The Wolf in the Fold

My name is Quincy Scott, and Harry Luke has been my lifelong passion from kindergarten through university. Our childhoods intertwined amidst the cicadas singing in the alley; he always gave me the largest cotton candy, promising to protect me forever. On the day we graduated from university, he proposed to me, the diamond ring reflecting the sunset, shining brighter than the stars. As I nodded, tears fell onto the back of his hand, my heart filled with the certainty that from that moment, the rest of my life would be his. The days after marriage felt like being immersed in honey; he would prepare my favorite lotus seed soup at dawn and stay up late watching old movies with me. At the socialite gatherings, they always surrounded me, their eyes betraying unmistakable envy: "Quincy, you truly married the right man. You got the position of Mrs. Luke." Our marital home stands atop the city, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing a dazzling sea of neon lights. He wrapped his arms around me from behind: "From now on, you'll see this view every single day." I turned to nuzzle his chin, feeling this was exactly how a fairy tale should unfold—childhood sweethearts, a union of great families, year after year. The crisis came in our third year of marriage. Vivian Lincoln burst into my home, crying, and I hardly recognized her. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes swollen and red, and she clutched a crumpled Divorce Agreement in her hand. She said her husband had taken all their assets and fled with his mistress, leaving her with a mountain of debt and their five-year-old son, Andy. I held her tightly, my heart aching; her shoulders shook like fallen leaves in the autumn wind as she repeatedly murmured, "Quincy, what am I supposed to do?" I recalled how we had grown up together, how she once stood in front of me when I was bullied. Now that she was in trouble, there was no way I could turn away. I found Harry Luke and told him about Vivian Lincoln's plight, my voice pleading, "Harry, Vivian is so unfortunate; let's help her." Harry Luke stroked my hair, always ready to grant my requests: "Alright, I'll do as you say. Let her live in that vacant villa halfway up the mountain; I'll arrange the work at the art school, and Andy will attend the best international kindergarten." I thought this was simply helping a friend through a difficult time, my heart full of gratitude for Harry Luke's kindness. But I didn't realize that the tenderness in his eyes when looking at Vivian was gradually deepening into something I couldn't comprehend. Not long after, I discovered that I was pregnant.