Chapter 2

Yvonne's POV

Harvey said, "You ought to know that what's done is done. We have to live in the moment, Yvonne. You'll always be my wife, and our child will always be the sole heir to the Lupton family as long as you stop causing trouble."

Harvey's statement brought back a dense, throbbing ache in my stomach, which had briefly subsided earlier.

I looked at his face, still as handsome as ever, but I couldn't see a single trace of the innocent young man from my memories. Harvey was different now, or perhaps I had misunderstood his character from the start.

Having said that, Harvey set the apple down and turned to leave.

I was discharged from the hospital that afternoon. Harvey was planning to take me home, but right as we were leaving, a nurse came to tell him that Rebecca had regained consciousness.

He paused mid-motion while holding his coat, rubbed his temples, and gave me an apologetic look. "Rebecca has no family or anyone to look after her, so I can't leave her alone right now, Yvonne. You'll have to go home on your own today."

I nodded calmly, letting go of the very last bit of hope I had left for him.

Harvey appeared satisfied with my response. "I'll make it up to you later."

I looked at the peeled apple. Over the course of the afternoon, its flesh had oxidized and turned yellow. It seemed like no matter how expensive the variety was, it couldn't beat time.

It was just like Harvey's love for me. It used to be so passionate and warm, but after all these years, it had become completely bland and ordinary.

I picked up the cake I had ordered three days ago while I was on the way home. The strawberry-jam lettering on the plaque plainly read, "Happy 10th Anniversary." It commemorated the ten-year promise Harvey and I had made to each other.

Harvey and I had spent every anniversary together before, right up until Rebecca appeared.

Harvey missed my birthday and Valentine's Day. This marked his fourth absence from our shared celebrations that year.

I didn't do what I had done the previous three times—staying up until sunrise, calling his turned-off phone over and over, and frantically checking with everyone to find out where he was. I simply blew out the candles in silence and ate the cake myself.

I suddenly received a notification on my phone, with a message request popping up on my screen. I instinctively accepted the request, and in the very next moment, the message popped up.

"Mr. Lupton's phone ran out of power, so I'm messaging you instead, Mrs. Lupton. He said he plans to stay at the hospital with me tonight, so you should turn in early."

She then sent me a photo of Harvey's profile while he was asleep. Their hands were shown tightly clasped together in the corner of the photo. "Mr. Lupton looks so handsome in this photo I took of him, Mrs. Lupton. Do you mind if I make it my profile picture?"

I hadn't even replied when his side-profile photo was set as her profile picture. Rebecca's social media was updated soon after, with the caption stating, "Thanks for keeping me company at the hospital. You're the best, Mr. Lupton!"

In the comments section, people who knew what was going on flooded the post with wishes for the couple's long-lasting relationship.

Rebecca feigned embarrassment as she responded to each of the comments individually. "Mr. Lupton was just worried about me being by myself at the hospital, so don't make a big deal out of it. Otherwise, I'm afraid Mrs. Lupton might see this and get the wrong idea."

Rebecca's motives were clear as day. She wasn't afraid of me finding out and misunderstanding at all. She was simply afraid I would never find out.

I couldn't be bothered to care about her. I got up, threw the rest of the cake into the trash, and unlocked my phone. I then placed a call to a number I previously believed I would never dial.

I went to the hospital early the following morning. Since I got there early, it wasn't crowded.

I was filling out the paperwork when Harvey walked right past me, carrying Rebecca. He was probably so focused on her that he didn't even notice me. Rebecca saw me, though. She just smiled sweetly at me and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.

It was the exact same scene as the morning before. I was completely heartbroken when I witnessed it at that time, but now, I felt absolutely nothing.

I took the consent form from the nurse and signed it with a trembling hand. I lay down on the operating table in silence, the bright lights blinding me and making tears stream down my face.

I suddenly recalled that the last time I was on an operating table was when Harvey and I got into a car accident when we were 18 years old.