After 10 years of trying, Marianne Marlowe was finally pregnant. But Kennedy Bryden, her partner, was preoccupied with taking care of Suzanne, the daughter of his first love.
The little girl only had to call him "Uncle Ken," and he would cook for her in the middle of the night or risk his life for her future.
But when it came to Marianne, all he had left was impatience.
"Do you really have to compete with a little girl, Marianne?"
Marianne smiled faintly. "Not anymore."
She made her decision. She let him—and their baby—go.
——
Marianne walked away from the life they had built together. She eventually married her childhood sweetheart, a man with powerful connections, and became pregnant again with a long-awaited baby.
But this time, Kennedy was on his knees, crying and begging her.
"Marianne, please… come back with our baby."
[Dr. Obrien, I've made up my mind. Schedule me for an abortion as soon as possible.]
Marianne typed out another text.
[Director Angus, I'm not planning to conceive anymore. You mentioned before that a certain investor wanted me for a film. Is that offer still available?]
Replies came almost immediately.
Director Angus's message was full of enthusiasm. [Absolutely! The investor returned to the country and funded this project specifically for you, Marianne. The role is yours whenever you're ready!]
Marianne's response was quick. [Great! I'll come in tomorrow for a fitting!]
Dr. Obrien's response, however, carried a softer tone of concern. [Marianne, you've gone through so much to get pregnant. Are you sure you want to abort your baby?]
Marianne's stomach churned as she read the message. Instinctively, she touched her belly, where the baby she had worked so hard for was growing.
'I'm so sorry, my baby. Please forgive me,' she apologized quietly. 'I can't bring you into a world where your dad doesn't want you.'
Her thoughts were interrupted by Kennedy's sharp voice.
"What's wrong with you now?" he asked as he walked into the foyer, his irritation filling the air.
Marianne quickly pulled her hand away from her belly, forcing her voice to stay calm. "Nothing," she replied quietly.
Kennedy frowned. "If you've got something to say, just say it already. I need to get back to Suzie."
As he moved toward the door, Marianne didn't bother to explain further.
"Go on," she said, her voice hollow. "She's more important than me anyway. I'm fine—I just had a stomachache."
Kennedy let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the space between his eyebrows as if exhausted.
"Marianne, look, Suzie can't take care of herself. She needs me. But you?" He paused, his tone hardening. "Why do you always have to compete with a kid?!"
Marianne froze at his words, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.
'Right, why am I still trying?' she asked inwardly. 'He's not the man I fell in love with anymore.'
Her mind drifted back to when they first met. They had been on a film set, and Kennedy was being bullied by the lead actor. He was forced to kneel for hours, repeating the same scene until his knees were raw and bruised.
Marianne couldn't bear it and stood up for him, only to get blacklisted herself. Her punishment came swiftly—freezing water scenes in the dead of winter, with no one helping when she nearly drowned—except Kennedy.
He couldn't even swim, but he jumped in after her, coughing and choking as he pulled her. Cradling her frozen face in his hands, he swore he would protect her for the rest of his life.
After Kennedy became a superstar, Marianne had wanted to return to acting, but he wouldn't hear of it.
"I'll make the money," he told her. "You don't need to suffer in this industry. Just stay home and take care of our family."
And that's how she spent the next 10 years—trapped as the perfect housewife. From reviewing contracts for his films to sewing buttons on his shirts, everything fell on her shoulders.
Their distant but quiet life changed the moment the young girl Suzanne entered the picture.
Suzanne's mother, Kennedy's first love, had passed away, leaving the nine-year-old girl in his care. The young girl even took his last name.
From that moment on, in the parts of his life Marianne couldn't see, Kennedy poured all his love into Suzanne.
All Marianne got in return was indifference.
Meanwhile, Marianne's health had never fully recovered from the icy lake incident.
To have a baby, she endured endless injections and stuck to a crazy strict diet, weighing every morsel of veggies to the gram. And when ovulation came, she endured getting humiliated—just to beg Kennedy to make love with her.
