Chapter 3

After Shania found a house and furnished it, I took Lucille there and gave her a bank card.

I told her that going forward, I would deposit a fixed amount of money into the bank account to cover her living expenses, and I would also arrange for someone to accompany her for her prenatal checkups.

My only condition was that the baby would be mine after she delivered it.

She seemed to have no doubt that I wanted a baby but had never been able to conceive, so she had no qualms about moving into the place I had found for her.

…

In the days that Patrick hadn't been able to contact Lucille, he was visibly distraught and moody. He appeared weak and lifeless, like someone who was suffering from a hangover.

It seemed like I had been too certain of his love for me in the past. When I saw him having such fervent feelings for another person, I couldn't control the jealousy that bubbled within and the pain that ate away at me.

I held back the bitterness within me and probed, "Honey, has Lucy contacted you recently?"

Patrick, who had been peeling an apple, faltered in his actions, and his expression stiffened. "Why would she contact me out of the blue?"

I took the peeled apple from him and took a quick look at him. "That's weird. Your birthday is coming up this week, so I wanted to invite her to celebrate it together. But I just can't seem to reach her on her phone. She didn't reply to my messages either."

Then, I tapped on his phone, which he had left on the coffee table. "You should send her a message to invite her."

He reflexively snatched his phone away the moment I touched it.

I shot him a glance and caught the flustered look in his eyes. I smiled and arched a brow. "Honey, is there something you're hiding from me?"

Though I despised his betrayal, the fact remained that we had been in love for ten years. He had been a part of the best years of my youth and was in all of the best memories I had made.

I thought if he truly repented and stopped lying to me, I would let him off and end things between us peacefully.

But apparently, Patrick didn't appreciate the opportunity. His expression quickly returned to normal, and he replied, "I'm having some trouble at work. Maybe that's why I'm not behaving like my usual self."

Ha! More like he wasn't behaving like his usual self because he had lost his lover!

I took a bite of the apple and began gagging violently. I couldn't be sure if it was because of my disgust for Patrick or if it was because of the pregnancy.

But Patrick was delighted when he saw that. "Honey, are you pregnant?"

"It's just the stomach flu," I answered curtly.

His reaction made me realize why Lucille was so confident. Patrick's parents had a deeply ingrained belief in carrying on the family lineage, and that had no doubt had a strong impact on him.

A look of disappointment came over him when he heard my reply. He put his arms around me and stroked my tummy. "How I wish we could have a child of our own soon."

He rested his chin on my head and was as gentle as always. His hands were also as warm as they used to be.

I froze in his embrace and recollected every sweet and tender moment from the past. But when I thought of how they had all been just an act, sadness washed over me and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

When Patrick saw my tears, he thought I was feeling sensitive because I hadn't been able to conceive after so long. So, he kept his arms around me and consoled me.

For a moment, I reveled in his tenderness. I couldn't bring myself to abort the baby I was carrying. However, the thought that another woman out there was also carrying his baby made my blood boil.

Since I was starting to get pregnancy symptoms, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep things under wraps for long.

In the end, I decided to give my cousin, Kevin Hall, a call and requested for him to send Patrick to work outstation as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, Kevin agreed to it even before I came up with an excuse for my request. He sent Patrick out of town the very next day.

It was clear from his actions that he was aware something was amiss. Perhaps there were already a lot of people around me who knew that I was being cheated on. That thought left me feeling all sorts of wretched and embarrassed.

Patrick had barely left when I hurried to get the abortion done. I didn't waste any time during my recovery period either. Instead, I got Shania to find me a suitable candidate to be Lucille's caregiver right away.