Semua Bab I Gave My Future to Another Man: Bab 1 - Bab 10

After packing up my things, I had no choice but to go back to my mother's place. But when I pushed open the door to my old bedroom, I found a crib and baby toys taking up most of the space. Even the wallpaper had been changed to pink. Just then, Mom came out of the kitchen. She wiped her hands on a towel and said, "Harper's due soon. We had to get a room ready for the baby."I looked at the few cardboard boxes shoved into the hall closet. They were all that remained of me in this house. "Where am I supposed to stay when I come back?" I asked softly.Mom frowned, clearly displeased. "You have Jeffrey and that huge house of yours. Why are you fighting Harper for this little room?"Suddenly, a coldness crept into me, so deep it seemed to seep into my bones. As it turned out, they weren't asking me to step aside for a while. They had already planned to cut me out of their lives. Later, I dug out my old phone and called my high school classmate, Clifford Nash. "Will you come get

Two hours later, Jeffrey texted me. He wrote, "Harper's fine. Does your hand still hurt? And can you review the wedding itinerary and menu and send them back to me?"I stared at the screen until tears finally streamed down my cheeks. Later, I sent in my resignation and made arrangements to hand over my work before calling Clifford. "I don't want to wait anymore. If you still want this, I'll marry you tomorrow."…On the morning of the wedding, Mom opened my room door. "Barbara, Harper and Jeffrey have signed the paperwork," she said with a pleased smile. "Don't worry. Once she has the baby, Jeffrey will make it up to you."I stuffed the last of my clothes into my suitcase and nodded. "Okay."Mom ran a hand through my hair. "I knew you'd understand. You'd never make things difficult for me."She didn't know that Clifford and I had gotten married the evening before. Before we made it official, he had asked me thrice, "Are you sure about this? "If you're only doing this to g

My phone started vibrating in the middle of the night. It was Jeffrey. I answered the call but didn't say a word. "Barbara, Harper had the baby. It's a boy. But the doctor just had me double-check the blood type, and mine doesn't match his."Jeffrey sounded completely wrecked, his voice raw and hoarse. Then, I heard him suck in a sharp breath."Barbara, she lied to me, didn't she?"I leaned against the headboard and stared out the window. "Go check the records from her first prenatal appointment."Jeffrey's breathing hitched. A moment later, he asked, "Did you know all along?"I didn't deny it. "I knew the baby might not be yours. I just didn't think it was my place to tell you."His voice broke. "Why didn't you tell me? If you had, I wouldn't have—""Jeffrey," I cut him off. "You held her, kissed her, and eventually married her. Are you really saying you did all that because of the baby?"There was silence on the other end. Without hesitation, I hung up. …Three days

Harper burst into tears and lunged at me, trying to shove me. "How dare you say that! You took my father from me! You took Jeffrey from me, and now you want to take Mom too!"I sidestepped her, caught her by the wrist, and looked into her eyes. "Harper, what happened to your father was tragic, but it wasn't my fault. I never took anything from you," I said, enunciating each word. I went on, "You kept acting like everything I had was yours to take and that somehow you were entitled to it because of what you'd lost. "From now on, stop holding your father over my head. I don't owe you anything anymore."With that, I released her wrist and turned toward the door. Behind me, Mom cried out my name, but I didn't look back.…Outside, Clifford was waiting beside his car. The moment he saw me, he straightened up and opened the door for me.I looked at him, and suddenly, the weight I'd been carrying seemed to disappear. I reached for his hand and took it in mine. "Let's go home,

On the train ride home, Clifford held my hand tightly. He gazed out the window at the scenery blurring past. Suddenly, he asked softly, "Barbara, when all of this is behind us, would you let me give you a real wedding?"I froze for a beat, then turned to him. Clifford looked into my eyes, tenderness creeping into his features. "This time, it wouldn't be to prove anything to anyone or to do it out of spite. I just want to wait until you're truly ready to choose me."Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at him. I squeezed his hand in return and said, "Okay."…In the end, Mom didn't make it through that winter.Her funeral was a simple affair. Harper stood off to the side in black, holding her child in her arms. Jeffrey was there, too. When he noticed how hard the wind was blowing, he walked over, took off his coat, and wrapped it around the baby.But as soon as he was done, he stepped back. He didn't take his usual place beside Harper, protecting her as though it were the