Chapter 3

Cassandra's POV

The next morning, I saw Nathan and Jessica hugging each other as they slept on the couch when I opened the bedroom door.

Jessica was sound asleep as she burrowed into Nathan's embrace while Nathan had his arms wrapped around her. They were pressed close together.

I picked up the vase on the coffee table and smashed it against the floor. The deafening sound of exploding porcelain jolted them both awake.

Jessica was still sprawled on the couch in a daze, while Nathan had hastily scrambled to his feet. He nonchalantly said, "I assumed that you didn't want to see me because you were in a bad mood yesterday. That's why I moved to the couch.

"Jessica couldn't get used to sleeping on a bed that isn't hers. That's why she also slept on the couch. Somehow, we just… Anyway, you have nothing to worry about. Nothing happened between us."

Even Nathan knew how flimsy his excuses were. Jessica hastily put her clothes on before approaching me, wanting to lock arms with me.

I turned around and dodged her touch, shooting a cold glance at her. "Don't touch me."

Jessica's eyes immediately reddened. "You don't like that I stink of alcohol, Cassie? I just drank too much last night. Please be a little more understanding."

As I walked past her and headed toward the door, I said, "I already said that I'm done being understanding."

Nathan hurriedly grabbed me. "How much longer are you going to cause a fuss? Do you have to say such nasty things?"

He raised his voice before continuing, "I already told you that nothing happened. What more do you want?"

His tone was so self-righteous that he nearly managed to fool even himself.

"Let go of me," I hissed. "I'm going to the hospital."

Nathan's lips twitched. "Coincidentally, I need to go to work too, honey. I'll take you to your prenatal check-up."

He was completely oblivious to the fact that my prenatal check-up wasn't scheduled for that day.

I didn't say a single word during the car ride. Instead, I looked at the flight tickets that were available.

When Nathan noticed what I was doing, he said, "I've been wanting to go on a vacation too. Where do you want to go? Let me know."

"Nowhere. I'm just looking," I said lightly, locking my phone.

Truth be told, I had already booked a plane ticket to Mom's place. She once told me that she would always be my pillar of support no matter how far apart we were.

…

Nathan led me to the obstetrics department before turning around to head to his own workstation.

I went downstairs to the gynecology department.

The doctor frowned when he looked at my medical record. "You're quite far along. Why do you suddenly want to get an abortion?"

"I accidentally drank some white wine some time ago," I replied. "I'm worried that the baby might come out deformed."

It was a perfectly reasonable excuse.

The doctor gave me a once-over before preparing a full-body check-up for me. "Let's check whether the fetus has any deformities first. You can't have a regular abortion if it isn't."

I had no other choice but to comply.

However, when I returned to the consultation room, Nathan was waiting inside. The air around him was incredibly intimidating as he stepped forward and grasped my hand.

"Trying to get an abortion behind my back? Don't tell me that the next thing you're going to do is divorce me?"

The amount of force that he was exerting made my bones ache.

"Let me go!" I hissed through gritted teeth, glaring at him. "It's my right to decide whether I want to keep the child or get rid of it!"

Nathan's temper exploded upon hearing my words. "Your right? What do you take me for, Cassandra Jepson? Didn't you swear to protect our child?"

My mouth fell open. A long time passed before I finally said, "You also once swore to never treat Jessica. So, you're allowed to forget your vows, but I'm not given the same privilege?"

Nathan couldn't stand it when anyone used his own logic against him.

"You're still hung up over that?" he demanded, looking confused. "You only hate Jessie because her mother was your father's mistress, right? She was still a child at the time. She didn't understand what was going on. You shouldn't take your frustrations out on her.

"Besides, it's not like your mother is completely faultless even though your father was the one who cheated on her. You're just like her. You've never once stopped to reflect on your own behavior. You're as stubborn as a bull!"

The blood in my veins turned to ice.