Chapter 2
Alex had already taken over the company.
Every day, he came home looking like he was dead on his feet.
Sometimes, when I was in a good mood, I'd cook for him myself.
When Alex saw the table full of his favorite dishes I had made, his face brightened up.
"Why are you being so nice to me today? What do you want to buy this time?" he asked.
I smiled and hooked my arm through his.
"How could you think that of me?" I said. "I wanted to treat you because you've been working so hard, honey. You've had a tough day."
Alex's eyes widened, and he blushed hard. "Did you really call me that?"
I repeated it softly, calling him honey again.
Alex's face turned even redder. He tried hard not to smile, but couldn't quite hide it.
"Alright, whatever, I can't do anything about you. If you want to call me that, suit yourself," he said.
Getting him wrapped around my finger was a piece of cake.
After dinner, I brought up a hypothetical scenario.
"Alex, what if someone moved in with us, ate with us, and spent a little money, but wouldn't really add much to the bills? Would you mind?" I asked.
Alex immediately became wary.
"Who? Who's coming to live with us?" he asked.
I didn't want to tell him directly, so I said, "It's a hypothetical. Give me your honest opinion."
Alex's expression relaxed a bit. "A few days is fine, but not for too long."
"But what if they're super cute and adorable, like a little kid? Wouldn't you let them stay longer?" I asked.
Alex looked confused. "I don't like kids. They're loud and messy."
Well, okay then.
At that moment, I felt a wave of disappointment I couldn't quite put into words.
That night, I started searching for what happened to kids who grew up without their father's presence.
If Alex couldn't accept it, I'd have to go it alone as a single mom.
Since my grandparents passed away, I felt even lonelier in this world.
I wanted someone I could call family.
So I would raise this child well.
With what I had saved up, that was more than enough for him to have a happy, healthy childhood.
I kept searching, and everywhere I looked, people said it was bad for a kid to grow up without a dad.
Ugh, guess I had to keep trying.
When Alex got home from work the next day, I told him, "We're about to welcome a new member to our family."
He looked totally shocked. Alex asked, "Who? Who is it?"
I decided to let him guess.
"You helped raise him, but honestly, I did most of the heavy lifting," I said.
Alex looked totally lost.
I added, "He's absolutely adorable to me, and we share a really strong bond.
"Even though he'll have my last name, you have to love him no matter what.
"We'll raise him well together, give him the best environment, and when we're old, he'll take care of us.
"So, any guesses yet?"
Alex was starting to lose it. He asked in a trembling voice, "Are you serious?
"You really want to raise him?
"You like him that much? So when he moves in, all your attention and care will go to him, and I'll be totally left out."
Guess he was more perceptive than I thought.
I nodded.
"Exactly. It's not me; you're going to help take care of him, too. We'll do it together," I said.
Alex was so spooked he actually backed off.
"Your feelings for him are way too twisted. I can't go along with this," he said. "Absolutely not, he's not moving in. I won't let it happen."
I felt even more disappointed.
So, he really didn't want to accept our child?
These past few days, Alex and I had barely spoken—it was like we were stuck in a silent standoff.
It all started because of how I tested him before.
And then, since I had found out I was pregnant, I worried that getting too passionate might not be good for the baby.
So I softly turned him down.
Alex wasn't too happy about it.
He sent me three hundred thousand dollars, probably hoping I'd make it up to him.
Alex happened to leave his phone behind, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to go find him.
Just then, a message popped up on his phone.
Jake: [Alex, there's a high school reunion coming up. You in?]
Sky Dumpling: [Heard Taylor's coming, too. Back in the day, your legendary romance was the talk of the whole school. Looks like your old crush is back in town.]
Songless: [Whoa, Alex, you better show up looking sharp.]
Jake: [But isn't Alex still with Sophie? What's she supposed to do?]
Songless: [They haven't broken up yet? It's a fling—no way Sophie can hold a candle to Taylor.]
Sky Dumpling: [Exactly. People should know their place. Like Alex would ever marry someone from a family like hers.]
So Taylor Lane was the one Alex really loved.
They went to high school together and came from similar families.
They were only forced apart when Taylor went overseas.
I changed direction and made my way to the study.
Finally, I found the photo Alex had hurriedly stashed away before.
It was his high school group photo.
Guess he only cared about one person in that photo.
There was also that time before I found out I was pregnant, Alex came home tipsy, grinning from ear to ear. He kept saying he was finally about to win his parents over, and soon he'd be able to confess his feelings.
The phone slipped quietly from my hand.
Suddenly, it all clicked.
After that day, I lost all motivation for anything. I didn't have the energy to comfort Alex anymore.