Stellan cradled Juliet in his arms, his voice low and soothing.
"Juliet, don’t be afraid. I would rather die than marry someone like Elara. A cruel, shameless woman like her disgusts me—just looking at her makes me sick."
The crowd murmured in agreement, their judgment sharp and merciless.
"How shameless! She actually wants to steal her sister's man."
"Everyone knows Elara was the one who abandoned Captain Pierce first. And now she has the audacity to come crawling back?"
"Juliet is already pregnant, and she still wants to interfere? This isn’t just cheap—it’s despicable."
Their words sliced into Elara like a thousand blades. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms until pain grounded her.
It was like being stripped bare in front of the world—humiliated, trampled on, despised.
"It's not like that. It was—"
She tried to speak, to explain, but before she could utter another word, Juliet let out a pained gasp, clutching her belly.
"Stellan, my stomach… it hurts so much." Her voice quivered, laced with panic. "Is something wrong with our child? What should I do? I'm so scared."
Stellan’s gaze turned icier than ever as it fell on Elara, his voice laced with lethal intent.
"You’d better pray that Juliet and the baby are safe," he warned, his tone seething with barely restrained fury. "Because if anything happens to them… you will pay for it with your life."
With that, he turned his back on her, carrying Juliet away without hesitation.
Elara stood frozen, watching them disappear, her heart crumbling into irreparable shards.
In this world, a woman's reputation was worth more than her life.
And now, hers was ruined beyond redemption—tainted, trampled, spat upon.
Elara spent a full week in the hospital before she was finally discharged.
She didn’t go home right away. Instead, she took advantage of the eighth day of the first lunar month to go straight to work and apply for a household registration transfer.
This time, she wasn’t coming back.
As she stepped out of the police station, the lively chatter from the marriage registration office next door caught her attention. Without thinking, her feet carried her in that direction.
The entrance was packed with people, laughter and teasing filling the air.
"Captain Pierce, now that it's official, shouldn’t you kiss your bride?"
"Captain, my wife is pregnant too. Are you going to hand out wedding candies?"
"Kiss! Kiss!"
In the middle of it all, Stellan and Juliet stood together. Juliet's face was flushed with shyness, as if she had just won the greatest prize in the world.
Then, at that moment, Stellan’s gaze flickered past the crowd—straight to Elara.
Their eyes met.
Elara felt the air still around her. But just as quickly, she looked away. Without hesitation, she turned and walked off.
Outside, snow fell in thick, soundless sheets. The excitement and celebration behind her had nothing to do with her anymore.
Watching her retreating figure, Stellan suddenly felt something in his chest snap—like something precious had slipped through his fingers forever.
But instead of stopping her, he let go of Juliet and pulled her into a casual embrace, flashing a smile at the crowd.
"This is a matter between husband and wife," he said smoothly. "How can you all be so nosy?"
Laughter erupted around them, but his eyes no longer held the light they once did.
---
Elara returned to the Pierce Family mansion only to find it dressed in red.
Large, bold "double happiness" characters were pasted outside, red lanterns swayed at the entrance, and the entire house pulsed with a festive air.
As she stepped inside, she saw Aunt Celeste coming down the stairs, a familiar box in her arms.
Elara’s heart clenched. She recognized that box.
It was hers.
Aunt Celeste hesitated when she saw Elara, an apologetic look crossing her face.
"The head of the household said he will be marrying Miss Juliet soon," she explained hesitantly. "It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to stay upstairs anymore… so he asked me to move your things to the small room downstairs."
A small room. The one reserved for the nanny.
Aunt Celeste extended the box. "I also found this under your bed."
Elara reached out, taking the box into her arms.
Inside were all the small things Stellan had given her back when they were still together.
She held them tightly, her fingers trembling slightly.
