Chapter 2
When Michael heard that Emily was pregnant, he was over the moon.
But for me, it was like my heart had just been flipped upside down.
Back when I told him I was pregnant, his expression was blander than plain water, not a single emotion showing.
"Congratulations," he said, with no warmth at all.
That was when I should've known.
He never loved me at all.
The walk from the clinic to the underground parking lot was less than five hundred meters.
Michael kept his hand protectively in front of Emily's belly the whole way.
"You know, I've always wanted a child," he said.
Michael said, "After I forced Melissa to lose her baby last time, I've had her on birth control ever since, just so you could give birth to our child first."
"Emily, move in with me. Melissa and I will take care of you together."
What a joke.
I wasn't even divorced yet, and he was already moving the other woman into our home.
When Emily got dumped by her foreign boyfriend and came back, Michael secretly went to meet her at the airport.
I was at home, pregnant, worried sick about him, staying up past three in the morning.
When he finally came back, he didn't say a word; he just forced me to get rid of our baby.
When I woke up in the hospital after the heavy bleeding, seeing his eyes swollen and red from crying, I just couldn't bring myself to stay mad at him.
I didn't blame him, not even once.
I just swallowed it all myself.
I could only blame myself for not being able to protect my child.
A dull ache tightened in my chest.
A gust of wind swept past.
I glared at Emily as she was about to go downstairs, and suddenly, I missed a step.
She fell down the stairs too.
Emily cried out twice, opened her eyes, and saw that Michael didn't bother to help her up.
He stood there with a stony expression.
"I know you look down on me. If you don't want to have my child, just be straight with me," Michael said.
"Don't pull this kind of cheap stunt."
Emily clutched her side, doubled over from the pain, panic written all over her face.
"What are you even saying?" she blurted out.
"I want this baby too. I really do!"
Michael let out a cold snort and crouched down in front of her.
"Emily, don't even try to fake it; I watched you step down. You didn't miss the damn step at all!" he snapped.
"Tell me, are you still hung up on that foreign ex-husband of yours? What, is he richer than me or something?"
Emily was stunned by Michael's words.
Emily couldn't hold back her tears.
"How could I ever fall for someone like him? Ever since the divorce, I realized you were my real love," she sobbed.
"This has to be Melissa's fault!" Emily cried.
"You know she's always been jealous of me; it has to be her doing!"
Leaning back against the wall, I rolled my eyes and snorted.
Here we go again.
Emily always finds a way to pin everything on me.
And of course, Michael actually bought it.
Some of that anger faded from Michael's eyes.
"She won't lay a finger on you while I'm around," he said.
"She came back around noon today," he added.
"When we get home, I'll make her move her things into the room next door."
Emily's hand paused mid-wipe.
She snapped her head up to stare at Michael, her face full of shock and disbelief.
I raised an eyebrow.
Does seeing a dead body at home make you happy?
Before they got home, I cleaned up the mess and even cooked all of Michael's favorite dishes.
When Emily saw me bringing plates to the dining table, she screamed and stumbled backward. Her side slammed right into the sharp corner of the table.
Michael instantly ran out, throwing himself in front of her protectively.
"She's pregnant. Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" Michael snapped.
I could only shake my head in resignation.
I pulled up the living room security footage on my tablet and shoved it right in front of his face.
"Take a good look. I didn't do a damn thing," I said.
"Maybe your girlfriend's just so excited about being pregnant that she's getting a little carried away," I added.
The security footage clearly caught every move she made right after she stepped inside.
Michael was still wary, keeping a close eye on Emily as he helped her sit down beside him.
"No matter what, Emily's pregnant; she needs me by her side, taking care of everything," he said.
"Once dinner's over, pack up your things and move to the spare bedroom. I'll be staying in the master with her."
I smiled and agreed.
"Alright," I replied.
And just to be polite, I made sure to set a place for Emily at the table too.
Michael glanced up at me, a curious look in his eyes.
Bet he never saw that coming.
He probably still remembers me, desperate enough to cry my eyes out and beg for his affection.
He wouldn't have thought that after just one time running away, I'd come back this quiet and compliant.
We'd barely had a couple of bites when I suddenly got a delivery. It was the medication I'd ordered online.
Michael suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes sharp and full of warning as he glared right at me.
He snapped at me, "What the hell are you trying to do?"
"If anything happens to the baby in her belly, I swear I'll make you pay!" Michael threatened.