Love's Quiet Demise

I run into my former sister-in-law, whom I haven't seen in ages, during a prenatal checkup at the hospital.

Wynne Jenkins glances at my belly. And just like she always does, her face crinkles with disdain as she starts nagging me.

"Look at you, wandering around with a pregnant belly at your age," she hollers. "What if something happens to my baby nephew? Can't you be a little more sensible and stop making Sean worry all the time?"

She must have forgotten.

A year ago, Mom was gravely ill. Her only wish was to see me married with children.

I staked everything and proposed to Sean Jenkins.

On our big day, I waited from dawn until nightfall—only to receive a 30-second voice message from him.

"I won't show up at the ceremony, and I won't marry you. This is what you get for bullying Lav."

Mom was so enraged by Sean's recklessness that she suffered a heart attack and passed away.

After taking care of her funeral, I erased every trace of myself. With what little I had left, I fled Horton—while Sean was still abroad, skiing with Lavender Quinn.

And yet now, Wynne says, "Sean spends more than two weeks every month flying around looking for you. He's lost nearly 20 pounds in less than a year.

"He's been waiting for you, Janelle. Now that you're back, please stay and build a family with him."

I smirk and raise my hand, flaunting the ring on my finger.

"Sorry, I like to keep a low profile. I'm already married, but we kept the ceremony simple. That's why you didn't know."

"Janelle, do you have any idea how close Sean came to losing his mind looking for you this past year? Someone almost died because of you! Sean only skipped the wedding to clean up your mess, but you just left. How could you throw away eight years of love like it meant nothing?"

I had just come out of the fetal monitoring room, replying to my husband's message on my phone, when my former sister-in-law, Wynne Jenkins, blocked my path.

She was stunned for a moment, then immediately hurled accusations my way. Even after a year, she still looked as arrogant as every Jenkins in the family.

Back then, it was Sean Jenkins who was two-timing. But to Wynne, it was my fault.

I felt nothing hearing his name again. It was like touching a scalding cup—the burning sensation would last for two seconds, then vanish.

Calmly, I met the babbling Wynne's gaze and said, "I broke up with Sean a year ago. What you're saying has nothing to do with me."

She froze for a moment, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Everyone knows you're Sean's simp!" she blurted out. "You do nothing but watch him all day, terrified that some woman might get close to him. How could you ever give up?"

Her condescending gaze fell on the bulge of my belly, then she scoffed. Her eyes were identical to