Chapter 3

He pulled me into his arms, gently comforting me.

"As long as you’re happy, I’ll do whatever it takes."

My emotions finally settled.

But when we got home, I couldn’t sleep.

Maybe it was because that child’s presence had shattered the relationship that I held onto for so many years.

That night, I was plagued by nightmares.

I woke up in the middle of the night, clutching my stomach in pain.

Panicked, I shook Jacob awake.

"My stomach hurts… it hurts so much."

Jacob bolted upright, startled.

"Hold on, I’ll take you to the hospital right now."

He quickly started putting on his clothes, preparing to carry me.

Just then, his phone rang.

He froze, then picked it up.

"Hello? What’s the emergency?"

I instantly sensed that something was off.

Who could be calling him at this hour and making him sound so anxious?

A second later, I heard the voice I dreaded the most.

"Jacob, Asher has a high fever."

At those words, Jacob, who had just been about to lift me up, turned pale.

"What? I’m coming right now!"

Grabbing his coat, he rushed to leave.

I clung tightly to his sleeve, pleading.

"Jacob, my stomach hurts… our baby… Please, take me to the hospital first. It really hurts…"

But Jacob forcefully shook off my hand, his voice laced with frustration.

"Evelyn, you're not a child. Stop making a scene. Asher has a high fever. If something happens to him, won’t you feel guilty?"

I didn’t know if I would ever feel guilty over someone else’s illegitimate child.

All I knew was that if I didn’t get to the hospital soon, I would lose my baby.

But before I could say another word, Jacob turned his back on me and walked out the door.

Maybe I was just meant to survive on my own.

At that moment, I knew that Jacob had abandoned me.

I would never pin my hopes on him again.

"Your condition is critical. You need to have the pregnancy terminated immediately. You should inform your family."

"A perfectly healthy baby… how did it come to this?"

My heart felt like it was being torn apart.

Was this child never meant to survive?

"Is it because of the ectopic pregnancy? Doctor, please, I’m begging you. Is there anything else we can do?

"I’ll take hormone injections, whatever treatment it takes. No matter how much it costs or how painful it is, I’ll do it."

Tears streamed down my face.

The doctor looked at me in shock.

"What are you talking about? This isn’t an ectopic pregnancy. You’re carrying a perfectly normal baby."

Not an ectopic pregnancy?

But Jacob told me it was.

I grabbed my phone and called him.

The moment the call connected, his furious voice erupted through the line.

"Enough, Evelyn Powell! Will you ever stop? I really can’t step away right now. You’ve always been such an understanding woman. Why are you acting like this?"

His words drained all the color from my face.

My body ached from the excessive bleeding, but those words hurt even more.

I was about to tell him about my condition, but before I could speak, the call ended with a sharp click.

I called him again.

However, no matter how many times I tried, he never picked up.

Even the doctors and nurses around me looked at me with pity in their eyes.

My hands trembled uncontrollably.

And at that moment, I finally saw things clearly.

"Doctor, can I sign the consent form myself?"

Technically, I wasn’t allowed to sign it alone but seeing how miserable I was and that I had no one else to contact, the doctor made an exception.

The procedure was over in less than half an hour.

I stayed in the hospital for two days before being discharged.

During those two days, Jacob never came home.

I hadn’t received a single call from him, not even a single message.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he finally walked through the door.

"Evelyn, I’m back. You have no idea how serious Asher’s condition was. I couldn’t leave his side for a second."

As he spoke, he placed a bouquet of flowers in front of me.

"Ta-da! What do you think? Beautiful, right? I specially brought this back for you."

Jacob used to work late often, and I had always been stubborn about waiting up for him before going to bed.

We had made a deal that if he ever came home late because of work, he would bring me a flower.

It had been a long time since I last received one.

And now, here it was again.

How ironic.

It was only then that Jacob seemed to remember my condition.

With a concerned expression, he asked, "How are you feeling? Does your stomach still hurt? The surgery has been scheduled. I’ll go with you three days later and take good care of you."

I placed the flower on the table with a cold expression and continued packing my bags.

"There’s no need. The baby is already gone. Let’s get a divorce."