Chapter3

Nadia's POV

I clutched my stomach as pain and grievance surged together, and finally unable to  hold back any longer, I confronted him.

"Zane, do you still remember what you said to me back then? You said I was gentle and understanding, that my quietness and determination were what you loved most about me. But now? Whenever I get upset because of your actions, you think I'm being unreasonable. If your wife saw you dancing intimately with another woman with her own eyes, shouldn't she be allowed to feel something?" I looked at him, my eyes reddening.

"I kept telling myself to trust you, to believe that you two were just friends. I swallowed all those moments that made me uncomfortable before, because I didn't want to be the kind of woman who controls you. But today? Everything between you two was seen by everyone. Did you ever think about how I felt standing there?" 

What happened today felt like the last straw that finally broke me.

All the grievances I had once forced myself to forget came rushing back.

“Zane, I’m the one who vowed to spend the rest of my life with you. When I was in a car accident, the first thing you thought of was taking care of Callan; when I was lying in the hospital and needed you most, you left because of a single word from her; every time I hoped you would stand by my side, you always had a reason to choose her.” My voice grew more and more shaky.

“Do you know what the most ridiculous part is? I’ve been trying so hard to understand you, but you’ve never once tried to understand me.” My chest heaved violently, anger, sorrow, and disappointment mingling together, making it almost impossible to breathe.

“When I saw you compromise for her time and time again, when I saw you blame me because of her grievances, do you know how I felt?”

 “I’m your wife…so why is it always me who gets hurt?” I sobbed uncontrollably, tears blurring my vision. Yet Zane did not comfort me. He just frowned, looked at me, and spoke with a tone that was clearly defensive.

"Aren’t you overthinking this? Callan didn't do anything wrong, why are you always targeting her?" For a moment, I was stunned.

So he hadn't been deaf to it—he had heard everything, yet he chose to take her side.

"So now, it's my fault?" My voice trembled, barely a whisper.

Zane opened his mouth, as if he wanted to defend Callan further, but I no longer wanted to listen.

I looked at the man before me, the one I had once deeply loved, and suddenly felt he was a complete stranger.

I reached out and pushed his shoulder. "Get out of the car." Zane froze.

"I told you to get out." I wiped away my tears, struggling to keep my voice steady. "I don't want to be with you right now." Zane's face darkened. 

"Nadia, don't make a scene." 

Hearing that, I suddenly laughed.

“See, even now, you still think I'm just making a scene.”

My hand pushed toward the car door again. "Get out." The next second, the atmosphere inside the car froze completely.

The screech of brakes suddenly rang out.

The harsh sound of tires scraping against the ground followed, along with Zane's furious roar and the screams of passersby.

By the time I came to my senses, the car was only a few centimeters away from the guardrail.

I stood frozen in place, my hands clutching my stomach protectively, my entire body trembling.

In that moment, I even thought both my child and I would die here.

A sharp pain shot through my abdomen, as if something had violently seized my body.

"My baby..." I murmured under my breath, my face instantly turning pale.

Zane's face was also drained of all color.

In that moment of losing control, he instinctively reached out to shield me.

Once the car stopped, he immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and anxiously checked on me. His hand gently rested on my shoulder, his eyes full of panic.

"Nadia, are you okay? Does your stomach hurt? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?"

"We're going to the hospital right now." At that moment, looking at his anxious expression, a faint glimmer of hope stirred within me. He still cared about me. Those hurtful words he'd just said were probably only because he cared too much about Callan and had momentarily lost his reason.

He hadn't meant to hurt me. I opened my mouth, about to tell him that my stomach hurt badly, when just then, Zane's phone rang.

He glanced down at the screen. It was Callan.

In the next second, the worry on his face instantly shifted.

As soon as the call connected, Callan’s voice came through, choked with tears.

“Zane, where are you?My car broke down, I’m alone by the roadside, I’m so scared… No one’s here to help me, I don’t know what to do.”

Zane’s expression instantly tensed. He glanced at the location on his phone, his brows furrowing tightly.

I grabbed his hand. “Zane…” My voice trembled with pain. “My stomach hurts badly. The baby might have been frightened just now.” 

“Callan can call the police or ask for roadside assistance. But right now, I need you.” I looked at him, hoping he would choose me like a husband should. Just this once.

But the next second, he slowly pulled his hand back.

"Nadia, Callan doesn't have a car right now." 

I froze. "What?" 

Zane avoided my gaze. "She's alone near the highway. It's dangerous. She needs someone to pick her up." I stared at him in disbelief.

Zane was silent for a few seconds.

Then he said something I would never forget.

"Get out of the car first." My mind went completely blank.

"Nadia, get out of the car first." His tone left no room for argument. "I'll drive the car over to Callan." 

I stared at him, wondering if I had heard him correctly.

"You're leaving me here?" My voice trembled with every word. "I'm carrying your cub. This is a highway." 

He frowned. "I'm not abandoning you. You can call for roadside assistance, or have someone else pick you up. But Callan needs the car right now." 

In that moment, I felt as if a knife had been stabbed straight through my chest.

So in his heart, the choice between her and me had never required a moment's hesitation.

Clutching my aching belly, He helped me out of the car.

The wind blew across the highway as massive vehicles roared past.

My body trembled incessantly from fear and pain.

"Zane..." I called his name one last time. "Are you really leaving?" He paused for a second, but in the end, he turned and got back into the car.

He didn't look back.