Chapter 4 Appointment

A long line stretched in front of the registration desk at Cletcher Hospital. I leaned on the wall for support as I dragged myself there. With all my remaining strength, I handed my marriage certificate to a nurse. I was shaking.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Cletcher's wife. I need your help…" Another wave of something warm trickled down my legs.

The nurse noticed how pale I looked and led me to a chair. "A moment. We'll set you up."

I leaned on the back of the chair and breathed heavily. Harold might be scum, but the baby was innocent.

Someone suddenly yanked me out of the chair. "We run a respectable business here! We can't treat you!" The nurse glared at me, holding my torn marriage certificate.

Another nurse pouted. "She's probably pregnant with some random man's child. The certificate is fake. She pretended to be Mr. Cletcher's family just to skip the line."

I stiffened up. The certificate was fake. That man had lied to me even about this. I hung my head low in humiliation. "Then I'll go through the normal process," I said hoarsely as I handed her my card.

The nurse swiped it and snickered. "You want surgery when you don't have a single cent on you? Maybe you should've thought twice before you opened your legs to that guy."

That card held the pay Harold gave me every month. It could not be empty. My whole body began to shake.

Then Harold called. "Every cent you spend has to go through Wendy's approval. That's your lesson."

I was shivering violently. "But the baby…"

He hung up. Even the nurse seemed unable to watch any longer. "Your sponsor dumped you? See if you can sell any of your possessions."

I looked at the designer bag Harold gave me during our wedding anniversary. "Here. It's a limited-edition foreign brand. It should be enough."

The nurse took it, and her lips twitched. "Are you blind? The paint peels right away. It's fake."

I laughed and laughed until tears blurred my vision. Yes, I had been blind. Then a crushing pain swept through me. I curled in on myself, feeling the last bit of the tiny life inside of me leave piece by piece.

It was late at night when I came home, and the lights were blinding. Harold handed me a bowl of chicken soup.

"I was just about to pick you up. Wendy made this for you. Have a sip."

I stared at the bowl, and my stomach churned. Then I threw up all over Harold.

His face fell. "Forget about being a godmother. Wendy's taking care of the baby after it's born."

Wendy strode over and held my arm. "Please, no. He just wants the best for you. I spent a whole afternoon making that. At least have a sip.'

She dug her nails into my flesh where no one was looking, and the pain made my gasp.

Quietly, Wendy hissed, "Make sure you give birth to the baby. Your son's not weak because of the premature birth, but because I'd been drugging him. He's not going to live for too long, so give me a new toy to play with.

"Why… Why do I have to suffer my husband's death while you get to have a family? Why do you get to have your own children while I can't have mine?"

I raised my shaking hand. One thought filled my head. I wanted to tear this woman apart. Before my hand could land, something cold stabbed through my belly. It was a knife. Nate stood in front of me and showed off to Wendy like a child wanting praise.

"I stabbed this baldy and got revenge for you, Mom! I swear I'll protect you with my life, just like uncle has sworn!"

Harold covered Nate's mouth immediately, then he rushed in and kicked me away. I crashed into the coffee table's corner, and the pain made me curl. "You madwoman! You're turning this household upside down!"

Then he turned to the secretary. "Take her to the asylum and get her sedated! I spoiled her too much! She's going to be the wife of a chairman soon. That temper of hers must be corrected."

I watched them leave. Tears slid down my face, hot and bitter.

That night, for some reason, Harold felt unusually restless. He was about to call his secretary to put more food on my menu, but someone called him first.

It was Larry, someone from the company. "Your appointment letter's here."

Harold asked, "Which branch am I going to? I have to bring Elizabeth with me. She's pregnant."

Larry stammered, "It's… It's a new position." He took a deep breath. "It's an agricultural tech company under us. You'll be assigned to a chicken farm. Your main duty will be defeathering chickens."