Chapter 3

Olivia stood up, letting out a mocking laugh. "Let's make a bet. The person he cares about now is me!"

With that, she threw herself backward and tumbled down toward the stairs. Instinctively, I reached out to grab her.

The voice of a man cut through. "Olivia!"

Brian, who was supposed to be at his office, burst through the front door. He caught her at the very last second, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Olivia's face had gone deathly pale as she clutched his collar. She whimpered, "Brian, I don't know how Lena found out about this place. Don't blame her. None of this is her fault. She only did it because she loves you too much."

Brian looked up, glaring intensely at me. "Lena, why are you here?"

I stared back, not yielding an inch. "I should be asking you the same question. Don't you have anything you want to explain to me?"

His eyes flickered with guilt. But suddenly, Olivia struggled out of his embrace and bowed to me.

"Mrs. Stanton, I'm sorry!" she said bitterly. "Please don't blame Brian. It's all my fault. I couldn't bear to lose my child, so I begged him to let the baby live. If you want to blame someone, blame me!"

She raised her hand and began slapping herself—a scene that made Brian's heart ache.

He hauled her back up and roared at me, "Enough, Lena! All these years, I've been walking on eggshells just to accommodate you! I've already failed Olivia and our child. I won't keep hurting them just for your sake."

He bent down, scooped Olivia up in his arms, and carried her out. I watched their retreating figures, utterly silent.

...

At the hospital, Esther squeezed my hand. "Are you sure about this?"

I closed my eyes, my hand resting gently on my lower abdomen. "I don't want my child to grow up in a broken home."

I released Esther's hand and walked straight toward the operating room, never once looking back.

...

At home, Brian was sitting on the sofa.

Hearing me walk in, he shot to his feet, rushed over in a few quick strides, and wrapped his arms around me.

"Lena, where did you go?" he said eagerly. "I've been waiting for you for so long."

I wasn't in the mood to care why he was suddenly back. I simply pushed him away. "If you're here to interrogate me, just get on with it. Cut the act."

Brian released his embrace, but his hands moved to grip my shoulders, his eyes alight with hope. "I saw the pregnancy test in your bag. You're pregnant! We're finally going to have our own child!"

He smiled like an idiot, reaching his hand out toward my belly. I took a step back, leaving his hand hovering in mid-air. Yet, his excitement didn't wane. "You have no idea how ecstatic I am. This is the symbol of our love."

"The symbol of our love?" The words felt sickeningly ironic.

I quietly pulled an envelope from my bag and placed it on the coffee table. Brian froze, then opened the envelope to find a surgical consent form inside.

Printed across the page were the words: [Termination of Pregnancy Procedure. Patient: Lena Stanton.]

The smile vanished from his face as his skin turned completely pale. He looked up at me, his lips trembling for a long moment before he managed to squeeze out a single sentence.

"You got rid of our child?"

I didn't say a word.

He lost control, roaring at me, "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you do this?"

I stared back at him, my voice perfectly level. "Because I didn't want him to grow up in an unhappy home."

For five years, he had been submissive in front of me. I had truly believed I could trick myself into pretending none of it had ever happened.

I had swallowed my absolute disgust to play the part of a perfect, doting wife. Yet, the moment I saw Olivia and that boy, beneath all the grief, a wave of profound relief had washed over me.

Finally, the charade was over.

Brian collapsed, his voice trembling violently. "Lena, hit me, scream at me, please... We're still young. Even if this baby is gone, we can have another one."

He wrapped his arms tightly around my legs, crying out in desperation. This scene was identical to the one five years ago, but my heart wouldn't soften again.

I looked down at him. "Do you really think I'm foolish enough to trip over the same stone twice?"

He shook his head frantically. "No! No, Lena, the one I love is you! They... were just an accident!"

I took out the divorce agreement from my bag and laid it right in front of him. "Let's end this, Brian. I'll let your family be whole. Now, let me go."