Chapter 1

When Lionel Franco returned home, I swallowed a mifepristone tablet—the medication I was supposed to take for the abortion—with a bite of cake. It was my birthday. I had bought the cake earlier, planning to celebrate with Lionel and tell him I was pregnant. I waited until 7 p.m. but he ignored my calls and didn’t reply to my messages. Then I saw Sandra Howard’s Instagram post flaunting a property deed.I couldn’t help myself so I left a comment. Within seconds, Lionel called back—not to explain, but to lash out at me. Before I could explain, he hung up and blocked me. I was so furious that I nearly suffered a miscarriage. When he finally arrived home, he glanced at the cake and the medication on the table. He furrowed his brow.“Whose birthday is it? Yours?” I silently put away the pills and threw the cake in the trash. “No,” I said calmly. “It’s a friend’s.” He exhaled in relief. “I thought so. Your birthday’s September 28th and today’s only the 8th.” Five

Chapter 2

I had been hooked up to an IV drip for two hours at the hospital, but when I came out, Lionel’s car was nowhere in sight. I felt miserable, and unable to bear it any longer, I took a cab home. My phone died soon after. That’s when it hit me—he hadn’t come to pick me up. Once, he had been so attentive to me. When had he started pulling away, growing distant and cold? “You blocked me so I couldn’t call you,” I said flatly. Lionel blinked, his anger fading slightly from his handsome face. “I figured you’d be hungry, so I brought you some supper. Beef stew and some hash browns.” I looked at the bowl in his hand. It was just some watery soup with a few chunks of beef in it. It looked more like leftovers from someone else’s meal. Half an hour ago, I saw Sandra’s post on Instagram. The picture showed Lionel in the kitchen, stirring the stew: [Who says there are no good men in the world? Not only did he teach me to drive a stickshift, but when I was hungry, he made

Chapter 3

Harry kicked the young man and gave him a look for being so clueless.“I’m going to the bathroom,” I said softly. I rose slowly, not wanting to lose my temper in front of everyone.Lionel glanced at me, then at Sandra, but ultimately didn’t follow me. When I returned, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and was now sitting on the beach. Sandra and Lionel sat closely together, their postures intimate. I quietly found a spot in one corner to sit alone. Harry tried to lift the mood again. “Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s play a game—Truth or Dare!” Lionel won the first round against Sandra. She chose Truth, and Lionel, in a rare moment of generosity, asked, “What’s something that’s made you happy recently?” Sandra blinked and gazed at Lionel, her eyes full of affection. “I met a really good man, and in just one day, I got a house and a car. Oh, and he even taught me how to drive a stickshift.” She threw a smug look at me and raised her eyebrows playfully.

Chapter 4

I didn’t know how much time had passed when consciousness began to seep back in. The sharp voice of my best friend, Felicia Granger, echoed in my ears. “Are you out of your mind, Lionel? You forced her to swim? Do you have any idea she just had a miscarriage?” she asked angrily. “She… she had a miscarriage? When was she pregnant? Why didn’t she tell me…?” Lionel’s hoarse voice wavered with guilt and disbelief. “Are you blind? Haven’t you noticed how weak she’s been these past few days? Or were your eyes glued only to Sandra?” Felicia seethed, practically trembling with rage. If we weren’t in a hospital, I was sure she would’ve slapped him. “I really didn’t know…” Lionel stammered.“You didn’t know?” Felicia scoffed. “Yet you had no problem signing the house over to that two-faced leech and buying her a car, did you? Do you even realize she miscarried because of your cruelty? You’re the reason!” “I…” Lionel trailed off, his voice hollow. “Enough. Just seeing your face

Chapter 5

Lionel grabbed the iPod. Unlike his previous guilt-ridden behavior, this time his face was etched with disdain. "I'll get rid of it now," he muttered. He lowered the window and was just about to throw it out when I reached out to stop him."There's no need to throw it away. I honestly don’t care." "But, Misha—" "It doesn’t matter," I interrupted him calmly. "You’ll both be together in the future anyway. If you throw it away now, she’ll only be upset." My words drained the color from Lionel’s face. Ignoring his reaction, I turned my head to gaze out at the passing scenery. When we returned home, Lionel announced he had booked tickets to Andalusite for November. "You’ve always wanted to see the snow there. Take this time to recover, and we’ll go together. I’ve arranged everything," he said. He had the air of a man desperately trying to repair something broken.I had dreamed of pausing life’s chaos to visit Andalusite with someone I loved. I imagined staying ther

Chapter 6

That night, I begged him to stay, for the sake of the love we once shared. I asked him to sever ties with Sandra. Lionel had been sitting on the sofa, holding his phone, engrossed in whatever message Sandra had sent. A smile curved the corners of his lips, and there was a spark of tenderness in his eyes.Then, he turned his cold gaze toward me. "Why do you always ruin the mood? Can’t you stop taking your feelings so seriously? No one needs anyone to survive. You’re putting too much pressure on me."I spent that night wide awake."Can’t you forgive me, Misha?" Lionel pleaded."Fine.”"Really? You’re willing to forgive me?" he asked in disbelief."I forgive you, but that won’t stop me from filing for divorce. We’ll see each other in court."With that, I turned and left without another word, leaving Lionel sitting on the ground, pale and motionless.That night, Lionel took a late-night flight back.A few days later, I received another message from Sandra. She had sent m

Chapter 7

"Hmm, that makes sense," I said as it dawned on me."Could it be that Lionel got involved with the college student first, and then dumped Sandra?"Felicia clicked her tongue. "Bingo. He’s a man addicted to cheating. How could he be content with just one woman?"She paused. "Honestly, apart from you, Lionel's taste in women hasn't changed. That college student just started interning at their company and her attitude is just like Sandra's. “She gives off main character energy."I sighed, now somewhat curious about Sandra. "Did Sandra really transfer the house back to Lionel?"Felicia scoffed. "Sandra isn’t stupid. There's no way she’d give up that house for him so easily. She went to extremes—splashed the Benz and Lionel’s current place with blood. The car was totaled. “As for the kid, well, Sandra’s never been the type to care about children anyway."When Lionel saw how ruthless she was, he didn't dare bring up the house again."The luxury car worth nearly half a million

All Chapters of The Price of Separation: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7