Chapter 3

His voice was impassive as well. “Don’t worry, we’ll never have a child.”

Zoey nodded and answered softly, “I understand.”

She did understand. To Laurence, everything was negotiable except a relationship. In high school, Laurence had been the most popular kid, whereas she had been invisible. She was like an extra in a movie, just watching from the sidelines as the main character got together with the love of his life.

She couldn’t remember how long she had been in love with Laurence. When Laurence suggested that they get married, she thought that she was dreaming.

Throughout high school, she had only spoken three words to him: “Hi, I’m Zoey.”

Laurence didn’t even remember that they were classmates in high school. He didn’t know that she had once been so nervous about introducing herself to him back then. Zoey sat on the bed in the dark.

She caressed her stomach. It was hard to imagine a child in there, much less her and Laurence’s child. But she couldn’t be sure yet. Pregnancy tests weren’t always accurate.

Zoey knew she wouldn’t have the time to go to the hospital in the next few days, so she decided to buy more pregnancy tests just to check. If she weren’t pregnant, then everything would be fine. If she were, then she’d be in trouble. She knew that Laurence did not like things out of his control.

Every time they had sex, he would use a condom. The only exception was last month’s accident when they were both under the influence of alcohol. He wouldn’t want this child. She was positive that as soon as she told Laurence that she was pregnant, he would immediately arrange an abortion for her.

And no one would be able to change his mind.

Back when they first got married, Zoey had been hopeful that Laurence would one day fall in love with her. However, time proved yet again that it was nothing but fantasy. Zoey stopped thinking about it, as it would only make her sadder. She snuggled back into her blanket and forced herself to go to sleep.

In her dreams, she was back in high school. Every day, Laurence would pass by her window. Being the most popular kid in school, many people would steal glances as he passed. He had a great physique. With his hands in his pockets, he looked lazy yet proud, as distant as the moon. There was no one around him. Zoey couldn’t help but glance at him.

When she woke up, there were tears in her eyes. Outside, the sky was bright. She went over to the window and pushed it open. Laurence’s car was gone from its parking space. He had left last night. Zoey wasn’t really disappointed about it. After breakfast, she went to the office, stopping along the way to get more pregnancy tests.

That morning, she was so busy she couldn’t even find the time to drink a glass of water. As soon as she got a break, she hurriedly grabbed her bag with the pregnancy tests and went to the bathroom.

She went through the steps, following the instructions meticulously. After a few minutes, she looked at the test nervously. There were two bright red lines. Her heart sank. She did not feel happy at all. For the next few minutes, Zoey’s mind was racing. Should she tell Laurence about this? She could keep it from him, quit her job, go abroad where nobody knew her, and have the child. Or she could take a few days off and get an abortion in a nearby hospital.

Her thoughts were jumbled. When she returned to her office, she was still distracted by her thoughts. Anne ran over to her seat to pass on some gossip.

“I heard that someone on our floor is pregnant.”

Zoey’s breath caught in her chest. “Who?” she asked, trying not to give away anything.

“I don’t know,” Anne explained, “but the janitor said she found a pregnancy test in the trash yesterday. Why was the person hiding it, though? If she was having a secret relationship with someone in the office, Mr. Scott would fire them.”

Zoey was thankful that she had the sense to flush the pregnancy test instead of throwing it into the trash can just now. She swallowed and said, “I don’t think so. It can’t be.”

Anne wasn’t that interested in this either, so she quickly changed the subject. “Do you want to have lunch?”

Zoey was hungry, so she nodded. “Let’s go.”

The food in the company’s dining area was quite good. After ordering, Zoey and Anne found a seat. There was a sudden silence when Laurence appeared. Everyone was shocked that he would turn up in the employees’ dining area. Zoey stared at him as she gripped her knife tightly.

Under everyone’s gaze, Laurence walked over to their table.

Anne was flustered. “Mr. Scott, please have a seat.”

Zoey pressed her lips together. She didn’t know what to say. When her steak arrived, she considered walking away and sitting somewhere else, but she didn’t want to make it too obvious. She felt nauseous.

The jumble of smells in the dining area was too overpowering for her. She tried to push down the discomfort. All she wanted to do right now was finish her lunch and go back to her office to rest.

As soon as she took a bite of the steak, she couldn’t hold back her nausea anymore. She rushed over to the closest trash can and puked. After she finished vomiting, her face was pale. She drank some water to flush out the taste of vomit. Then, she realized that something was wrong.

Laurence was staring at her calmly. Zoey’s heart skipped a beat, and her face became paler. She was afraid that he would notice something. Thoughtfully, Laurence asked, “Why did you puke?”

“I’ve been having some stomach problems lately,” Zoey answered.

Laurence nodded. “I didn’t know you had gastrointestinal issues.”

“I think I contracted a cold a few days ago,” Zoey said calmly.

Laurence was silent for a moment before asking, “Did you take your pill last time?”

Anne didn’t know what he meant by that, but Zoey did.

He was asking if she had taken her contraceptive pills after that night in the spa hotel. He had always been attentive to little details like that.

Under his pressure, Zoey lied, “I did.”

Laurene did not interrogate her further. That afternoon, Zoey received some gastric medicine from Laurence’s assistant. He was the only one who knew about her and Laurence’s relationship.

“Mr. Scott said that you should pay attention to your health,” the assistant looked at her and said hesitantly. “He also booked you an appointment at the hospital for a full checkup.”