Chapter 3
As soon as Charles opened his mouth, I knew exactly what he was up to.
He just wanted to use my absence as an excuse to hook up with Vivian again.
It was almost ridiculous. I swallowed all my anger and forced myself to put on an understanding smile.
"Sure," I said. "Make sure you and Vivian get plenty of rest. I'll be back as soon as I'm done with my business."
Charles nodded, satisfied. As I got up to leave, he pulled his usual move.
He tried to draw me into his arms and plant a kiss on my forehead, just to put on a show of affection.
As if one kiss could keep me trapped in the lie of his so-called love forever.
Too bad for him, that didn't work on me anymore. I saw right through all his sick games now.
I acted like I was getting up to take a call, slipping away from his kiss.
I waved goodbye with a smile and headed straight up to the third floor, to the abortion clinic.
"Are you really sure about this? You went through so many injections, took medication for four years just to have this baby, and you haven't even told the father yet. Are you really going to terminate the pregnancy now?" Dr. Daniel Warren asked.
He looked at me with a pained expression. I lowered my head, sighed softly, and patted my belly.
Baby, it's not that I didn't love you.
It's just that your dad wasn't worth it.
Even as tears touched my lips, I nodded without hesitation. "Yes," I said.
Daniel saw how determined I was and didn't press further.
When I got home, my hands was still trembling. The first thing I did was dig out every single memento of my relationship with Charles.
I burned them all to ashes.
Then I printed out the screenshots of our chat history.
Along with the abortion certificate from today and the divorce papers, I placed everything neatly into a wooden box.
I lay on the bed, unable to stop crying.
My body was still weak from the abortion, and I had barely gotten any rest when Charles called, wanting me to bring him soup.
If I could get through all this now, maybe I could finally move on.
Gritting my teeth, I ordered some soup for delivery and took a cab straight to the hospital.
As soon as I walked in, I saw Charles with Tommy on his lap, intimately feeding Vivian like they were the perfect little family.
Vivian was being all cutesy and clingy.
I deliberately cleared my throat, and the three of them quickly jumped apart as soon as they realized I was there.
Vivian was the first to speak up. "Oh, Stella, you're honestly the nicest to me.
"You care about me so much, and you even brought me soup."
As soon as she finished, Charles—the real reason I was here with the soup—started exchanging flirty glances with Vivian.
I felt a wave of nausea, but I forced myself to smile, hiding my disgust. "Of course. We're supposed to be besties, right?
"Hey, I actually have something to tell you."
Vivian looked confused, so I pretended to be shy and covered my mouth. "It's girl talk, just between us. Step outside and I'll tell you."
Vivian followed me outside, and I immediately put on my most devastated face.
"It feels like Charles doesn't want to marry me anymore," I said.
Vivian had mentioned in her chats that she wanted Charles to marry her, and for a split second, her eyes lit up when she heard me say that.
But she quickly masked it, putting on a sad face and covering her mouth. "No way. He loves you so much."
I shook my head, playing along. "I wouldn't bet on it. I actually overheard him talking the other day.
"He's secretly planning a surprise for the woman he really loves, and he wants to marry the one who had his baby.
"I'm not sure if it's true though."
I knew Vivian was touched.
Her face turned red, and just from that hint, she was sure she was the bride-to-be.
She put on a show of comforting me and then asked me to take care of Tommy for a couple of days.
I knew exactly what she was up to. She wanted to be with Charles at the hospital, just the two of them.
But Tommy was also a key piece in my revenge.
So I agreed without hesitation. "No problem. I'll take care of Tommy. You and Charles enjoy your time together. You'll be out just in time for our wedding.
"I really hope everything I heard was just a nightmare."
Putting on my best heartbroken act, I turned away with Tommy, and heard Vivian whisper excitedly behind me.
"This isn't a dream. It's my wedding with Charles, loser," she muttered smugly.
I let a slow smile spread across my face.
Just as I expected, she took the bait.
After taking Tommy home, I dressed him in a mourning outfit.
I said, "Tommy, you saw your mom and dad are both sick and stuck in the hospital. Neither of them is ever getting out.
"To be honest, they won't live much longer.
"I feel bad for you, kid. You don't know anything, so I'm teaching you this.
"In a few days, no matter what happens, just cry when you see your mom and dad, alright?"
Tommy, who wasn't the sharpest kid, nodded like crazy.
Everything was in place. Now all I had to do was sit back and let the real show begin on their wedding day.