Chapter 3. I Choose Myself

Sophie hated being there. The smell of disinfectant and chemicals made her stomach churn. Yet, she could only fidget with her fingers while waiting for her turn. Maddy had come with her, sitting quietly beside her. Then Maddy reached for her hand, and Sophie flinched slightly in surprise.

“It’s okay,” Maddy whispered.

Sophie said nothing. She closed her eyes, trying to convince herself this was all just a dream. But when she opened them again, the hospital hallway remained unchanged.

Instead of going to the office, she had asked Maddy to take her to another hospital to check on her pregnancy. All this time, she had believed she was pregnant. That was the reason Cassidy married her. He wanted to take responsibility.

But now, after the phone call from his mistress, an uneasy feeling refused to leave her. Until she could prove the truth, she wished she were wrong. She already loved this baby. She didn’t want to lose it.

“Mrs. Belgenza?”

Sophie gasped and quickly stood up. Maddy followed. Gently, Maddy guided her toward the nurse who had called her name.

“I—”

“The doctor wants to talk to you, ma’am.”

A frown formed on Sophie’s face. Talk to her? About what?

“Did something happen?” Maddy asked, sensing Sophie’s hesitation.

The nurse only gave a polite smile before turning and opening the door.

Sophie glanced at Maddy, who nodded and squeezed her fingers briefly, offering silent encouragement. Then she stepped inside. After taking a seat in front of the doctor, she noticed his smile, though it felt coerced. Her heart pounded so loudly she could almost hear it.

“What happened to me?” she asked softly.

“I’m sorry, but you are not pregnant, Mrs. Belgenza.”

Sophie froze. She wasn’t prepared for something like this. It felt as if a massive weight had been thrown at her without warning. The impact was crushing.

The doctor handed her the results. She stared at them, frowning in confusion. What was this?

“Did I have a miscarriage, Doctor?” she asked, her voice heavy with emotion, tears threatening to fall as she looked at the ultrasound.

He shook his head.

“I think there may have been a misdiagnosis by your previous OB-GYN. May I know the name of your doctor, ma’am? Perhaps I know him.”

Her throat tightened. Confusion clouded her mind, yet she forced herself to answer. “Paul Gartain,” she said quietly.

Her thoughts drifted to the carefully constructed lie Cassidy had told her. How could he do this? And why? Questions struck her one after another, leaving her breathless.

The doctor paused, thinking, then nodded.

“Here’s what we can do. We can run a blood test, and I will prepare a report based on the results to confirm whether you are truly not pregnant. After that, it will be up to you whether you want to file a lawsuit or report the previous test as fraud.”

Sophie stared at him blankly. Her mind refused to work.

“If you decide to take legal action or report this to the police, I’m willing to testify as a witness,” the doctor added.

She remained silent, staring at him, unsure how to respond. She wasn’t ready to fight back yet. Slowly, she nodded. All she wanted was to go home. Everything felt suffocating.

Memories flooded her mind. How had Cassidy shown her pregnancy tests and even an ultrasound? Now, things that were apparently fake? It was too much. None of it made sense. She left the room to take the blood test and complete the examination. She needed proof, even if she didn’t know what she would do with it.

Afterward, she returned to Maddy, who was waiting anxiously.

“What did the doctor say?” Maddy asked.

“I’m not pregnant.” The words barely came out. Her voice trembled.

Maddy gasped, staring at her in shock. Tears slipped down Sophie’s cheeks, unnoticed.

“He asked me to take a blood test and file a complaint.”

Maddy looked stunned, struggling to respond. After a moment, she pulled Sophie into a tight embrace.

“Why did he do this to me?” Sophie’s voice broke as she tried to hold back her tears.

“Let’s wait for the results first…” Maddy said after a while.

Sophie didn’t answer. She just cried. Maddy held her, gently rubbing her back. When Sophie’s legs weakened, Maddy caught her and helped her sit down, continuing to comfort her.

After an hour, the doctor returned with the results and explained everything again, more clearly this time. He told her she had been taking contraceptive pills that had stopped her periods and affected her mood. The more he explained, the more nauseous she felt, but she remained silent.

According to the report, there was no evidence of sexual intercourse. For a moment, Sophie thought she had misheard. A bitter laugh almost escaped her lips. Unable to bear it any longer, she turned and walked away. Maddy handled the administrative matters while Sophie waited in the parking lot.

Shame weighed heavily on her. Her thoughts were scattered. She barely felt her feet as she walked, unable to hear anything around her. What if everything just went dark? What if it all disappeared? Then she wouldn’t have to feel this pain.

“Ahk!”

She stumbled suddenly, losing her balance. At first, her eyes shut tightly. Pain shot through her leg. She gasped and slowly opened her eyes. She was still alive.

“Are you okay?”

A voice reached her ears—faint at first, then clearer. The next thing she realized, she was sitting on a concrete block in the parking lot. Moments later, Maddy rushed toward her. At first, Sophie didn’t understand what had happened. Then it hit her—she had been accidentally hit by a car.

“Oh my God, are you okay? Where were you going?” Maddy’s voice trembled.

Another woman—the one who had spoken earlier—kept checking on her anxiously.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you coming,” the woman said nervously.

“It’s okay… I’m okay,” Sophie whispered weakly.

The woman still looked worried.

“Thank you for helping my friend,” Maddy said.

The woman shook her head quickly. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry. What if we sort this out? I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“No problem. I’m okay.”

Even so, the woman continued to check on her, clearly uneasy.

“How about we grab a coffee?”

Maddy sighed softly before nodding. Soon, they got into their cars and left the parking lot, heading to a café. There, the woman introduced herself.

“My name is Charlotte Harper. And I hope you won’t sue me for what happened.”

Sophie gave a faint smile and shook her head. “I already have enough problems to think about. It’s okay.”

Maddy smiled and extended her hand. “I’m Maddison. You can call me Maddy. I’m Sophie’s best friend. And this is Sophie,” she said, introducing her.

Charlotte greeted them warmly. Before they could continue talking, Sophie’s phone rang. She glanced at them before pulling it out of her purse. The moment she saw the caller ID, she scoffed.

It was Cassidy. Fury surged inside her. She almost slammed the phone onto the table. Charlotte frowned slightly, but Sophie didn’t care.

“Who is it?” Maddy asked carefully.

Without answering, Sophie picked up her ice cream and took a spoonful.

Suddenly, Charlotte leaned forward, staring at the phone. She grabbed it with a frown, her eyes fixed on the wallpaper.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Maddy snapped, clearly annoyed.

“Why is he on your phone? Is he the one who called you?”

Sophie turned to Maddy, both of them sharing the same confused expression.

“What do you mean? That’s my husband,” she said.

“Who is this?” she demanded. “Why is he on your phone?”

Sophie frowned, exchanging a confused look with Maddy.

“What do you mean?” she said slowly. “That’s my husband.”

Silence fell. Charlotte’s head snapped up. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked straight at Sophie.

“Your… husband?” she repeated disbelievingly. Then, her voice dropped, and she kept staring at Sophie as if she had made a mistake.

“No.” She shook her head, still staring at the phone like it didn’t make sense.

“That’s impossible.”

Sophie’s chest tightened. Charlotte looked back at her—this time with something far more serious in her eyes.

“He’s dating Angelica,” she said firmly. Her gaze didn’t waver.

Sophie froze. Everything inside her stopped.