Chapter 1: Results

Harvey's Pov

“It's not like that, Gigi. I know Derek has been acting weird these days but he promised me he won't do it anymore. I'm not getting a divorce, Gigi. I don't want to divorce Derek, I love him.” I said to the phone, trying to juggle holding shopping bags and my handbag all in one hand.

“Are you crazy, Harvey? He wants an open marriage! He told you that himself! If it's not because he wants to fool around with that bitch Olivia, why would he want an open marriage? Can't you see how close they are, it's not normal for a married man to be this close to another woman. Did you forget that he asked you to go out in the rain to buy medicine for that woman while you were sick yourself?!”

I rolled my eyes at her while trying to keep down the cough that was beginning to bubble in my throat, “And I told you it's not like that. Olivia is just a friend and she's also his coworker. It's normal for them to be that close. Besides, she helps him out in the office, if she's sick, it would cause him to stop making money.

“Harvey…”

“End of discussion, Gigi. If you're really my friend, then you'll support me and stop trying to talk me out of it. If you hadn’t always been this suspicious of everything when you were married, it wouldn't have ended up in a divorce.” I scolded, not thinking about the words I just said.

It wasn't until Gigi let out a soft pained gasp that I realised what I just said.

“So that's what you think of me, right?”

“No, Gigi, I didn't mean it like that.”

“Save it, Harvey,” Gigi’s voice cut through the line, icy and sharp. “If that’s really how you think of me, if you think my marriage ended just because I was ‘suspicious’, then there’s no use in us continuing to be friends.”

“Gigi, please, just listen…”

Click. The line went dead. Staring at my phone screen in disbelief, my fingers trembled as I quickly hit her contact photo to dial back. It rang three times before going straight to voicemail. I tried again, but this time it didn't even ring once. She had either blocked me or put her phone on Do Not Disturb.

I let out a heavy sigh, rubbing my temples as a wave of guilt washed over me. I’ll call her later and explain, I promised myself, trying to soothe the rising panic in my chest. Once she calms down, she’ll let me apologize.

Gigi and I have been friends for a very long time, childhood friends to be honest. But lately, the both of us had been arguing more. It all started when Derek, my husband said he wanted an open marriage and he wanted to explore more since we didn't have any children yet.

I told her about it and she got angry on my behalf. But he eventually explained things and said it was just a joke, he didn't mean anything by it. I know Gigi is just looking out for me but this is my marriage, I don't want it to end just because of some suspicions.

Pushing the argument to the back of my mind, I flagged down a passing taxi. I loaded the heavy grocery bags into the back seat and gave the driver my address. When I finally stepped through the front door of our apartment, it was silence that greeted me. The house was completely quiet. No coat hung on the rack, and Derek was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't home, he normally was home by this time.

I carried the groceries into the kitchen, setting them down on the counter. Pulling out my phone, I dialed his number and finally, on the fifth ring, the call connected.

"What is it, Harvey?" Derek’s voice was freezing, completely devoid of any warmth. "Why are you calling me? I told you to never call me when I'm at work. Do you want me to get fired?!”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to keep my voice steady. "Derek... I was just wondering when you're coming back. We need to go to the hospital for our checkup together. Today is the day of our doctor's appointment."

After my words, the only thing that came was silence. It sounded like he was thinking about it and hope flared up in my chest, maybe he had just forgotten about it.

But then, a heavy, irritated sigh came through the call, “Go by yourself. I'm too busy with work."

“But…” My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, "But Derek, you've been saying this for months! Every single time we have an appointment, you postpone it. We can't keep putting this off."

"Look, if you don't like it, then we can just get a divorce," he cut me off, his tone brutally casual. "After all, since you can't even get pregnant, there's no use for you anyway. There's nothing wrong with me so I'm sure the problem must be from you.”

The words felt like a physical blow to my chest. I bit my trembling lower lip, tears instantly stinging my eyes. "Derek, please... don't say things like that.”

"Don't disturb me, Harvey. When I'm ready, I'll go for the test. Until then, don't call me."

Before I could utter another word, the line went dead.

I slowly lowered my phone, my gaze drifting to the calendar hanging on the kitchen wall. Right there, circled in bright red ink, was today's date. Today wasn't just the day of our doctor's appointment. Today was also our third wedding anniversary.

I had bought all these groceries hoping he'd at least come home early so we could cook and celebrate together. Three years. We had been married for three years, and in all that time, I hadn't gotten pregnant. Not even once. His entire family as well as mine, blamed me for it, dropping passive-aggressive comments at every single family dinner.

The cough I had been keeping in finally erupted and loud coughs echoed throughout the kitchen. I quickly took out my handkerchief and covered my mouth, feeling warm liquid coming out of my throat.

I pulled the handkerchief from my mouth, my eyes widening upon seeing the blood.

I've been sick for a few months and it was getting worse. I had insomnia, migraines and my ears always rang. I even fainted a few times before. The doctor said they hadn't really found anything wrong with me and that it was just stress, if I took care of myself, I'd get better.

But instead, things were getting worse. But I don't have time for this, I needed to know why I wasn't pregnant yet.

Desperate to find a solution, I had started making these clinic appointments. But every single time, Derek found an excuse. A last-minute meeting that the CEO had said they should have, an emergency contract he needed to take care of, a sudden crisis at the office that needed his attention. But I couldn't postpone it any longer. I needed answers.

Dropping the groceries right there on the counter, I grabbed my purse, walked out the door, and headed to the hospital alone. The checkup took a long time as there were several things they needed to check but fortunately, the results were almost immediate. I didn't have to wait after that.

The doctor sat in his seat, fixing his glasses as he read through the report. “Mrs Harvey, from the results here… The reason you’re not getting pregnant is from you. You're very infertile, it'll be hard for you to get pregnant anytime soon.”

“W… What?”