Chapter 4

[I heard you’re the one who came between them and forced them to break up. How shameless can you be, you filthy homewrecker?]

[So you’re pregnant, huh? You’d better get an abortion, and fast. Don’t you dare bring that kid into the world and make Chloe sad.]

[The man’s heart isn’t with you. No matter how hard you force it, it’s useless. Just let this poor couple go.]

The public backlash grew worse by the day, dominating the headlines for three whole days. There was no way Greg didn’t know what kind of situation I was in, but he did nothing about it.

I knew he was waiting for me to bow my head. In our relationship, he had always been the dominant one. He controlled what I wore, what I ate, and even monitored where I went. All of his gentleness and tolerance went to Chloe, while what was left for me was nothing but his assertiveness and coldness.

He was trying to prove to me that he could still live a perfectly happy life without me—that without him, I was absolutely nothing. He wanted me to react just like I used to, crying, sobbing, and begging for his forgiveness; he wanted me to curl up in his arms like a caged bird with clipped wings. Unfortunately, I was no longer willing to play that part.

On the fourth day, Greg finally came home. As it was raining heavily that day, he was soaked to the skin, and there was no telling how long he had been standing outside. He looked at me with a complex, dark expression. It looked a little like sadness and a little like resentment.

As he stepped toward me, he suddenly realized how cold he was being. So, he hurriedly ripped off his wet coat and pulled me tightly into his arms.

His muffled voice came from above my head. “I’ve booked a prenatal checkup for you. I will definitely go with you this time. I thought it over, and I was wrong about the jar of pickles. I should’ve stopped her back then. The rumors were an accident. I’ve told the company to handle it. No one will insult you anymore.”

Greg stared at me intently, hoping I would take the peace offering just like I always did. The carrot-and-stick approach was his favorite trick. However, I knew that as long as Chloe was in the picture, I would always be the one Greg cast aside, and I was so tired of this constant tug-of-war.

Without saying a word, I walked back into the bedroom. Greg tried to follow me inside, but just then, his phone rang with Chloe’s custom ringtone. Greg held his phone and stared at it for a long time. Even as the veins on the back of his hand bulged, he didn’t pick up.

After taking a shower, he lay down on the bed and wrapped his arms around me.

“It’s over between her and me,” he murmured. “Don’t overthink things.”

I turned my head to look at the hand resting on my waist. He was wearing his wedding ring again, but I knew we could never go back to how we used to be.

…

When I woke up the next morning, it was the day of my abortion. Coincidentally, this was also the day Greg had scheduled the prenatal checkup. It was going to be the very first time he accompanied me to the hospital. The usually composed, powerful CEO was acting like a nervous teenager today. He double-checked the items we needed to bring three or four times before he finally stopped.

I watched him, and just as I was about to open my mouth to tell him my plans, his phone chimed. Greg instinctively unlocked the screen, but in the next second, all the color drained from his face. With a loud clatter, the phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor. On the screen was a photo of a bloody wrist.

Greg scrambled to pick it up and rushed toward the door.

“Wait–”

Before I could even finish my sentence, he turned back and pleaded desperately, “Just this once. This will be the last time. Chloe is doing something foolish, and I can’t just stand by and watch her die!”

I smiled gently and took the ID and documents from his hand.

“Go ahead,” I said calmly. “I just wanted to get my things back.”

Greg froze for a moment, but he didn’t have time to overthink it. So, he turned and walked quickly toward the exit. Yet, halfway out, he suddenly remembered my reaction over the past few days, and an inexplicable panic overcame him.

He ran back inside, pulled me into a fierce embrace, and whispered reassuringly, “Go to the hospital and wait for me there. I will definitely show up this time.”

Immediately after that, he vanished through the door. I withdrew my gaze, walked outside, and hailed a cab to the hospital.

The moment I was wheeled into the operating room, I finally let out a long, deep sigh of relief. As the anesthetic was injected into my body, my eyelids grew heavy, and I let them fall shut.