I looked at him calmly as I asked, “And how do you plan to fix this?”
Without hesitation, he said, “First, you should finish the wedding and secure your place as Brian’s wife. The baby in Gloria’s belly is Brian’s child, so we have to let it be born.
“But don’t worry ... you’ll be the one raising the child. You’ll be the real mother. As for Gloria, we’ll give her some money and make her leave.”
Chapter 3
My mother-in-law immediately agreed.
“Yes, yes, this is a good solution.”
Gloria added, “I have no objections. Sabrina, I’m sorry for everything. Once the baby is born, you can raise it. I won’t appear in front of you, Mr. Burrell, or the child again.”
Hearing this, I was so angry that I laughed.
Of course, she had no objections!
Not only would she get a large sum of money, but she also wouldn’t have to raise the child herself. She had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Who wouldn’t dream of such an easy life?
Brian, growing impatient, snapped and angrily said, “Sabrina, my parents have said everything that needs to be said. Why are you still being so difficult?”
He looked at me coldly, continuing coldly, “If I didn’t believe you loved me so much, I wouldn’t even bother marrying you.”
“Then as you wish,” I said firmly.
“We won’t get married.”
Brian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
My mother clapped her hands as she shouted supportively, “Well said, Sabrina! I support you!”
On the other hand, Brian’s parents panicked.
“Sabrina, marriage is a serious matter. You can’t just walk away like this,” my mother-in-law protested.
“You have to think carefully.”
My father-in-law glared at Brian. “Stop talking nonsense and stand aside.”
Brian scowled at me before turning to help Gloria.
His parents turned back to me, trying to convince me again.
I looked at them. All my life, I had respected them, almost as if they were my own parents. But now, they weren’t thinking about me at all. They only cared about making sure I married Brian and raised Gloria’s child.
Realizing they couldn’t persuade me, my mother-in-law turned to my mother.
“Please, Mr. and Mrs. Newell, you should talk some sense into Sabrina. Even if you don’t think about us, think about her. If she cancels the wedding now, it will ruin her reputation.”
My father-in-law quickly agreed, saying, “Yes, in-law, we must protect Sabrina’s reputation.”
Something about their words felt off.
“So you’re using my reputation against me?” I asked coldly.
For a moment, Brian’s parents looked uneasy, but they quickly recovered.
“Sabrina, that’s not fair. We’re thinking about you too,” my mother-in-law insisted.
“Yes, you have to understand our good intentions,” my father-in-law added.
I scoffed as I asked them back, “Good intentions? Your son cheated before the wedding and you’re just as shameless as he is.”
Disgusted, my mother grabbed my hand, ready to leave again.
I shook my head as I told her gently, “Mom, don’t worry. This isn’t over yet.”
I turned back to my in-laws, continuing, “You’ve known about Brian and Gloria all along, haven’t you? You hid it from me, pushed for this wedding and even made sure we got our marriage certificate first. All so you could bring Gloria’s child into your family without any trouble.”
I let out a bitter laugh as I said, “No wonder you were in such a rush for us to sign the papers before the wedding. You really thought everything through.”
Once again, Brian’s parents looked uneasy, but they quickly regained their composure.
“Sabrina, this is for your own good,” my father-in-law said smoothly.
“You truly love Brian. This way, you can still marry him and we can welcome our grandson. It’s the perfect solution.”
“Perfect solution? What a joke!”
My mother was trembling with rage.
“How dare you deceive my daughter like this? Is there no limit to your shamelessness?”
Dropping all pretense, my mother-in-law sneered, saying, “It’s too late for you to protest now. Sabrina and Brian are already legally married. If you don’t want your daughter to be a divorced woman, she should just accept reality and stay married. It’s in everyone’s best interest.”
My father-in-law smirked as he said, “Sabrina, think carefully. You don’t want to go around with the label of a second-marriage woman, do you?”
Gloria, who had been silent for a while, suddenly smiled and said, “Sabrina, it’s just one more child. Raising it won’t be that difficult.”
She sighed dramatically, continuing shamelessly, “This was just a small issue, but you had to turn it into a big deal. Now both families are at odds. Was it really worth it?”
“Shut up!”
My mother’s face turned red with anger as she lunged at Gloria, ready to slap her.
I quickly stopped my mother and turned to my in-laws, sneering at their smug faces.
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
Brian’s parents frowned.
“What do you mean?” my father-in-law asked.
I crossed my arms as I calmly replied, “Brian and I never got the marriage certificate.”
