My Love Has Run Off

My silly brother was still unaware that he had been made into a fool in these text messages. My phone suddenly rang. It was Shane. "Honey, did I accidentally leave my phone at home?" he asked while panting heavily."Did you? I haven't noticed." It sounded like he exhaled in relief. "Why're you still awake? Be a good babe and go to sleep. Don't wait up for me." I was standing on the balcony as I continued to ask, "Where did you go for your jog?""The park close to us." My voice lowered while I tried to restrain myself. "I saw on the news this morning that they've cordoned the area off to fix the paths."He paused for a bit, before continuing in a chipper tone. "I went around it. You don't have to worry about me."He soon hung up the phone, but not before I caught a soft chuckle in the background. My heart wrenched in pain. I had to grip the railing with both my hands to support myself, and it was a long while before I finally calmed down.Leonard was extremely please

He ran over and grabbed me, both eyes red-rimmed. "Miley, the child—""It's gone," I interrupted coldly. The color drained from his face, and his eyes grew wide. His mouth opened and closed, but he could not get any words out. He just stared intently at my belly, as if he could not believe what he had just heard. "Are you happy now?"I shoved the surgical report at him, then spun around and jumped into a cab. While the car was speeding off, I saw Susanna running over looking very disheveled. She flew into a craze and thumped the thermal food container she was holding on Shane's head repeatedly.What a pity no one was going to get to enjoy the chicken stew. I gave my brother a call. His voice sounded choked up, and hearing it made me feel sad too. "Come to my place. But make sure you don't go overboard later."My brother mumbled a grunt in answer. Then, he blurted out, "Miley, are you… are you okay?""I'm okay, but the baby's gone.""Fuck," my brother gritted out. "T

"Please don't go. I just know there won't be a chance to save our relationship if you go." Save our relationship? I found each and every word from his mouth hilarious. I pried him off me finger by finger. "Why save it? You can now spend all the time you want with her."Leonard glanced at his phone when we got into the car. His hands were trembling as he placed them on the steering wheel. He turned his head toward me looking despondent. "How can anyone be so shameless?"On the screen were Robyn's messages. "Since you've found out, I've nothing else to say. I just like everything about him, and I can't stop myself."Leonard smashed his hand against the steering wheel. "Fuck! I can't take this anymore."He gave Robyn a call, but the line was busy. Clearly, she had blocked his number. As if he could not hold it in anymore, a tear escaped from the corner of his eye, and his hand flew to wipe it away. "I'm such a fucking idiot. And here I was trying to convince Mom to start pre

"We're the ones who did wrong by Miley and by Leonard too. I know you have contempt for the way I did things, but I didn't have any other way."I sat on the couch, not bothering to move even an inch, as if whatever she was talking about had nothing to do with me. Susanna said that she had talked Shane's ear off before she finally convinced him to agree to sign the divorce papers. "But leaving empty-handed was his own idea. Miley, he's still hung up on you. All this was because I forced him. I'm the one at fault."I was already done considering how he felt, but what did he mean by "hung up on me"?All those times he found excuses to go for a nightly jog but was exercising on Robyn's bed instead. Or when he complained about how ugly I was or how I smelled after I got pregnant. Was he hung up on me then? Seemed more like he was hanging me out to dry.A month later, my mother booked me some flight tickets and had my brother escort me onto the plane. "Go out for some fresh air.

"It's too late to do anything to the baby now." Leonard's fist clenched and unclenched before he gave the slightest snort. "I don't run a second-hand shop."My mother poked her head out from the kitchen. "There's no throne to inherit in this family, so there's no need for us to take in any random women or children who came from who knows where."What are you two still standing there for? Hurry up and set the table. The guests will arrive soon."Robyn had more to say, but my brother, with his expression still dark, was already shutting the door on her. A few days later, my ex-mother-in-law found a common acquaintance to help speak on their behalf. That person had just opened her mouth when my mother interrupted her in annoyance."I've had enough of all that family's drama. If you're here to persuade my daughter to get remarried to that person, then you and I can no longer be friends. What sane person would want to send their daughter off into the lion's den?"The person choked ba