Chapter 4
I did my best to hide the disgust in my eyes and reminded her, keeping my voice neutral, "Rhea, you're still not fully recovered. You can't have sex for a while. Does your boyfriend know?"
As I said the word "boyfriend," my eyes landed on Leon.
Last night, someone on the night shift was complaining.
She said the patient in Bed 17 was making a lot of noise, and patients in other rooms were all complaining.
One patient even cursed, "Which new mom is that? She can't even wait until she's done with her postpartum recovery before getting it on!"
Leon's expression shifted.
Rhea let out an awkward laugh to cover her nerves and quickly said, "Got it, Natasha. You're the best."
She leaned in affectionately, grabbing my hand, then turned to Leon. "Go on, don't interrupt us. After everything I've been through, I haven't even had a real talk with Natasha yet."
The room was quiet.
She squeezed my hand, her whole vibe soft and fragile, just like a mom.
She said, "Natasha, I never realized how precious life was until I had a kid.
"I know losing your baby was hell. If you want, you can think of my daughter as yours."
"Let her call you godmother. Maybe that'll help you heal a little, alright?"
I stared into her eyes, so full of fake innocence, and it felt like someone had ripped pieces out of my heart. I was suffocating and couldn't even get a word out.
She knew damn well I'd lost my baby, and it had taken everything just to claw my way out of that nightmare.
But she kept talking about her kid, rubbing her perfect little life in my face over and over.
And she even wanted me to be the godmother of the kid she had with my husband.
I couldn't do it. No way could I accept it.
I turned my face away, and after everything we'd been through for eighteen years, I didn't lose it on her.
I said, my voice was cold as ice. "Rhea, don't ever say crap like that to me again."
I only had one day left before my transfer to Tastinburg.
I was on leave at home, and I'd arranged for the city hall to come over and handle the divorce paperwork.
Leon was busy, too busy setting up a surprise for Rhea at her postpartum recovery center.
He'd gone all out with the pastel blue and pink decor, planned out her meals down to the last detail, and even picked out what she'd wear every single day.
He thought I was clueless, but my coworkers had already spilled the truth to me.
The doorbell rang, and Leon came in, kicking off his shoes, looking all anxious.
"Natasha, I was in the middle of a project. Why did you call me back?" he asked.
He glanced at the city hall staff in the room, froze for a second, and said, "Is this about the honeymoon again? Didn't I already say you can handle it?"
As he spoke, he sat down, his phone screen still showing his chat with Rhea.
The staff slid the divorce papers in front of him. "Mr. Murphy, we're here to process your div..."
Before they could finish, Leon grabbed a pen and signed the papers in a flash.
"Done. You guys are so slow. For a week-long honeymoon, how many more forms do I have to sign?" he grumbled.
He set the pen down, picked up his phone, and was ready to leave.
Before heading out, he gave me a quick kiss. "Love you, honey. Once we're back from our honeymoon, we'll have another wedding ceremony."
He left the city hall staff completely stunned.
An hour before my flight to Tastinburg, I sat in the boarding area and finally called Leon.
"Leon, I'm leaving for good," I said, my voice steady.
I was leaving the city I'd called home for fifteen years.
I was leaving behind all the memories, both love and pain.
I was leaving him behind, ready to start my life over.
On the other end, a baby started crying.
Leon was clearly scrambling, barely paying attention as he replied.
"Huh? You're heading to Winialand first? Sure, Rhea and I will come over later," he said.
"Just be safe over there, okay? Call me if you need anything. Don't wander around, don't trust strangers, and don't forget to think about me," he added.
"I can't see you off. Work's just nuts right now..." he said.
Even that last line was a lie.
I just hung up and put my phone on airplane mode.
An announcement echoed through the airport speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Flight CA1234 to Tastinburg is now boarding. Please proceed to Gate 5 immediately."
With the last bit of hope slipping away, I hauled my heavy suitcase, determined to leave my past in the dust.
As soon as I stepped off the plane, my phone started blowing up with texts from Leon.
[Honey, what happened to those onesies we bought for our baby? We're not gonna use them, so let's just give them to Rhea's kid, okay?]
[Why is the house so empty? And where are all those gifts I gave you?]
[Did you take all your clothes? Your coworkers said you're not coming back to work in Ostville. Seriously, what's going on?]
[Call me back! Now!]
[Come on, honey. Please don't do this to me. I'm freaking out here. Please, don't just vanish on me.]
Over dozens of unread texts and missed calls blowing up my phone.
I quickly typed out a reply.
I texted, [Just landed in Tastinburg for a work trip. I was on the plane, so I missed your messages.]