"I'm so sorry, Ruth! I didn't mean for this to happen. We just... couldn't help ourselves."
Diana's voice trembled with tears.
Her eyes glistened, fragile and helpless—like some delicate flower that might wilt at the slightest breeze.
Nothing like the woman who'd been writhing in that bed moments ago.
Martin pulled Diana behind him, shielding her, and shot me a look of pure contempt.
"You're scaring her!"
"Look at yourself right now. You're acting like a lunatic."
Maybe I was.
I'd already sent the photos and videos to our family group chat. Let everyone see their disgusting faces for what they really were.
But the moment I hit send, my phone rang. Mom and Dad.
"Ruth, have you lost your mind?"
"Delete those right now! If people see this, how is Diana supposed to show her face in public?"
They'd always favored Diana.
All because she'd been kidnapped off the street as a child. It took eighteen years before they finally found her and brought her home.
To make up for all those lost years, they spoiled her rotten. Indulged her every whim.
And they expected me to go along with it. Diana came first. Always.
Even our birthdays—mine was just one day after hers, so they made me celebrate early so we could share. But the cake only ever had one name on it.
Diana's.
Still, I never imagined they'd take her side in something like this.
"You need to divorce Martin."
My sister had been sleeping with my husband behind my back.
And instead of holding her accountable, my parents were demanding I give him up.
"Why should I?"
The question tore out of me.
Diana was the one who'd done this. Why was I the one being asked to hand over my husband?
Their favoritism had crossed every line.
It felt like a boulder was pressing down on my chest. I could barely breathe.
"Diana is your sister. An older sister is supposed to look out for her younger sister."
Mom's voice was sharp with impatience, annoyed that I'd even asked.
I looked at Martin. The man I'd once loved more than my own life.
He just stared back at me. Cold. Silent. Not a word of explanation.
Diana leaned into his arms, all soft and helpless.
"Please, Ruth. Martin doesn't love you anymore. We're the ones who truly care about each other. I'm begging you—just let us be together."
"So you do know he's your brother-in-law?"
"Do you have any shame at all?"
Rage boiled over. My hand connected with her face before I could think.
Diana stumbled sideways and crashed into the coffee table.
"Ahh—"
She cried out, clutching her stomach, her face twisted in pain.
"Diana!"
Martin's expression changed instantly.
"My stomach... it hurts so much..."
Diana's face went white. Her voice shook.
Martin scooped her up and rushed toward the hospital.
As he passed me, he looked at me like I'd committed some unforgivable crime.
But I knew what I saw. Diana had thrown herself into that table.
That was when I learned the truth.
Diana and Martin had been carrying on for who knows how long. She was already pregnant.
After hours of emergency treatment, the baby didn't survive.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Dad's face was purple with fury. His palm cracked across my cheek with everything he had.
My face burned. My ears rang.
But the pain in my body was nothing compared to what was tearing through my heart.
