---- But now I knew - it was nothing more than guilt, born from betrayal. "Tt wasn't like that!" Levi interrupted desperately, stumbling over his words in panic. "It wasn't a lie - the business trip was real. But I... 1 was so upset that I couldn't be there for you. I drank too much at a dinner meeting... "She was my new assistant. I don't even know how it happened. It was just that one night, Nikki, I swear - it only happened once! Please, you have to believe me!" What an innocent excuse. The way he told it, it almost sounded like it was somehow my fault. I bit back my tears and asked, ''Then what about the child? If it was just a drunken mistake, why didn't she terminate the pregnancy?" Levi flushed, his mouth opening and closing several times before he managed to stammer out an answer. ---- "She's too young... and inexperienced. By the time she realized she was pregnant, it was already five months along. The doctors said it would be too dangerous to abort. "T thought... since you didn't want to go through childbirth... maybe we could raise this child as our own. You wouldn't have to suffer. And after she gives birth, I would pay her off - make sure she disappears from our lives forever." I stared at him, almost laughing at the absurdity of it all. "So, let me get this straight - you cheated for my sake? You thought letting another woman bear a child for me would be an act of love?" I asked, my voice cracking with emotion. Tears streamed down my face as I laughed and cried at the same time, the sound so unhinged it made Levi look genuinely frightened. "Nikki, don't... don't be like this-" ---- "And how exactly should I be?" I screamed at him, the dam of fury and grief finally bursting. "Should I get on my knees and thank you? Should I be grateful for everything you've done?" As if on cue, a pale, trembling figure rushed out from behind him. Without a word, his mistress dropped to her knees before me. "Nikki, please don't blame Levi," she sobbed. "He didn't mean for any of this to happen. Once the baby is born, I promise - I'll disappear. You'll never have to see me again. Please believe me." Levi hurriedly pulled her up, shielding her behind him once more, and turned to me, his voice thick with pleading. "Nikki... no matter what, the child is innocent..." I felt the blood rush to my head, my chest burning with a fury I could barely contain. How had it come to this - how had I become the villain in their story? ---- I fought to steady my breath, swallowing down the bitterness that rose to my throat. "Levi, is this child so important to you?" He said nothing. But the unwavering look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. My eyes stung, my lips trembled. I bit down hard, forcing back the tears. "Fine, I'll grant you your wish. We're getting a divorce." I turned on my heel. But before I could take more than a few steps, the world tilted violently - darkness rushed in. And just before I lost consciousness, the last thing I heard was Levi's panicked voice, screaming my name.