All Chapters of Going Dutch Was A Farce: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

“The numbers don’t add up.”Lucas Craig’s long, slender fingers tapped the receipt on the table.He pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, his voice calm and gentle.“The folic acid you bought yesterday cost more than the amount we agreed on.”I sat on the couch, still holding the glass of water he had just poured for me. The temperature was exactly 113 degrees Fahrenheit, measured carefully with a thermometer.“That brand was sold out.”I watched the steam rising from the glass.“The pharmacy only had this imported one. It was sixty-five dollars more.”Lucas picked up the black fountain pen from the table and drew a light line through the printed “Prenatal Expenses Cost-Sharing Agreement”.“Nancy Shore, we agreed that we'd keep our finances separate after we got married.”He looked up at me, with eyes holding the same gentle patience and tenderness as always.“It’s a matter of respecting each other. It’s also part of the commitment we made to each other a

The insurance agent greeted me warmly. “Ms. Shore, what kind of coverage are you looking for?”I sat down on the sofa and accepted the glass of water she offered me.“I want a life insurance policy.”I looked at her calmly and said, “The highest coverage you offer.”The agent glanced at my pregnant belly, slightly surprised. “Since you're pregnant, some policies may have stricter underwriting requirements.”“That’s fine. I’ve done my research.”I took my bank card out of my purse. “If something happens to me during childbirth… How much would the payout be?”The agent quickly ran the numbers on her tablet.“Based on the coverage level you’re choosing, the accidental death benefit would be around two million dollars.”I nodded and said, “I’ll take it.”“And who would you like to name as the beneficiary?”She picked up her electronic pen and asked, “Your parents, or your husband?”I fell silent for a moment. I pictured Lucas sitting there with his calculator, carefully tallyin

The surgical lights were so bright I could barely keep my eyes open.Cold, a bone-deep cold. My entire body felt as if I were lying in a freezer. Blood was pouring out of me, completely beyond my control.“Her blood pressure is still dropping! Systolic is down to sixty!”There was an unmistakable panic in the anesthesiologist's voice.“The front wall of the uterus has completely ruptured. She's already lost more than fifty ounces of blood!”The surgeon's hands were covered in blood.“Quick! Get blood from the blood bank! Start a rapid transfusion!”I lay strapped to the operating table, my limbs secured in place. My consciousness wavered between wakefulness and oblivion.With every heartbeat came the hollow sensation that my life was slowly draining away.“Ma'am! Stay with us! Don't fall asleep!”The nurse gently but firmly tapped my cheek. “Think about your baby! You have to keep fighting!”My baby. My fingers twitched slightly. In this entire world, the only thing I st

By the time Lucas got home, it was already noon. The house was eerily quiet, stripped of its usual liveliness.He changed his shoes and walked into the living room and, out of habit, was about to call out for me to bring him a glass of water.The words caught in his throat when he remembered that I was still in the hospital. He shook his head, thinking that I had really let this argument drag on far too long this time.“When she gets discharged, I’ll take her somewhere nice to eat.”He muttered to himself as he walked toward the master bedroom and pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand.There was no hospital bag inside. Only a brown paper envelope lying quietly in the otherwise empty drawer.Lucas frowned. He picked up the envelope and casually unwound the string.The contents slipped out, scattering across the carpet. The top item was an ultrasound report and a medical diagnosis from three months ago.Lucas picked them up without much thought, and his eyes skimmed o

The next morning, Lucas stormed into Harris’s law firm.Desperate for even one chance to see me, he did something almost insane. He willingly signed a property transfer agreement that left him with nothing.He signed over every property, every penny of savings, and every stock in his name to me—completely no strings attached.“Give it all to her… I don’t want anything. I just want her to let me apologize to her in person. I just want her to let me be a father to our daughter…”He sat on the law firm’s floor, covering his face as he sobbed.After signing away everything, however, the only response he got from Harris was cold and final.“Ms. Shore has received everything. She says she still doesn’t want to see you.”Lucas had destroyed his entire life, along with the love he had once taken for granted.Half a month later, Lucas had nothing left. Like a homeless vagrant, he waited outside the recovery retreat with nowhere else to go.He didn’t dare make a scene. He was afraid of