This Is War

When I woke up, William was no longer by my side. His scent lingered on the blankets, which made me feel repulsed for some reason.

Once I got dressed, I went to a nearby consulate to apply for a visa. Not long after, I got a message from William that read, "I'm hosting a party for you today. I'll pick you up later."

After applying for my visa, I went back home. I saw bright lights reflected in the window, and when I got closer, I heard the charming voice of a familiar woman.

"I'm so jealous that you're holding a party for Stephanie. When will it be my turn to get a celebration like that?"

Through a gap in the door, I could see William's expression change suddenly. He grabbed Emily's chin and replied, "As long as you don't make a fuss in front of Stephanie, I'll give you whatever you want. The only thing I can't do is give you an official label."

With a petulant tone, Emily insisted, "I want the ruby necklace Stephanie has!"

William readily agreed. "As long as you don't go running to her like a dummy, what's hers is yours."

It turned out that he had only pretended to be angry in front of me.

I thought William would hold back more after what happened last time. I thought he would cherish the opportunity and not make the same mistake. However, he never even thought he did anything wrong. He just thought he hadn't hidden it well enough.

At the same time, my phone started buzzing. It was a call from Emily. It seemed she was calling just in case I hadn't overheard their flirting.

"Okay, I'm going to go pick Stephanie up now."

Emily grabbed William's collar and dragged him into a room, without shutting the door. "Won't you stay with me a little longer? Once Stephanie is here, you're going to be with her all day…"

"I can't. I have to go pick Stephanie up. She's pregnant, and her body is weak right now. She's at higher risk of a miscarriage," William said.

"All you care about is the child in her womb. Have you forgotten that I'm carrying your child, too? Why won't you dote on me?" Emily whined.

"Of course I will. You're my precious baby, after all."

Pretending to have just arrived at the party, I asked, "What are you guys celebrating?"

"Mr. Parker said he was worried that you would be in a bad mood from the pregnancy, so he prepared a party for you."

The way everyone was helping William cover up the affair was ridiculous to me. I glanced toward the room, and even though I couldn't see William and Emily, the shadows on the ground showed two people intertwined with each other as they moved. It was obvious what was going on.

William seemed to have heard my voice and tried to stop Emily. "Okay, that's enough. If Stephanie finds out, things will get bad. I won't be able to handle the consequences."

"Really? Don't you feel like that's even more exciting? It's been a long time since we last did it, too. I bet Stephanie would be furious if she found out that we've been together for three years."

"I'll have to punish you if you keep being so naughty."

I didn't hear William's voice over the phone after that. All I could hear were quiet pants coming from both of them. My nails dug into my palms, and it hurt so badly that I trembled from the pain.

He kept trampling on me again and again.

Half an hour later, William finally came out of the room, pretending like he had been busy with work. His face was still flushed from the fun he had had with Emily, and there was a gentle smile on his face. It was so disgusting that I almost threw up.

He put his hand on my belly and stroked it gently, his palm still warm from Emily's body heat. "Was the baby good today, honey? You know how long I've wanted this child, right, Stephanie?"

For ten years, William had whispered to me every night, telling me how badly he wanted a child. That never stopped him from pretending to love me with his dirty hands that had touched another woman, though.

The affection and happiness I thought we shared turned out to be full of nothing but secrets and lies. Now that I had uncovered his true colors, the reality was nothing short of despair.

William excused himself once the party was over, saying that he had something to do. I figured he was probably going to spend time with Emily, who was hiding in that room.

Not long after, I heard two gunshots coming from the top of the hill. Feeling numb, I looked up only to see strangers approaching me.

I stared at the people before me as they took guns out and aimed at my head.

Just when I thought I was going to die, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of me. When the armed men saw that it was William, they fired a few shots in succession.

William quickly picked me up in his arms and slid down the hillside, holding onto me tightly the entire time. He had been shot in the left part of his chest, and his body was all bloody from being scratched by the gravel.

Even then, all he did was protect me as he muttered, "Don't be scared."

The culprits were quickly subdued. It turned out that they were spies who had snuck in, and they never expected to run into me head-on.

A few years ago, William killed the pregnant wife of one of the men on the other side of the border. Furious, he wanted revenge on William.

…

In the hospital, I stared at William, who was lying on the bed in a daze. If he could give up his life for my sake, then why was he treating me like this?

William was gravely wounded. However, on the third day of his stay, he insisted on getting out of bed and said that he had to negotiate with the enemy leader. I hated the way my heart softened at his words.

When he saw me staring at him, guilt flashed across his eyes. "It's really important. I have to go."

"Okay," I replied quietly.

Wedding props had been popping up in the headquarters lately, and Emily had sent me a wedding invitation the night before. Obviously, I knew where William was headed.

Maybe what Emily said was true—William didn't love me anymore. All I felt was disgust at the sight of him hugging her.

…

I soon boarded the cruise ship to Stanhert. My phone dinged with a text. It was from William, and it read, "I'm at the negotiation site, Stephanie."

While he was having a wedding with Emily, he sent a fake picture of himself at the negotiation site. It was like he was trying to prove himself.

I knew the picture was fake because I was watching a live stream of the wedding. Emily was the one streaming the whole thing to me over a video call.

Through the livestream, I could see the wedding being held in a basement. Clearly, William was worried that I would find out.

He was dressed in a suit, and the blood from his chest wound was already seeping into the clothes. Even so, he insisted on having a wedding with Emily.

I could see William standing at the altar. After the priest recited the oath, William kissed Emily's hand and affectionately said, "I do."

At that point, I laughed at my own stupidity. When he told me he was leaving to negotiate that morning, I actually had a bit of hope in my heart. I wondered if he actually had something urgent to deal with.

The more one trusted someone like William, the more he would treat them like a fool.

After stepping down from the altar, William sent me a text.

"The negotiations are going well. What do you want to eat tonight?"

I replied, "Are you actually negotiating right now?"

As soon as I sent the message, I received a barrage of calls and texts.

"I am. I'll explain it to you once I'm home."

Through the livestream, I could see that William was shocked. He completely disregarded the wedding and hurriedly took his suit off, rushing home as if it were a matter of life and death. However, I had already left the borders of Moria.