“Mrs. Robinson, I’m sorry, but the insemination didn’t work this time either.”

Audrey Lawrence clutched the test results, fingers chilling at the edges.

She’d already lost count how many times this had happened.

Seven years of marriage, and everyone in the Robinson family was waiting for her to give birth to an heir. But her body just... refused to cooperate.

They’d tried everything — natural, superstitious, medical procedures, even surgeries. Nothing stuck.

She turned around, ready to knock on her doctor’s office door, but instead overheard a conversation around the corner.

“…Honestly, I feel bad for Mrs. Robinson. Her uterine lining’s paper thin now. She's really wrecking her body like this…”

“Feel bad? I heard her husband doesn’t even want kids. She could try a hundred more times and it still wouldn’t matter…”

Audrey froze, hand mid-air.

Evan Robinson… doesn’t want her to get pregnant?

*

Stumbling home like a ghost, she curled up under the blankets. The sunlight was soft and warm—it was early summer—but she couldn’t stop shaking.

The mattress dipped behind her, and the thick blend of alcohol and cedar cologne stung her nose.Evan Robinson wrapped his arms around her from behind, his warm hand slipping under her silk nightgown like he’d done it a thousand times before.

"Missed me?" His voice was low, teasing.

His fingers brushed against her skin—soft, slow, familiar. Her body responded instinctively, but her heart was sinking fast, like a switch had been flicked off inside her.

This man... he knew she was at the hospital today for her test results, but didn’t even bother to ask.

"I’m... not pregnant. Again," Audrey Lawrence said, her voice rough.

His hand clearly paused for a beat.

There was a short silence. Then he spoke—calm, indifferent, like it didn’t mean much.

"Got it. You’ve had a tough day."

"I’ll be out of town for two months. Rest well, tell Auntie to make you some soup."

And then he kissed her—deep, possessive, the scent of alcohol lingering on his breath. It was intense, but it felt hollow to her.

She didn’t want it, tried to push back gently, but it was no use. So she let him have his way, because refusal never worked.

He was always careful, never rough.

Later, he would carry her into the bathroom, clean her up, then bring her back to bed, pulling her close like they were any ordinary loving couple.

Just like every other night—it all looked perfect on the surface, warm and intimate.

To anyone watching, they were the picture of love.The steady rhythm of breathing next to her told her he was fast asleep, but Audrey Lawrence just stared blankly at the ceiling, wide awake.

Her eyes drifted to Evan Robinson's briefcase, casually tossed on the couch.

Seven years of marriage, and not once had she gone through his things—something she always thought went without saying as his wife.

But now, staring at his sleeping face, she quietly got out of bed.

A few minutes later, she found herself sifting through papers and documents when a small blister pack of white pills surfaced from beneath a stack of urgent files.

Birth control pills.

She just froze.

She’d never taken them herself—why would she, when they'd been trying to have a baby for who knows how long? She only recognized them because her friend had once shown her, joking she’d never need them with how close she and Evan were. That joke hit different now.

Even knowing what she did from her last hospital visit, it still felt like someone had punched a hole through her chest.

A man supposedly trying for a baby, carrying birth control around... what did that even mean?

Was he cheating?

Or worse...

Her mind whirled back to all those times Evan had instructed the housekeeper to make her those herbal soups.

And suddenly, she felt cold all over.

Her hands started to shake.

Then, from a side pocket of the bag, a photo slipped out.The edges were worn out, like someone had held it so many times they almost rubbed it smooth.

In the photo, the boy had that bright, carefree smile, his eyes full of warmth, while the girl leaned into him like they were the whole world to each other…

"What are you doing?"

Evan Robinson got off the bed, snatched the photo from her hands, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"You’re checking up on me? Audrey Lawrence, since when did you turn into someone like this?"

Audrey laughed—hard. So hard her eyes teared up, and her stomach started twisting in pain.

"I'm like this? I’ve been way too 'sensible' all these years, that’s the problem..."

She kept laughing, but suddenly her stomach cramped—sharp and sudden.

Just before everything went black, all she saw was Evan's panicked face...

*

"Cough… cough, cough!"

Audrey’s eyes flew open. That heart-wrenching pain from before was still echoing, but now there was thick smoke filling her nose, burning her throat.

"Fire! It’s on fire! Run!”

“Help! Somebody—!”

All around her was chaos—screams, panic. Audrey pushed herself up, coughing hard, eyes wide with confusion as she looked around.The table was a total mess—bottles knocked over, colorful strobe lights twisting through a haze of smoke.

Suddenly, Audrey Lawrence’s eyes landed on the couch nearby.

There, slumped over and completely wasted, was a figure she knew all too well.

Lydia White.

Wait, what the hell? Wasn’t she supposed to have… died in that fire seven years ago?

Audrey’s chest tightened. Her hand jerked to the phone on the table. She tapped the screen.

【May 18, 2026, 10:50 PM】

Her breath caught.

This… this was the night Lydia died in that fire.

She’d… come back to life?

The fire was spreading like crazy. She tried to crawl toward the door, but the moment she moved her ankle, a sharp, searing pain shot up her leg. Twisted. She couldn't even stand.

“Bang!”

A deafening crash. The door was kicked in from the outside.

A tall figure burst through the smoke and flames.

His face cut through time like a blade. Even after everything, Audrey instinctively reached out to him.

“Evan Robinson…” Save me.

This was Evan from seven years ago. His features hadn't yet fully sharpened, still holding a hint of youth, but the intensity in his eyes was already there.“Don’t panic, I’ll get you out.”

That voice—it was urgent, familiar, still carrying that raw edge of youth that hadn’t been dulled by time yet.

For a split second, she thought this would play out like last time—he’d come running straight to her, shield her tightly in his arms, and say, “You’re safe, I’ve got you.”

But—

Evan Robinson’s eyes paused on her face for barely a second.

Just one.

Then he strode right past her without missing a beat.

Didn’t even falter.

He rushed to Lydia White instead and scooped her up like she was all that mattered.

As he passed by, he threw out a quick, almost careless line:

“Keep up!”

And that was it—he dashed out with Lydia in his arms, never once turning back.

Audrey Lawrence’s hand stayed frozen, reaching out in vain.

Her heart? It was sinking fast, like falling into deep water with no way up.

Her ankle was hurt.

She couldn’t run.

So Evan left her—just like that.

Was she... just the stand-in he picked to die in Lydia’s place?