At university I was the charming, smart guy that everyone admired. Lots of girls liked me, but I never really fell in love with anyone. My family was struggling financially, so I worked part-time every day just to survive. Romance was the last thing on my mind.
Among the girls who idolized me was my classmate, Ava Miller. To win me over, she often bought me food, gave me clothes, and even helped pay for part of my tuition.
I didn't genuinely care about her, but since her family supported my studies, I reluctantly agreed to be with her.
After graduation, I wanted to stay in the city, so I married Ava mainly because her parents promised to help me find a stable job. But living together made me realize the truth – I didn’t love her, not even a little bit. I felt uncomfortable every time she tried to be intimate with me.
We were married for three years and never had children. Ava kept asking me to get tested, but I refused. I insisted that I was perfectly healthy. By then, my career was stable and I no longer needed her family. That's when I decided to end the boring marriage and pursue "real love."
My indifference eventually broke her. She signed the divorce papers and quietly left.
After that, I started dating Sophie Bennett, a fantastic business partner I had admired for years. After more than a year together, we decided to get married. I didn't invite Ava, but somehow she showed up to my wedding anyway—with a baby bump and absolutely no embarrassment.
Her arrival shocked the audience. People whispered incessantly.
“If I could go back, I would never waste my youth on a man who didn’t love me, who only took advantage of me. Marrying you was my biggest mistake.”
As she turned to leave, Sophie’s voice trembled:
“Whose child are you carrying?”
The question surprised me. Ava and I had been separated for over a year—the child was clearly not mine. But then why hadn’t she gotten pregnant in the three years we’d been married?
A horrible thought crossed my mind: Was I infertile?
Ava turned around and said,
“For three years, your husband and I tried to have a baby. I asked him to get tested, but he always blamed me. Every test I took showed that I was fine. After the divorce, I met someone new—and on the very first night we were together, I got pregnant.”
Sophie was so shocked that she dropped her bouquet. I stood there frozen.
After Ava left, I tried to comfort Sophie and begged her to go ahead with the ceremony, but she refused. She said,
"My brother and his wife tried for nine years. They spent everything and still got divorced. I'm not going to make the same mistake. Before I marry you, we need to know the truth."
I couldn't blame her. I couldn't blame Ava either.
Everything that happened was because of my selfishness.
The wedding was canceled. My relationship with Sophie changed overnight. But for the first time, we had an honest conversation. Through tears and raw emotion, we admitted that we couldn't build a marriage on pride or secrets.
We decided to face reality together.
When we finally did fertility tests, the truth came out—I was having reproductive problems. It hurt deeply, but it also freed me from years of denial. I realized that neither Ava nor I were villains; we were just people trapped in circumstances we didn't understand.
Ava's chapter in my life ended for good, without hatred.
Sophie and I slowly rebuilt our relationship from the ground up. We talked about our fears, our future, our dreams, and the kind of family we truly wanted. We agreed that we would adopt and open our hearts to children who needed love—because family is not defined by blood alone.
Over time, our bond grew stronger—built on trust, respect, and genuine love.
I never forgot that wedding day, nor the lesson Ava taught me: you can't force love, and every decision has consequences.
I learned humility. I learned gratitude. And I learned to never take the people who care about me for granted again.
I may have lost a marriage, but I gained a deeper understanding of myself—and discovered what true love really means.