4
Liam frantically rushed over to help me, shouting loudly at the crowd, “Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
Ashley stopped someone who was pulling out their phone, then came over, tugged on Liam, and pulled a sanitary pad from her small bag, handing it to me. “Sis, how can you not even remember *this* time of the month? Go take care of it.”
Liam’s hand, reaching out to help me, froze in mid–air. He silently stared at me, his face turning an utterly ghastly shade. “Go to the restroom and clean yourself up, quickly. Don’t embarrass me here.”
3.11 PM
<
It seemed that when Ashley was around, even as a legally married couple, we couldn’t even manage to keep up
appearances.
I bit my lip and forced myself to stand, walking outside to call Brooke, who answered almost immediately. “Brooke, help! Come pick me up and take me to the hospital, quickly!”
I closed my eyes weakly, my voice barely a whisper. “I think… I had a miscarriage.”
Before I could finish, a strong wave of dizziness washed over me, accompanied by hurried footsteps and an anxious voice. My vision went black, and I fell into a strong embrace.
When I woke again, the doctor told me it was a threatened miscarriage; there was no fetal heartbeat anymore, and I needed a D&C procedure.
Outside the operating room, Brooke was waiting for me, holding a bouquet of sunflowers. “Honey, the baby’s gone just like that. And you’re giving up on your marriage too. Are you really going to let go of Liam?”
The anesthesia had worn off, and my face was pale with pain, but I still managed a smile.
A child? After seeing Liam for who he truly was, I never wanted one with him. He didn’t deserve it. Our six–year marriage was nothing but a joke now.
“Liam forced me to let it go,” I said.
“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. Since you’ve made up your mind, our ace lawyer will definitely protect your interests, won’t he, handsome Mr. Oliver?”
Oliver, standing beside Brooke, nodded. “Of course. That jerk won’t get another cent from you.”
“I’ll prepare the divorce papers for you as soon as possible, but we should also be ready for a legal battle.”
I gratefully told him, “Thank you. I’ll leave it to you, Mr. Oliver.”
Whether it was about what happened at the hotel entrance or helping me with the divorce. Oliver understood what I meant and gave me a brilliant smile. “Anytime.”
I took a week of sick leave, and Liam didn’t contact me at all, nor did I reach out to him. After the last incident, he’d given my project to someone else, so whether I went to work or not didn’t matter.
When I returned to the office to report back from my leave, I crossed paths with Ashley again. She blocked my way, a triumphant look on her face, her eyes gleaming with provocation. “I heard you took sick leave, Sis. Back so soon? If you lost the baby, shouldn’t you rest longer?”
My head snapped up to look at her. “You did that on purpose?” So her fake fall wasn’t just to gain attention; she knew I was pregnant and orchestrated that whole scene?
Ashley feigned surprise. “You really didn’t keep it? Oh dear, what ever will we do? Actually, I was just guessing, I didn’t expect you to lose your footing… Ah!”
Ashley clutched her slapped face, glaring at me. She opened her mouth to speak, but her expression suddenly changed, and tears streamed down her face. “Big brother, help! I was just kindly checking on Sis, and she hit me, boohoohoohoo!”
3:11 PM
<
O
O
0
Liam emerged from behind me, his eyes filled with concern as he examined Ashley’s face. Then, he looked at me, utterly exasperated. “Chloe, how long are you going to keep this up?! Taking sick leave for no reason is bad enough, but the company isn’t your playground to make a scene! If you want to fight, go somewhere else!”
I didn’t miss Ashley’s victorious smile. She mouthed to me, “You can’t win against me.”
I glared coldly at the two of them, then left without looking back.
Trash belongs with trash. I wish them a lifetime of misery together, so they don’t infect anyone else.
Back home, I decided to make myself some nourishing chicken broth, then went to the bedroom to lie down. Physical weakness often brings on sleep, and I slept straight through until evening. Feeling refreshed, I ordered myself a carefully prepared nutritious meal.
But to my utter dismay, Liam entered the door along with my meal.
I pretended not to see him, setting up my dinner and serving myself a bowl of hot soup. Liam, who’d rushed into the kitchen to warm milk as soon as he got home, paused when he saw the food on the table. His expression shifted, and he put the milk back in the fridge, his voice softening with a rare tenderness. “Thanks for making soup for me.”
I brushed his hand away, took a sip of the soup. “This is for me. It has nothing to do with you.”
Liam’s hand, reaching for the soup bowl, found only empty air. His face changed instantly, turning cold. “Chloe, you
know! have a sensitive stomach.”
I took another sip of the delicious hot soup, speaking without a ripple of emotion. “Yes, I know. That’s why, every day after work, even when I was dead tired, I’d cook for you myself, following the diet your doctor gave me, just so you’d feel a
little less uncomfortable.”
But what did I get in return? You out there, having sweet times with someone else. Leaving me like an idiot, watching hot food grow cold, little by little. Just like my heart for you. Once burning like lava, slowly, painfully, it had chilled to ice.
I calmly continued, “But that’s all in the past.”
“Now you have Ashley. Go let her take care of your stomach.”
Seeing me calmly eat and drink, Liam stared at me with a sour expression for a while, then silently returned to the kitchen and warmed his own milk.
When I was full and returned to the bedroom, Liam had already showered and was leaning against the headboard, for the first time in ages, he wasn’t glued to his phone, grinning like an idiot. Seeing me enter, he immediately got up and came over, leaning close to my ear, his gaze burning. “Let’s go to bed early tonight.“”
I pushed him away. But he persisted, coming closer, wrapping his arms around my waist, ridiculously gentle. “We haven’t slept together in ages. How about we have a baby, hm?”
He lowered his head to kiss me, but I dodged him. His patience suddenly snapped, and he angrily pressed me onto the bed. Without another word, he forced his hands into my shirt.
I raised my hand and slapped him.
Liam’s face was flushed with anger, but he still restrained himself. “Chloe, you’re my wife on paper. What’s wrong with me
3:11 PM
<
wanting a child with you? Fine, even if you’re upset about Ashley, there’s a limit!”
I met his gaze, my voice without a trace of emotion. “Liam, I told you. I want a divorce.”
“If you want a child, go find someone else. Plenty of people would jump at the chance to have one with you.”
Liam seemed to doubt his own ears, gritting his teeth. “What did you say? What the hell did you just say?!”
“I want a divorce from you.”
Liam was speechless for a while, then finally chuckled, furious. “You’ve thought this through?”
I looked at him firmly. “Of course.”
He swung his legs off the bed, got dressed, and his face was full of scorn. “Another new trick you learned from some online forum? You really don’t get tired, do you?”
The bedroom door slammed shut behind Liam with a thunderous bang.
