Chapter 4

I used my last shred of energy to feel around the floor for my phone and call an ambulance. Then, I woke up to the smell of disinfectant.

It felt like there was an empty hole in my body. It was cold and painful.

I instinctively touched my stomach. The flat surface made me anxious.

A nurse walked in and said in a practiced tone, "You're finally awake. I'm sorry, but you had a miscarriage. My condolences for your child. Please take care."

My condolences? When Zachary had abandoned me to bleed and suffer alone, my child had left without a trace.

As the effects of the anesthetic faded away, my heart ached with my wound. I picked up my phone and saw zero notifications.

There weren't any missed calls from Zachary. He didn't even leave any concerned messages or an explanation for me.

There was nothing.

In the silence of the room, memories flooded my mind. I remembered the time he stood in the rain with nothing but an umbrella to wait for me to get off work. He was so drenched that he looked like a drowned rat.

I also remembered the time he stayed up late to bake me a birthday cake. With flour smudging his face, he smiled like a fool.

Then, there was the time he got down on one knee, held a ring out to me with trembling hands, and said, "Marry me. I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy."

The warm and happy memories all faded into the memory of him carrying Julia and yelling at me with a scowl. Perhaps Julia was right.

He only used me to get back at her. I was just her replacement.

With my heart thoroughly broken, I felt oddly calm.

I called and summoned my secretary. Then, I calmly signed the resignation letter and the share sale documents I had asked her to prepare last night.

After that, I called my lawyer. "Alex, please bring the divorce papers I consulted you about last night.

"That's right. Now. I'm at the gynecology department in Illeson Medical Center."

…

Alex arrived very quickly.

I accepted the divorce papers he handed me and flipped to the last page. I signed my name without hesitation. The tip of my pen cut both the paper and the ties between Zachary and me.

A while after I left, the door to my hospital room slammed open.

Zachary had finally arrived. His hair was messy. He looked like he was in a rush and annoyed. "The nurse just called me. What's up with you? Don't be so…"

He suddenly fell silent. His gaze swept past the empty bed and landed on the nightstand, where a document sat. "Divorce Settlement Agreement" were the words at the top of the first page.

Beside the document lay the aftercare instructions for miscarriage. On top of the divorce papers was the wedding ring I had never once taken off.

Beneath the ring was a note. Zachary stiffly pulled it out.

I had written the sentence down with all my energy. The note read, "Zachary, your inability to let go of her killed our child."