Chapter 3 The Child I Let Go

I looked at her, the corners of my lips curling into a mocking smile. "Do you take me for that fool River? Do you think I can't see through your little schemes? Don't forget, we were once roommates in college. You hated kids back then. And now, all of a sudden, you're overflowing with maternal love?"

Seeing that I had called her bluff, Yvonne dropped the pretense. "You're right, I do hate kids. But I don't hate River. I saved his life, and because of that, I lost the chance to ever be a mother. He'll owe me forever. Once the baby is born, do you really think he'll choose you over me?"

Her words made me laugh outright. "Yvonne, if I remember correctly, your hysterectomy wasn't because you saved him—it was because of multiple miscarriages. You had no choice but to have that surgery, isn't that right?"

She shot to her feet, her face full of shock. However, he quickly smoothed her expression and said evenly, "And who would believe you now? Do you have any proof? If you really had evidence, you would've shown it long ago. Why wait until today?"

She fixed me with her steady gaze, but before I could respond, River rushed in, immediately pulling Yvonne behind him. He glared at me coldly. "I already explained everything to you at home. Why are you still harassing her?"

Watching the man who claimed to love me throw himself in front of another woman, my last shred of hope crumbled to dust.

Yvonne stood behind him, a smug smile playing at her lips.

The baby inside me seemed to sense my emotions and stirred. I pressed a hand gently to my belly, fighting the urge to tear apart her mask of hypocrisy.

"How exactly am I harassing her? We were just talking about her last hospital stay."

River frowned in confusion. "Her last hospital stay?"

Yvonne, who had been hiding behind him, suddenly let out a pitiful sob. "Joanne, I know you resent me. I can understand that you don't want River and my mother to have a child through IVF. But you don't need to keep insulting me for not having a uterus, or saying I don't deserve to be a woman!"

River's expression darkened instantly. He turned his anger on me. "How could you say something like that? She lost her uterus saving my life! I owe her a debt for life—and so do you!"

The sight of him desperately defending her crushed the last bit of strength in me. After a long silence, I said quietly, "River Grayson, you'd better hope you'll never regret this."

With that, I picked up my bag, turned on my heel, and went straight to the hospital. That very day, I gave up our baby.

…

From the joy of discovering I was pregnant to the agony of losing my baby, barely more than a month had passed. But deep down, I knew I couldn't bring him into the world. A child who wasn't wanted never should have been born at all.

Weak and drained after the procedure, I returned home only to find the house dark and empty.

Just then, my long-silent phone lit up with a message from Yvonne. It was a video.

In it, at the city's most luxurious maternity retreat, River hovered at Yvonne's mother's side, doting on her every need. His hands rested protectively against her slightly rounded belly, his face glowing with joy and anticipation.