Chapter 4

The next morning, I was woken by the sound of furniture being moved around in the living room.

By the time I stepped out of the bedroom, the entire house had been rearranged.

Several pairs of high heels sat by the entrance, unfamiliar cushions were piled on the couch, and even our family photo had been pushed into a corner.

Annette's suitcases were scattered all over the place.

She sat at the dining table, still wearing the vintage bracelet my mother had left me.

"Annette's old place is no longer available," Xavier said. "So she's going to stay with us for a while."

"Did I agree to that?"

"It's only for a few days."

"Give me back my bracelet first," I said, staring at the bracelet around Annette's wrist.

Annette immediately clutched her wrist, her face paling.

"You never wear it anyway," Xavier countered, frowning. "I'll buy you something better another time."

Just then, I noticed the prenatal checkup booklet on the table. The name on it was Annette Borden, and she was already eight weeks pregnant.

The moment Xavier noticed my gaze, he snatched it up and clenched it in his fist.

A long silence settled over the living room as I stared at him.

"Is the baby yours?"

He said nothing, but he didn't deny it either.

"Tania, I never intended to let Annette take your place," he finally said, reaching out to touch me. "The baby was an accident. Annette has no family to turn to, so I can't just abandon her. But you and Evan are my family."

I took a step back.

"Let's get a divorce."

"Don't say things you don't mean," he replied, his expression shifting. "We can't just throw away all these years together because of this."

The certainty in his voice almost made me laugh.

As I turned and pulled out the suitcase I'd packed the night before, Xavier finally reached out to stop me.

The commotion woke Evan, who appeared in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe for support. His face was pale, and before he could say a word, he suddenly bent over and vomited.

I immediately scooped him up and prepared to take him to the hospital.

"He's just frightened," Xavier said dismissively. "You don't have to make a big deal out of everything."

I ignored him and called an ambulance.

At the hospital, the doctor suspected bleeding inside Evan's skull following his recent fall.

"We need to run some tests immediately. Get ready to sign the consent forms."

I sent Xavier a text.

"Evan keeps vomiting, and he's barely conscious. The doctor said his life might be in danger. Come to the hospital now."

Ten minutes later, his reply came through.

"Tania, have you had enough? Using Evan to get sympathy from me is one thing, but now you're making up life-threatening emergencies?"

I stared at the screen, my hands beginning to tremble. When I tried calling him again, I couldn't get through.

By the time the test results came back, the doctor's expression was grim.

"There's a hematoma inside his skull. He needs surgery immediately."

I signed the surgical consent form, followed by the notice acknowledging the risk to his life.

Just before Evan was wheeled into the operating room, he briefly regained consciousness.

"Mommy, I'm okay. Don't worry…"

Tears streamed down my face as I clutched his hand.

Before following Evan inside, the doctor turned to me.

"Where's the other parent?"

I contacted Xavier's friends, but they knew he was with Annette and tried to talk me out of making a fuss.

"Tania, why put yourself through all this? If you keep using the child to manipulate Xavier, he'll only get more fed up with you."

Urgent footsteps and hurried voices echoed from inside the operating room.

I waited outside the operating room, my hands shaking so badly that I could barely hold my phone.

When the operation was finally over, the doctor emerged.

"We've managed to stabilize him for now, but given his condition, we'd recommend transferring him to a larger hospital."

I didn't dare waste a second. I immediately contacted a pediatric neurosurgery center in another city.

Before dawn, I'd completed the transfer arrangements and boarded the medical transport with Evan and our luggage.

This time, I didn't tell Xavier where we were going.

…

Later that morning, Xavier arrived at the hospital with breakfast.

He hadn't slept well the night before, but he still believed I was simply throwing another tantrum. Once he showed up, he assumed I'd come to my senses and return home with him.

But when he opened the hospital room door, he found a different patient occupying the bed.

"Evan Jepsen was transferred to another hospital before dawn," the nurse said, checking the records. "His mother left with him and took their belongings, too."

Xavier's grip tightened around the breakfast bag.

He immediately called my number, only to hear the cold automated message telling him that my phone was switched off.

For the first time, an unfamiliar sense of panic began to surge within him.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

My lawyer had sent him a divorce agreement. My signature was already at the bottom.