I stared out the window, the passing scenery a blur. It brought back a vivid memory of him in high school, a whirlwind of youthful energy in his football jersey.

Then I looked at the man in front of me now, sharp in a suit, exuding a mature aura.

"Archer Edwards, I used to believe you truly loved me, and I loved you too. That's precisely why I can't accept the person you've become. I've seen you with eyes only for me; I can't settle for a love that's fractured."

"Besides, Archer, the ones you love most now are yourself and your company."

Archer's voice cracked, laced with a raw despair. "Penelope, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry about our baby..."

He hung his head, a picture of helplessness. I saw the tell-tale glint of moisture gathering in his eyes.

The love we shared back then was real, and the regret he felt now was equally palpable.

It's a shame that one lifetime can't be mended by a single moment of regret.

I sat in the designated café, my phone buzzing with a message from Lilith Bishop: We need to talk.

Lilith slid into the seat opposite me.

It had been over a month since we last met, and she looked undeniably worn down, her eyes shadowed with fatigue.

From Lilith's account, I pieced together when she and Archer had actually gotten together. It wasn't as early as I'd initially assumed.

It was shortly after Archer and I got engaged.

She was the one who made the first move, who threw herself at Archer.

The reason behind it all was a shocker. It was the first time I truly understood her family background, straight from her own lips.

Lilith was the hidden, illegitimate daughter of the Bishop family. After the original Mrs. Bishop passed, her mother, Gwendolyn Bishop, finally brought Lilith into the Bishop mansion, which then led to Lilith attending the same elite private school as me.

The Bishop family's social standing was decent, but her father, Philip Bishop, was a real piece of work. Lilith, for starters, had three or four half-brothers.

When she hit marriageable age, Philip wanted to pawn her off to a business associate, some balding dude in his thirties or forties.

No matter how much Lilith resisted, it was a lost cause. Running away from the Bishop family wouldn't have exactly paved a golden road for her.

Finally, taking her mother's advice, she seduced my fiancé, Archer Edwards, hoping to use him as an escape route from the Bishop family's clutches.

But Archer still ended up marrying me.

Lilith's gaze drifted out the window, lost in a sea of memories.

"When I first started high school, I was the new kid. You know how those cliques of rich youngsters are – super exclusive. I had to play nice with them.

"Later, I noticed you. You were the only one who was different. You didn't need to brown-nose anyone. You just existed, and everyone fawned over you.

"My mom told me you were the sole heiress of the Warren family, the Warrens who practically owned half the financial district in this city.

"I took my mom's word for it. By getting close to you, I wouldn't have to grovel at anyone else's feet anymore."

I remembered the bruises she'd expertly hidden beneath her clothes back in high school. She'd never uttered a word of this to me.

I set down my coffee cup, meeting her gaze.

"Whatever your reasons, all these years we've been friends, I've always been real with you. But you never let on about what was really going on with the Bishop family."

Lilith covered her face, tears finally breaking free. "How could I not want to tell you? Philip locked me in my room, no phone, nothing. One night, after Philip left, my half-brother Riley Bishop came home plastered. He promised to let me out, but the second he opened the door, he… he forced himself on me…

"My father didn't give a damn. I thought about checking out. But… I wanted to live. I wanted revenge. I wanted to use Archer to get my revenge."

Riley Bishop was Lilith's half-brother.

He’d gone missing under mysterious circumstances about six months prior.

I never imagined the truth could be so twisted.

For a moment, I was speechless.

"I never thought he'd touch you, causing you to lose the baby. You did the right thing divorcing him."

I heard Lilith whisper those words.

I guess that child took the hit for me. We just weren't meant to be.

Lilith slid a USB drive across the table.

"This has all the evidence of Archer's crimes, mine included. What you do with it is up to you. The only reason I kept going was for revenge. Now my revenge is complete, but I've trashed your family in the process. I don't expect you to forgive me. I just hope you can move on and live a good life."

I didn't take it.

While I couldn't forgive them, I wasn't about to be the one to send them to the slammer myself.

Six months later, my exhibition abroad wrapped up, and I returned home. Jesse Miller was still the one who picked me up.

On the drive, he casually mentioned that the Edwards family was in serious financial trouble.

Archer's mistress had turned herself in to the cops a week ago, confessing to murder and dragging Archer down as an accomplice. Edwards Group's stock had tanked, and the whole Edwards clan was in damage control mode.

I couldn't figure out why Lilith would suddenly confess.

It wasn't until later that the full picture emerged.

Something had gone down with the Bishop family company, and her father had once again started eyeing marriage deals.

This time, Lilith played her hand. She publicly ratted out her own family's company for tax evasion.

Archer, seeing the Bishops in a tailspin, seized the opportunity to kick them while they were down, aiming to get Lilith thrown in jail too.

But Lilith wasn't going down without a fight. She produced evidence detailing how the two of them had murdered her older brother, Riley Bishop, all those years ago.

A wave of melancholy washed over me. How could the two people who once whispered "baby" to each other end up in such a bitter feud?

Perhaps in the face of time, feelings are just that fragile, that easily shattered.

And I couldn't even begin to decide who was the most tragic figure in this whole mess: Riley, the deceased; Lilith, the victim; or Archer, who was staring down a prison sentence.

Compared to them, the end of my marriage felt almost… lucky.

"Penelope, the interview crew is here."

Jesse knocked on my door.

My career had been on a serious upswing for the past two years. After showcasing my work both at home and internationally, I'd carved out a solid reputation, becoming a recognized emerging artist in the country.

Today, a magazine wanted to do a feature interview.

I stepped out, flashing a practiced smile for the cameras.

"Hello everyone, I'm the artist, Penelope Warren..."