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Chapter 2

Author: First Snow
The next morning, I sat alone in the obstetrics and gynecology wing of the hospital.

All around me were couples leaning against each other. Some husbands carried water bottles for their wives. Others gently massaged their wives’ legs.

I looked down at the registration slip clenched in my hand.

Lucas hadn't come. Half an hour earlier, Winona had called him because the strings on her brand-new cello had snapped, cutting her finger.

Lucas hadn't even finished putting on his coat before rushing out.

“Winny's all alone here. I can't leave her by herself.”

He stood by the front door, changing his shoes, a trace of urgency in his voice. “You can take a cab to the hospital yourself. Make sure you get a receipt.

“We'll split the fare when you get back.”

The door closed behind him.

I hadn't even had the chance to say that the doctor told me I had to fast for the blood test today, and I was already a little dizzy.

My name flashed across the waiting-room screen. I took a deep breath and walked into the exam room.

The doctor studied my ultrasound results, her brows drawing together.

“Nancy Shore, right?” She adjusted her glasses and continued, “Your situation isn't looking very good.”

My heart sank. My fingers instinctively tightened around the hem of my clothes.

“Your uterine wall is naturally much thinner than average.”

She pointed to the image on the screen. “The baby is still very small right now. But by the third trimester...

“As the baby grows, there's a risk that your uterus could rupture at any time. If that happens, it can lead to severe internal bleeding.”

The doctor looked up at me, her expression grave. “My recommendation is to terminate the pregnancy and prioritize your safety.”

The room fell silent except for the steady beeping of the medical equipment.

I rested a hand over my still-flat stomach. There was a tiny heartbeat inside me.

“What if I don't?”

I heard how badly my own voice was trembling.

“Then it would be like carrying a ticking time bomb.”

The doctor sighed. “You would need extremely careful monitoring and expensive medication to help maintain the pregnancy.

“And you would need to be prepared for the possibility of emergency surgery at any point.”

I walked out of the exam room with my medical records in hand. The sunlight outside was so blinding I could hardly keep my eyes open.

I took out my phone and called Lucas. It rang for a long time before he finally answered. In the background, I could hear Winona's sweet, girlish laughter.

“What is it?” Lucas sounded distracted.

“Lucas, the doctor said…”

I paused, swallowing the bitterness in my throat. “My health isn't great. I may need some imported medication to help maintain the pregnancy.”

“That isn't covered in our expenses agreement.”

There was a two-second silence on the other end. Then Lucas answered in that same calm, rational voice, “Nance, we just went over the agreement last night. And now you want to break the rules?”

I leaned against the cold hospital wall.

“I'm not breaking the rules. The doctor said that without this medication, I could lose the baby. And I could be in danger too.”

Lucas gave a soft laugh, as though what I had just told him was ridiculous.

“You always exaggerate everything. It can't possibly be that serious. Doctors these days always make the risks sound worse than they are.

“They're just protecting themselves from liability.”

He paused before continuing, “Besides, I just paid Winny's medical bill at the private hospital. I don't have much cash flow left this month.

“If you insist on buying those expensive medications, I'll say the same thing as before. I can lend you the money, and the interest still applies.”

Winona's voice floated through the phone. “Lucas, this bandage is so ugly.”

His voice immediately softened. “Hey, don't move. You'll make it bleed again.”

I hung up. No breakdown, no tears.

I simply slipped my phone back into my pocket and walked back into the exam room.

“Doctor, just prescribe me the generic medication.”

I watched the surprise spread across her face.

“I don't have much money. But I'll do everything I can to keep this baby.”

I walked out of the hospital. As I passed an insurance company's office, I slowed to a stop.

After a moment's hesitation, I pushed open the glass door and walked inside.

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  • Going Dutch Was A Farce   Chapter 9

    The next morning, Lucas stormed into Harris’s law firm.Desperate for even one chance to see me, he did something almost insane. He willingly signed a property transfer agreement that left him with nothing.He signed over every property, every penny of savings, and every stock in his name to me—completely no strings attached.“Give it all to her… I don’t want anything. I just want her to let me apologize to her in person. I just want her to let me be a father to our daughter…”He sat on the law firm’s floor, covering his face as he sobbed.After signing away everything, however, the only response he got from Harris was cold and final.“Ms. Shore has received everything. She says she still doesn’t want to see you.”Lucas had destroyed his entire life, along with the love he had once taken for granted.Half a month later, Lucas had nothing left. Like a homeless vagrant, he waited outside the recovery retreat with nowhere else to go.He didn’t dare make a scene. He was afraid of

  • Going Dutch Was A Farce   Chapter 8

    With a deafening bang, the hospital room door was suddenly flung open.I was leaning against the headboard, drinking the bone broth my caregiver was feeding me.Lucas rushed inside with his crooked tie and disheveled hair. He had even lost one of his shoes somewhere along the way.The polished, superior image of the elite professional he usually carried was completely gone.“Nance!”He lunged to the side of the bed, his eyes bloodshot, clutching the insurance policy and medical report tightly in his hands.“Why didn’t you tell me?!” His voice trembled with unmistakable fear.“Why didn’t you tell me something this serious was happening?!”I swallowed the mouthful of broth and waved for the caregiver to step aside. Then I looked at him with complete calm.“I did tell you.” My voice was flat.“Three months ago, I called you and told you I needed to buy medication to keep the pregnancy going. You said I was exaggerating and that I was only trying to break our going Dutch agreemen

  • Going Dutch Was A Farce   Chapter 7

    By the time Lucas got home, it was already noon. The house was eerily quiet, stripped of its usual liveliness.He changed his shoes and walked into the living room and, out of habit, was about to call out for me to bring him a glass of water.The words caught in his throat when he remembered that I was still in the hospital. He shook his head, thinking that I had really let this argument drag on far too long this time.“When she gets discharged, I’ll take her somewhere nice to eat.”He muttered to himself as he walked toward the master bedroom and pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand.There was no hospital bag inside. Only a brown paper envelope lying quietly in the otherwise empty drawer.Lucas frowned. He picked up the envelope and casually unwound the string.The contents slipped out, scattering across the carpet. The top item was an ultrasound report and a medical diagnosis from three months ago.Lucas picked them up without much thought, and his eyes skimmed o

  • Going Dutch Was A Farce   Chapter 6

    The next morning, sunlight streamed through the blinds into the hospital room.The first thing I did after opening my eyes was press the call button beside my bed, and a nurse came in shortly after.“How are you feeling? Does the incision still hurt?”“I’m okay.” My voice was hoarse.“Could you raise the head of the bed a little for me?”I leaned against the headboard, picked up my phone, and opened my banking app. I transferred the few hundred dollars I had left in my account, along with the twenty thousand dollars I'd secretly saved over the past few months for the baby's birth, all into Lucas's account.[Transfer amount: $20,500.00. Note: Half of the surgery bill, plus the divorce fee. No need to give me anything back.]I tapped Confirm.When the words [Transfer successful] appeared on the screen, I let out a long breath, as though I'd finally shed the shackles I'd been carrying for the past three years.Half an hour later, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open.

  • Going Dutch Was A Farce   Chapter 5

    The surgical lights were so bright I could barely keep my eyes open.Cold, a bone-deep cold. My entire body felt as if I were lying in a freezer. Blood was pouring out of me, completely beyond my control.“Her blood pressure is still dropping! Systolic is down to sixty!”There was an unmistakable panic in the anesthesiologist's voice.“The front wall of the uterus has completely ruptured. She's already lost more than fifty ounces of blood!”The surgeon's hands were covered in blood.“Quick! Get blood from the blood bank! Start a rapid transfusion!”I lay strapped to the operating table, my limbs secured in place. My consciousness wavered between wakefulness and oblivion.With every heartbeat came the hollow sensation that my life was slowly draining away.“Ma'am! Stay with us! Don't fall asleep!”The nurse gently but firmly tapped my cheek. “Think about your baby! You have to keep fighting!”My baby. My fingers twitched slightly. In this entire world, the only thing I st

  • Going Dutch Was A Farce   Chapter 4

    Lucas slept in the master bedroom while I moved into the guest room.His reason was that he was already exhausted from working hard during the day and couldn't afford to have his sleep disturbed whenever I got up during the night.“We split the rent fifty-fifty.”He'd stood in the doorway of the guest room back then, thoughtfully helping me make the bed.“But since you're staying in the guest room, I'll deduct two hundred dollars from your share of rent each month. Consider it a little accommodation for a pregnant woman.”Today was my thirty-eighth-week prenatal appointment.Outside, rain was pouring. I struggled into my raincoat and made my way into the living room, one hand against the wall for support.Lucas was standing in front of the mirror in an impeccably tailored designer suit, adjusting his tie.“Lucas.”I held my lower back, breathing heavily.“The rain is too bad. I can't get a ride. Can you take me to the hospital?”Lucas glanced at me through the mirror. His br

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