Chapter 5: When Hope Begins to Fade

I shook my head.

"No, he hasn't."

"You should tell him to get tested too. Both of you need to cooperate if you want to figure out what's happening," the doctor advised.

"Okay. Thank you, Doctor. I'll be leaving now."

I rose from the chair, clutching my bag.

"All right. Goodbye, Mrs Black."

I managed a small smile before turning away.

I'd heard the same thing over and over again. My results were always normal, yet I still hadn't conceived. Adrian claimed he was perfectly healthy, and my test results showed that nothing was wrong with me.

So what was the problem?

When will I finally prove to everyone that I'm more than just a decoration?

Tears blurred my vision as I walked down the hospital corridor.

"Why is she crying?" a woman nearby asked her companion.

"Who knows? Perhaps she's one of those girls who get pregnant before marriage and end up regretting their actions," the other woman replied.

I stopped.

Their words stung, but how could I explain something they knew nothing about?

If only that were my problem.

At least then, I would have known I could get pregnant.

Instead, I had spent months hoping and praying for something that never happened.

My knees weakened, and I bent forward, wrapping my arms around myself as I rested my head on them. The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

My phone rang, but I didn't bother checking the screen. Whoever was calling could wait. At that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care about anything.

"Mira?"

A voice called out nearby.

"Wait! Is that Mira? Mira!"

I slowly lifted my head.

Chloe.

The moment she recognized me, she hurried over and pulled me into her arms.

"Mira, what's wrong? Is everything all right?"

Her concern only made it harder to hold back my tears.

"Chloe, I'm tired," I sobbed. "I'm so tired."

She rubbed my back gently.

"Tired of what? What happened?"

"It's the same result again."

She pulled back slightly to look at me.

"Then shouldn't you be happy? The doctor said you're fine, didn't he?"

"What's there to be happy about?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Every time I go for a test, they tell me the same thing. I'm perfectly fine, but I still haven't felt a single movement in my womb. I haven't even been pregnant once."

Chloe gently lifted my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes.

"Mira, are you the one who creates children?"

I sniffled and shook my head.

"Then leave God to work."

I stared at her helplessly.

"Even so, I'm supposed to be the one carrying the baby. But it's not happening, Chloe!" My voice rose as the frustration I'd buried for so long spilled out. "Every day, people are getting pregnant, giving birth, having twins and celebrating their babies. Everyone seems to get that chance except me. I haven't even been pregnant once. What's happening to me?"

Chloe tapped my forehead lightly.

"All right, big head. Stop crying. Everything will be fine."

She wiped a tear from my cheek before giving me a stern look.

"Is this why you've been ignoring my calls? Even Aunty's calls? Your mother is really worried about you, you know."

I lowered my eyes.

"I wasn't in the mood to talk."

"Well, you can't keep shutting everyone out. Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm sure you haven't eaten anything today."

I hesitated before nodding.

"Okay."

I wiped my face and followed her.

*****

At the Restaurant 

"What would you like to have, miss?" the server asked.

"Fried rice and an iced Americano, please," Chloe answered for me.

I was too lost in my thoughts to pay attention to the menu.

Once the server left, Chloe leaned forward and studied me.

"Mira, what's really happening? Talk to me. Don't let this get you depressed. I don't want my godchild to have an unhappy mother, okay? You need to take care of yourself, too."

She paused, her expression growing serious.

"And why are you carrying this burden alone? Isn't Adrian responsible for this as well? He should be going to the hospital with you. What kind of husband leaves his wife to deal with something like this alone?"

Her voice grew sharper with every word.

"If I hadn't run into you at the hospital, would you have stayed there crying by yourself? I swear, I need to tell Aunty how badly her son-in-law is treating you!"

She snatched up her phone, looking ready to make the call immediately.

"No! Don't, Chloe!"

I quickly reached across the table and took the phone from her hand.

Before she could argue, the server returned with our food.

"Here you are, ma'am."

"Thank you," Chloe and I said at the same time.

The server smiled and left.

"All right, eat something first," Chloe said, handing me the cutlery. "We'll talk after you've had a proper meal."

I nodded and picked up my fork.

Just as I was about to take my first bite, my phone rang.

Adrian.

I answered immediately.

"Hello?"

"Mira, please prepare a good meal this evening. I'm bringing some important business associates home for dinner."

That was all he said.

He didn't ask whether I was still at the hospital, whether I'd received my results, or even whether I was feeling better.

He simply called to tell me what he wanted.

"All right," I replied.

The call ended almost immediately.

I stared at my phone for a moment before putting it down.

"Who was that?" Chloe asked.

"Adrian," I answered quickly. "He called to ask if I was home."

I hoped she wouldn't ask anything else.

If I told her what he'd actually said, I knew she'd be furious all over again.

I'd never lifted a finger when I lived with my parents. Whenever I wanted to do something myself, the maids would insist on doing it for me.

Now, I was expected to spend hours in the kitchen preparing meals while my husband barely seemed to notice the effort.

But I kept that thought to myself.

"Good. So he can call you when he wants to," Chloe said sarcastically. "He's always too busy at work, isn't he? Sometimes I wonder if he married his business instead of you."

I lowered my eyes to my food.

"And you!" She pointed at me. "You don't want to hear a single bad word about him. Who does he think he is? There are thousands of businessmen out there who would put their wives first and treat them like they matter."

I looked at Chloe as she spoke, unsure what to say.

She sighed when she noticed my expression.

"All right, I'm sorry. But honestly, Mira, you remind me so much of Ruth sometimes."

I blinked.

"Ruth?"

"Yes, Ruth! Always making excuses for a man, no matter what he does."

I let out a quiet sigh.

"Let's just eat, Chloe."

She shook her head but finally picked up her fork.

I began eating, though I barely tasted the food.

Her words kept echoing in my mind.

Did Adrian really not put me first?

I pushed the thought away almost as soon as it surfaced.

No. I was probably overthinking things.

Once his company was stable and had a solid foundation, everything would be different. He would have more time for me, and we could finally enjoy our marriage the way I'd always imagined.

Everything will be fine once his company is on the right track.

I repeated the thought to myself, desperately hoping I'd believe it.

*****

An Hour Later

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at my place tonight and clear your head?" Chloe asked as we stood beside my car.

I shook my head.

"No. Adrian might be worried if I don't come home."

Chloe gave me a look that suggested she didn't believe a word I'd said.

Still, she didn't argue.

"All right. But when Aunty calls, don't ignore her again. Better yet, call her yourself. She's really worried about you."

"I will."

She pulled me into another hug before stepping back.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will. Thank you, Chloe."

I got into the car, and the driver pulled away after we said our goodbyes.

*****

That Evening

I spent hours in the kitchen preparing dinner, determined to make everything perfect.

My mother-in-law kept coming in to check on me, reminding me not to ruin the meal and insisting that I cook something good enough for Adrian's important guests.

I swallowed my frustration and continued cooking.

When Adrian finally arrived, I was surprised to see him home earlier than usual. It was the first time in months that he'd returned at such an hour.

But my surprise quickly turned to shock when I saw the woman walking beside him.

I recognized her immediately.

She was the same woman I'd seen leaving the building with my lunch bag the day before.

My eyes flickered towards the door, expecting his business associates to follow.

Instead, Adrian walked straight towards me.

"Hey, Mira."

Before I could respond, he leaned forward and kissed me.

"Sorry you had to go through all that trouble," he said casually. "We've decided to move the dinner to another day."

I stared at him.

"We've decided?"

Then my gaze shifted to the woman standing beside him.

"Who is she?"

Adrian glanced at her as though he'd only just remembered she was there.

"Oh, right. Mira, meet my secretary."

"Your secretary?"

The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.

Since when had this woman become Adrian's secretary?

And why was this the first time I was hearing about her?

I looked between them, waiting for an explanation, but Adrian seemed completely unconcerned by my reaction.

I swallowed my questions.

Then, as though nothing unusual had happened, he asked, "How was the test?"

I froze.

He was asking me about my medical results in front of a woman I'd never met before?

"Good," I answered quietly.

Adrian nodded.

"That's good."

But before I could say anything else, my mother-in-law spoke from behind us.

"It's always good, yet we still have no child."

I turned towards her.

Mrs Black approached the woman beside Adrian, her expression changing as she looked her up and down.

"If you can't give my son a child, another woman will."

My breath caught.

Before I could respond, she turned to Adrian's secretary with sudden interest.

"What's your name, dear?"