Five years into our relationship, I brought my boyfriend, Gabriel, home for the Christmas holidays to meet my family. At the grand family dinner, my relatives couldn't stop singing the praises of the man who had once been his state's valedictorian. But then, my single cousin, Cora, suddenly gagged and ran from the table, clearly fighting a wave of morning sickness. My aunt, her mother, was mortified. She raised her hand, ready to slap her. "You're an Ivy League graduate!" she shrieked. "How could you let yourself get knocked up by God knows who?" Cora didn't say a word, just sobbed uncontrollably. That's when Gabriel stepped forward, catching my aunt's hand mid-air. "Don't," he said, his voice firm. "Don't scare her. The baby's mine." He pulled Cora behind him, shielding her as he led her out of the room, leaving a trail of stunned silence in his wake. He never even gave me a second glance. 1 The ballroom was a whirlwind of noise. Some people were crying, others were shouting. My mind was a complete blank. Just minutes ago, Gabriel had been holding my hand, toasting my parents and elders. My relatives were all fawning over him, calling him brilliant, successful, and yet so humble. Now, under the glare of every eye in the room, he had walked out with my cousin, Cora. Leaving me to clean up the mess. "I knew it," one of my aunts sneered. "I always said our plain little Vivi couldn't possibly land a guy like that. What a joke." "So, does this mean Vivi stole Cora's boyfriend?" another whispered. "I mean, Cora's pregnant. How could she do that to her own cousin?" "Well, Gabriel and Cora both went to top-tier universities. They always did make a more fitting pair." Growing up, everyone had always favored Cora. She was prettier, smarter, and her side of the family had more money. In a situation like this, no one was ever going to take my side. "Vivi, sweetie… what… what on earth just happened?" My mother’s hand, cold as ice, found my wrist. I turned to look at her, but my eyes were drawn past her to my father. His face had gone a horrifying shade of purple. With a sickening thud, he collapsed back into his chair. "Dad! Dad, what's wrong?" The last shred of his composure, his carefully maintained dignity, had finally been torn to shreds in front of everyone. From the ambulance to the hospital, my mother clutched my hand and wept. But I couldn't afford to shed a single tear. I ran back and forth, handling admissions, filling out forms, my mind numb. It wasn't until Dad was out of the emergency room and settled in a private ward that the reality of it all began to sink in. I checked my phone. The only new messages were automated debit alerts from my bank for the hospital fees. Not a single word from Gabriel. Taking a deep breath, I headed to the pharmacy to pick up Dad's prescriptions. And that's when I saw him, standing in the hallway, talking to a doctor I recognized as one of his old college friends. "Man, I never took you for the shotgun wedding type," the friend said, clapping Gabriel on the shoulder. Gabriel’s gaze was distant. "The baby isn't mine," he said quietly. "I just… I couldn't stand to see her judged like that." "Then why are you here in the middle of the night, getting her admitted for observation? I thought you were with her cousin, Vivi. Weren't you two about to get engaged?" Gabriel just hummed in agreement, a soft, noncommittal sound. "So you're spending Christmas Eve with Cora, and you're not worried your girlfriend is going to lose it?" "Cora's well-being comes first. Once she's okay, I can relax," Gabriel said, his voice laced with a strange sort of resolve. "Besides, I'm going to marry Vivi. I'll have the rest of my life to spend with her. What's one night?" The doctor sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe you're still carrying that torch for her. After all this time. Does she even appreciate what you do for her?" "I don't need her to. As long as she's okay, that's enough," Gabriel murmured, more to himself than to his friend. "Being part of her family, being able to look after her… that's all I've ever really wanted." A memory flashed in my mind. The first time Cora introduced me to Gabriel. He was already a legend at our high school, the valedictorian everyone still talked about years after he'd graduated. Cora had playfully pushed me toward him. "This is my cousin, Vivi. She's your biggest fan." I was so busy blushing I didn't notice that every time Gabriel spoke, his eyes never left Cora. He asked me out not long after that. All this time, I thought it was love at first sight. I never realized I was just his way of staying close to her. "Gabriel," a soft voice called. It was Cora, pale and frail in a hospital gown. Gabriel rushed to her side instantly, his voice softening. "What are you doing out of bed? It's freezing out here." "You were gone for so long. I got scared." He immediately shrugged off his expensive wool coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Let's get you back. We can't have you catching a chill. Just be good, let the doctors run their tests, and if everything looks good tomorrow, you can go home." Cora leaned into his embrace, and for a moment, they looked just like a devoted, loving couple. My voice trembled when I finally found it. "Gabriel!" 2 When Gabriel turned and saw me, the warmth on his face vanished, replaced by a cold mask of irritation. He strode over, blocking my path. "Cora needs to rest. Don't you dare start trouble with her. I'll explain everything to you later." He actually thought I'd come to the hospital to confront Cora. "Explain?" I shot back, my voice rising. "What is there to explain? My father is in here because of you! He had a—" "Don't make a scene!" he snapped, his patience gone. "Your cousin is in a fragile state. The doctor said her pregnancy is high-risk right now. Did you really have to follow us here to cause more drama? Can't you be reasonable for once?" "Gabriel," Cora's weak voice drifted over. "Don't be so harsh with Vivi. Please, just explain things to her patiently. She must be feeling so hurt after we just left like that." Her words were like a magic spell, instantly smoothing the sharp edges of his anger. "I'll explain it all another time," he said to me, his tone softening slightly. "It's not what you think. And don't worry, I'm still going to marry you. Just… go home for now." So that's all it took. A single sentence from Cora, and he was gentle with me again. How pathetic. I didn't say another word. I just turned and walked away. I spent the night by my father's bedside. A message from Gabriel finally came through. 【Vivi, please don't worry. The baby isn't mine. Your cousin got involved with a real jerk, and I can't let her face the fallout alone.】 【I'm sorry if I hurt you. I promise I'll make it up to you.】 【Once this is all over, we'll get our marriage license. We'll go to Italy for our honeymoon, just like we planned. And when we get back to New York, I'll sign over 1% of my company's stock to you.】 I switched off my phone, a bitter laugh stuck in my throat. In his world, a promise of marriage and a payout could smooth over any wound. He couldn't bear to see Cora face the gossip, so he'd simply redirected it all onto me. And now my father was lying in a hospital bed, recovering from a heart attack. What good were apologies and compensation now? "Vivi..." My dad was awake, looking as though he'd aged a decade overnight. I knelt by his bed, gripping his hand tightly. "You two should just… end it," he rasped. A sharp pain lanced through my chest. Even after everything, his first thought was for me, worried I was with the wrong man. "Okay, Dad," I whispered, forcing a calm I didn't feel. "I'll listen to you. Don't you worry about me." The next day, my mom arrived at the hospital, and almost immediately, her phone rang. It was Aunt Carol. Mom stepped out of the room to take the call, and I followed her into the main lobby. "Gabriel is such a dear!" my aunt's voice chirped through the phone. "He gave us such a wonderful surprise, showing up this morning with a case of that expensive Scotch!" Then her tone shifted. "Say, sis, you know all those high-end wellness tonics you bought for Vivi? How about you send some over for Cora? She's so drained right now. It's not like Vivi needs them anymore, right?" I saw the corners of my mom's eyes turn red, tears welling up. Before she could break, I snatched the phone from her hand. "Aunt Carol," I said, my voice bright and cheerful. "You're right, expectant mothers need the best. I have a friend in Switzerland who sources these amazing artisanal supplements. I'll send you her contact info in a bit." "Hey! Why are you being so stingy—" I hung up before she could finish. "The nerve of that woman!" Mom fumed, her face pale with anger. "Her daughter steals your boyfriend, and she has the audacity to ask me for gifts?" I wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulders. "It's okay, Mom. Don't be angry. No one stole him. I'm the one who doesn't want him anymore." As the words left my mouth, my eyes met a pair of cold, familiar ones. It was Gabriel, standing at the hospital entrance, his arms laden with shopping bags. 3 "What is he doing here?" Mom whispered urgently. "Tell him to leave. Your father doesn't want to see him." Gabriel's gaze swept over us, his tone laced with disapproval. "Vivi, why did you bring your mother here? Cora needs to rest. You two shouldn't be disturbing her." I glanced at the bags in his hands. Boxes of premium supplements, prenatal vitamins, specialty teas. It clicked. He wasn't here to visit my father. He was here to dote on Cora. I held my mom's shaking shoulder. "Don't worry," I said, loud enough for him to hear. "We're not here to see Cora." As I turned to lead my mom away, Gabriel's voice stopped me. "What did you say just now? Who is it you don't want anymore?" The last thing I wanted was to fight with him in front of my mother. I spun a quick lie. "A puppy," I said breezily. "My mom saw one she liked, but I was afraid it wouldn't train well. So I said no." Gabriel frowned, seemingly oblivious to the barb in my words. "Just take your mother home," he said dismissively. My mom, worried about me, insisted I go home and get some real sleep. But instead of sleeping, I found myself wrapped in my duvet, my thumb hovering over Cora's profile. I opened her Instagram. She'd posted a photo of a signed contract for a luxury postpartum recovery suite, a bouquet of white roses placed artfully beside it. I'd only seen that place in celebrity magazines; a famous actress had spent hundreds of thousands on her stay there. The caption read: 【All the panic, all the helplessness... you ended it in a single moment. With you here, what is there to be afraid of? 】 Gabriel had certainly spared no expense. I scrolled down through the comments, a flood of congratulations from friends and relatives. And right at the bottom, a comment from Gabriel himself: 【I'll always be here.】 He'd never made a promise like that to me. I remembered a time I had the flu, my fever spiking to 104. Delirious, I’d called him on his business trip. A few hours later, he was there, having caught the first flight back to take me to the hospital. After my fever broke, he'd scolded me, his face tight with annoyance. "You're a grown woman, Vivi. You have to learn to take care of yourself. I can't always be by your side." At the time, I thought he was just worried, speaking harshly out of concern. Now I understood. He was just telling me the truth. His promises were meant for someone else.
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