Chapter 4

The rain poured down even harder than before, making the pain in my stomach even more noticeable.

A confirmation message popped up on the law firm's appointment page. I had scheduled a meeting for 3:00 pm the next day.

I stared at it for a long time, suddenly feeling like I finally had solid ground beneath my feet. It turned out that leaving someone didn't have to involve screaming and shouting.

I only needed to press the confirm button.

By the time I got home a little after 6:00 pm, I was already running a low-grade fever. I looked in the bathroom mirror and saw my face was deathly pale.

The rainwater on my skirt had dried and cooled, leaving the damp fabric clinging to my legs. It was as if it wanted to remind me how miserable I'd looked earlier.

Marcus' message remained at the top of my inbox. "I won't be calling at 7:00 pm. We have a project review after the meeting."

How ridiculous. He could take away even that half hour of my time at a moment's notice.

I flipped my phone over, not wanting to look at the message any longer, when I suddenly felt a heavy pain hit my lower abdomen.

It was different from my usual stomach pain. The ache was persistent and seemed to sink lower and lower, as if something inside me had come loose.

I leaned against the wall for a long time before finally managing to call an Uber to take me to the hospital.

The doctor looked over my test results. "You're six weeks pregnant."

I was stunned. My first reaction wasn't joy, but blankness.

Marcus and I hadn't sat down for a proper chat in a long while, let alone looked forward to having a child together. But I still couldn't help feeling a little hopeful as I held the test results in my hands. It was as if someone had suddenly struck a match in the dark.

The doctor's expression was grim, though. "Your condition is not stable. You'd better get your family to come over. You'll need to stay in the hospital tonight for observation. Don't overexert yourself or get too agitated."

I checked my phone and saw it was 6:47 pm. I only had to wait 13 more minutes before I could call Marcus.

But earlier, he'd told me not to wait for even that half hour.

I stared at the screen for a long while, and for the first time, I threw his rules to the wind.

But he didn't pick up the first time I called. The same thing happened the second time. On my third call, it rang until it disconnected automatically, and the screen dimmed again.

I gripped the test results, my fingers slowly turning cold. In the end, I messaged him.

"Marcus, I'm at the hospital."

After a long while, he replied, "What is it?"

My throat tightened. "It's a very important matter."

There was a brief silence. Then Marcus said, "We'll talk at 7:00 pm."

I stared at those words, suddenly feeling like even breathing hurt.

He saw my message, and he knew I was at the hospital. To him, even if something happened to me, it should fit into his schedule.

My phone vibrated at 7:00 pm. Marcus finally called me. His background was noisy, and it sounded like he was in a private dining room.

Cindy's voice reached my ear first. "Mr. Bane, I really can't drink any more."

Marcus replied, his voice low. "Don't force yourself. Hand me the glass."

I gripped the test results tightly and said, "Marcus, I'm at the hospital."

Marcus paused. "You already told me that in the message. It's 7:00 pm now. Get to the point."

I clenched my fists. "I'm preg…"

Cindy suddenly coughed, her voice choking with sobs. "Mr. Bane, did I cause you any trouble? Will Juniper be upset with me?"

Marcus sighed. "Juniper, I'm busy right now. The client is making Cindy drink. If it's not urgent, don't try to prove that you're important at moments like this."

I wanted to say something, but the pain in my lower abdomen suddenly intensified. I leaned against the corridor wall, cold sweat running down my forehead.

"Marcus, my stomach hurts."

"Go get a doctor. It'll be more useful than calling me," he said flatly.

The call ended. The screen showed it was 7:08 pm, but when I called Marcus again, he didn't pick up.

By the time the nurse found me, I was crouching outside the restroom, my skirt stained with blood. She quickly called for help, and I was wheeled into the emergency room, my phone still clutched in my hand.

The screen lit up, then went dark again. But no calls from Marcus came through.

When I woke up, it was almost dawn. The doctor stood beside my bed, his voice low. "I'm so sorry. We couldn't save the baby."

I stared at the white ceiling, tears in my eyes, but they didn't fall.

It turned out that when the pain ran deep enough, you couldn't even cry.

…

I returned to the house I shared with Marcus at 4:00 am.

The motion-sensor light in his study lit up as I placed the test results, the medical records, the ultrasound printout that never got to become a surprise, and my wedding ring one by one on his keyboard.

Then I opened our shared calendar and deleted the 7:00 pm half-hour slot that had repeated every day for three years.

A prompt popped up. "Delete all future events?"

I tapped "Confirm".

The last thing I did was type a single sentence in the remark column. "Marcus, you don't have to deal with me anymore. I'll get the lawyer to send you the divorce agreement.

"Also, our baby is gone. Don't worry, from the time he was conceived until we lost him, he never took up even a minute of your time."