Chapter 6

Spencer replied without even thinking, "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be excited, when it's the child that my beautiful wife is bringing into this world? I'm planning on buying a bigger house for us, so we can have room for a nursery. It'll be perfect. The renovation will be complete by the time the baby arrives, and he or she will have all the toys they want."

Spencer's eyes were glinting with excitement. Then, a moment later, he snapped out of his stupor to bump his nose gently against Nikita's face. "Thank you for everything, darling. You've had it rough lately, but I promise I'll do everything I can to take care of you."

Nikita did not reply.

Ever since returning from the luncheon, Spencer became more doting. He would turn down meetings just so he could go home and spend more time with Nikita. The change came so abruptly that everyone soon realized what was going on. Word on the street was that aside from being obsessed with his wife, Spencer was also a devoted father to his unborn child. People teased him, but in secret, they admired his devotion.

Nikita was the only person who knew Spencer's whole heart was not with her.

One morning, Spencer and Nikita just came home from a walk outside. Half an hour later, he had to leave, feigning that that was an urgent meeting he had to attend. Nikita, however, received a text message soon after his departure. It was a photo of Queenie and Spencer's hands entwined, along with a message that read, [Do you honestly think you have Spencer all to yourself? The truth is, whenever he's not around, he's always with me.]

That afternoon, Spencer returned home to cook Nikita her lunch. It was soured by another message from Queenie. [So what if you're his wife? I'm his mistress, but he cooks for me just like he does you.]

He promised Nikita that he would not stay even a single night away from her. Therefore, he made sure to have some fun with Queenie before returning home. Almost every evening, Nikita would receive messages from Queenie, accompanied by pictures of the two of them in bed. That day, it was one of Queenie and Spencer lying together naked, with Spencer's arm draped around Queenie's shoulder. There was a bite mark on Spencer's neck, with an apt message from Queenie, [Your man is mine, too.]

Nikita never replied, but she made sure to save every last one of the photos and messages.

On the morning of June 15, Nikita said to Spencer, "Darling, I want to visit the university today."

Nikita and Spencer met during their senior year of grad school. They were not from the same majors but crossed paths because they shared a mutual mentor. The very same mentor gave a tear-jerking toast at their wedding.

Nikita wanted to take him to the place where they first met. It would be a full circle moment to end things where they started.

Spencer froze when he heard this, but he replied without hesitation, "Of course we can, darling."

He drove them to the university, but they barely reached the gates when his phone rang. He glanced at the number, then stepped out of the car to take the call. A few minutes later, he returned, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, darling. Something urgent has come up at the office, and I'll need to check on it. Can you wait for me here? You can stroll around the campus. I promise I'll be back soon."

Unbeknownst to him, Nikita was at that moment being bombarded with messages from Queenie.

[What gives you the right to keep Spencer to yourself? He should be with me at this very moment!]

Nikita did not have words to describe how she felt at that moment. Was she disappointed? Perhaps, but the truth was, she was disappointed long ago.

She nodded coolly, then got out of the car. Spencer watched her enter the university compound. He did this over a hundred times, but for some reason, watching Nikita leave this time made him nervous. It was as if he would never see her again, but it did not make any sense.

Queenie was still blowing up his phone with her calls, so he had no choice but to put the thought behind him. He rushed to her place as fast as his car could take him.

Meanwhile, Nikita strolled over to the notice board at the university's main building. Spencer was one of the university's most famous alumni, so naturally, his photo was right at the top. It was a photo of him when he was younger. His handsomeness was refreshing. Staring at the photo, for a moment there Nikita almost got fooled into thinking this was still the man she loved.

She stared at the photo for a few moments before whispering, "This is the end, Spencer."

Then, she turned and left. She hailed a taxi to the hospital, arriving at exactly 2 pm on the dot.

She soon found herself lying on the cold operating table, where she spoke to her unborn child for the very last time. "I'm sorry, baby. I was looking forward to meeting you, but I can't bear bringing you into this world knowing that you would have a cheating man for a father. I can't do this to you. I'm sorry. Goodbye, baby."

Silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

An hour later, she awoke again, frail and pale-faced. Her flesh and blood were ripped out of her body, but she knew she made the right decision. Her mind was still sharp.

She took out her phone and realized that Queenie was still sending her scathing texts. It seemed that Spencer was still with her. Relieved, Nikita returned to the house. She found the envelope she gave Spencer, tucked the pregnancy termination consent form into the envelope, and then resealed it. She looked around one last time at the house she called home for years, then left without so much as a second glance.

She would never return.