Chapter 3

"But Evelyn, Claire's been feeling down lately, so I'm thinking of taking her to Haven Isles first to help her unwind," he said.

"Don't worry, I remember your checkup is in ten days. I'll be back before then," he added.

My expression froze, and a single tear slid down my cheek.

I was such a fool.

How could I let myself go soft just because of a single line from him?

Yeah, what did my pain even matter?

In Charles's heart, Claire was the only one who mattered.

Charles, you broke your promise again.

"Okay," I replied, keeping my voice steady.

When he saw I wasn't throwing a tantrum like usual, Charles breathed a sigh of relief and ran his hand over my belly.

"That's my girl, Evelyn. Promise I'll bring you something nice when I get back," he said.

But Charles, I don't want to hear anyone call me "obedient" or "sensible" ever again.

I'm a person, not your puppet.

Charles's steady breathing came from behind me.

I gently moved his hand away, got up, and walked into the living room. I dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

The call connected, and a man's voice came through, strange, yet achingly familiar, soft and gentle.

"You finally called me," he said.

My nose tingled, and tears streamed down my face before I could hold them back.

"Henry, I accept your proposal," I said, my voice trembling.

Henry was on a business trip in Scandinavia, and he'd be back in ten days.

After years of waiting, his dream was finally coming true. Even the always-steady Henry couldn't hide his emotions. His voice choked with feeling.

"Ten days. Just ten days, Evelyn. Wait for me," he said, his voice breaking.

"Okay," I replied.

Ten days. That's just enough time for me to get a few things don.

The next morning, I woke up to see Charles coming back from his workout, carrying two identical breakfasts.

Baguette, bagel, Bouillabaisse, and boiled eggs, every single item was Claire's favorite.

All her favorites. Not a single thing was chosen for me.

He laid out the breakfast for me, item by item, but the oily smell alone made me nauseous.

Charles frowned. "Picked this up especially for you. Come on, eat up."

I got up, poured myself a big glass of lemon water, and gulped it down, only then did the nausea ease up a little.

He never seemed to remember that greasy food was a no-go for me since I got pregnant.

Maybe it wasn't that he forgot. It was just that all those things were Claire's favorites.

I was just the extra one, the spare meal he brought along.

"I'm not hungry," I said.

"Evelyn, I already promised to go with you to your checkup, and I even went downstairs to get you breakfast myself. Is that still not enough for you?" Charles snapped.

All the tenderness from last night was gone. His face was cold as ice.

"Fine, don't eat it. I've got to take breakfast to Claire anyway," he said, his tone icy.

Charles slammed the door and left.

He was off to Haven Isles with Claire today.

I really didn't care anymore.

He could travel the world with her, make every place their home. None of it had anything to do with me now.

I scheduled my abortion for the exact day I was supposed to have my prenatal checkup. What should have been a milestone for my baby, now marked the end.

I gently ran my hand over my barely showing belly, my eyes stinging as tears threatened to spill.

"I'm so sorry, baby," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Mom can't let you come into a world where there's no love."

I opened the door to the nursery, and every single thing in there was something I'd picked out myself.

Charles was supposed to have the day off, and we'd planned to go shopping together for the baby.

But then Claire called, in tears, saying she couldn't feel her baby move.

Without a second thought, Charles just left me there, three months pregnant, all alone in the mall.

It was rush hour, and there wasn't a single cab in sight.

I crammed into the subway for two hours, and by the time I finally made it home, it was nearly ten o'clock.

Tears streamed down my face as I rubbed my aching calves, and when I called Charles, he didn't even pick up. He was too busy fussing over Claire, trying to get her to eat while she threw a fit.

All his attention was on Claire, soothing her through another tantrum.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to steady myself.

Then I pulled out my phone and snapped photos of the stroller, the unopened baby clothes, and all the toys.

I posted them in a mom group, selling everything at a low price.

Within a week, I'd cleared out everything in the room.

The warm little nursery that once felt so inviting was now stripped bare.

The moment the last toy left with its new owner, Charles walked in.

He scanned the empty nursery, a puzzled look on his face.

He frowned, "Why did you sell everything?"

I shrugged, barely looking at him. "I just don't want them anymore."

Charles just shrugged it off. "Whatever, we can buy new stuff later. No rush."

"Oh, Charlie, you didn't even wait for me," a woman's voice cooed from behind me.

It was Claire, her tone all sweet and playful.

I whipped around and saw Claire standing in the doorway, her face glowing with health.

She didn't look at all like a grieving widow.

Meanwhile, I was the one who looked ashen and exhausted.

I gave Charles a blank, icy stare.

He acted like bringing Claire home was no big deal.

"We just got back, and it's late. Claire's staying over tonight," he said, as if it was totally routine.

I suddenly felt so powerless.

It all felt utterly meaningless.

I couldn't stand to look at those two sickening faces for even another second.

I stood before Charles, meeting his gaze, my voice calm and steady.

"Charles, I want a divorce," I said.

I took out the divorce papers and placed them on the table.