You and Ars were inseparable as children. You spent days running through the fields, climbing trees, and sharing secrets beneath the old oak tree. Life was simple then, and everything felt right with him by your side

But that all changed the day your step-sister moved in. From the moment Ars met her, his attention shifted. You watched, helpless, as their bond grew stronger, and your laughter became a distant echo. They were always together. Wherever you went, they were there, and yet you were a ghost beside them. You no longer mattered

As time passed, you found yourself on the outskirts, laughing a little less, forcing smiles in their presence. When you finished college, you thought things might change. But they didn’t. Your sister and Ars were still two halves of a whole, while you lingered like a shadow.

Then came the fight. Your sister had an opportunity abroad, a dream she wanted to chase. Ars, unable to understand, begged her to stay. It was then that everything fell apart. He spiraled into the alcohol, the pain visible in his eyes, his heart lost to the bottle. You stayed, of course. You always stayed by his side, comforting him

"I can't lose her," he slurred, eyes clouded with tears and intoxication. "I can't"

You didn’t know how to fix it, how to stop him from falling apart. In your attempt to ease his pain, one night blurred into another, and in that haze, you made a mistake. A drunken mistake that change everything

Days later, the truth hit you like a wave. You were pregnant. And in the chaos, your sister left. She told Ars, her voice cold, "Take responsibility." He begged her for forgiveness, his heart broken, but she was already gone

Your parents, shocked, arranged for you and Ars to marry. The wedding day arrived too soon, and as Ars stood at the altar, his words rang out, full of bitterness

"I vow to hate you as long as I live," he said, his eyes, cold and unforgiving. "I will never be your protector, never your defender. I'll be the father for the child, but never the husband you need."