Chapter 4

Abby ignored Luke and sat down, starting to tidy up her stuff.

Seeing her busy, Luke didn't stay any longer. Before leaving, he gently patted her head.

"Hey, Abby, you've had it rough taking care of yourself. I bought you that bag you've had your eyes on forever. So cheer up, okay?" he said.

Abby glanced at the bag, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

That was her mom's favorite bag, the one she always carried around. But it vanished on the day her mom died.

Ever since then, Abby kept checking online for restocks, refreshing the page over and over, but she never stood a chance.

Apparently, there were only two bags when they re-released it. She couldn't believe Luke actually managed to snag one.

When Luke saw Abby's eyes sparkle for a brief second, a smile finally broke across his face as he headed out the door.

Once Luke was gone, Abby gingerly lifted the bag, barely having a chance to take it all in before someone knocked on the door.

The nurse poked her head in. "Dr. Becker, someone here with a specialist appointment wants to see you ahead of time."

Normally, she'd have the nurse tell them to wait till her shift started, but since she was leaving soon, squeezing in one more patient couldn't hurt.

But Abby had barely sat down in the exam room when the door creaked open, and someone familiar stepped right in.

"Doctor, can you check this ultrasound and tell me if I'm actually pregnant?" Flora said, looking way too pleased with herself.

Abby just gave Flora a sideways glance and immediately stood up.

"This is gynecology, not obstetrics. If you want a pregnancy test, head to the obstetrics department on the first floor, left side. Get your appointment there," Abby said, not bothering to hide her impatience.

With that, Abby turned to leave, but Flora called out after her.

"Abby, aren't you even curious whose baby I'm carrying?" Flora teased, her voice practically bubbling with glee.

She got up and sauntered right over, grinning mischievously at Abby.

"The doctor says I'm about six weeks along. Luke was so wild that night, I was stuck in bed for three whole days," Flora bragged, sounding way too pleased with herself.

Abby felt blown away and blurted out, "No way!"

When Abby and Luke got married, he'd looked her right in the eyes and said he never wanted kids because his mom died giving birth.

Plus, he got a vasectomy literally the day after their wedding. How could Flora possibly be pregnant with his child?

Sure, she knew Luke and Flora might've gotten a little too close at some point, but given what she knew about him, there was just no way he'd ever cross that line while they were married.

Flora watched Abby's stunned reaction and smirked, clearly enjoying herself.

"Seriously? You actually believed Luke got snipped? Wow, aren't you supposed to be a doctor? All those 'vitamins' on your nightstand, and you never even realized they're birth control pills," Flora teased.

Flora's taunt sent a chill down Abby's spine. She instantly thought of the bottle of "vitamins" Luke had given her.

Ever since the wedding, Luke had personally made sure she took them every morning and night. Even if he was out of town, he'd call her just to remind.

The pills always tasted bitter. Abby had her doubts about what was in them, but Luke brushed it off, saying it was because of a certain medicine inside.

So those weren't medicine or even vitamins. Luke actually bought her birth control pills on purpose.

Abby squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of dizziness washed over her, everything flashing white.

Flora's mocking laughter echoed in her ears. Abby took a deep breath and looked up at her.

"Flora, it must hurt to see the one you want marry someone else, huh? So you keep living in your own little fantasy, trying to fool yourself. What, you came here today just to break us up?" Abby said, her voice cool and sharp.

"Let me tell you. Luke loves me so much that he'd die before leaving me. But if you want him, fine, you can have him," Abby added, her tone icy.

"And about that baby in your belly, when it's born, get a paternity test. If that kid really is Luke's, go ahead and wave the results in my face. Until then, get out," Abby shot back, not missing a beat.

Abby pulled the door open, fixing Flora with a silent, unflinching stare.

Flora's smile vanished in an instant, her eyes shooting daggers at Abby.

"You don't believe me? Check Luke's hotel records. And take those 'vitamins' to a lab. See for yourself if I'm lying," Flora sneered.

"And I don't need you to give Luke to me. He's always been mine, anyway!" Flora shot back, her voice dripping with arrogance.

With that, Flora tossed her head back, looking every bit as smug as before, and strutted out the door.

The second the door clicked shut, all the strength drained out of Abby. She collapsed right there onto the floor, her whole body trembling.

A moment ago, she'd been stone-cold calm, but right then, she was nothing but lost, overwhelmed by helplessness.

She didn't need to dig for proof. In her gut, she knew every cruel word Flora spat was the ugly truth.

A month and a half ago, Luke said he'd be coming back, but something suddenly came up, so he got stuck out of town for three days.

Because of that, he didn't even make it home for her birthday.

It turned out, as Luke FaceTimed her, singing 'happy birthday' in that soft, loving way, another woman was lying in his hotel bed the whole time.

No wonder Luke, who'd gotten a vasectomy, still insisted Abby take those birth control pills every single time they were together.

So that was what it was. All this time, it was just lies. He didn't mind having kids, but he just never wanted them with her.

Her tears hit the floor, big and relentless. Abby was drowning in regret, wishing she'd just listened to Liam instead of stubbornly marrying Luke.

If she'd listened to Liam back then, things would have ended up differently.

Luke and Flora had been into each other from the start anyway, so maybe it was time to let them be together and move on.

Abby wiped away her tears, pulled out her phone, and called Liam.

"Liam, I want to get out of here as soon as possible," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

There was a brief pause on the other end. "Okay," Liam replied.

Two minutes later, Liam sent her a text.

Luke: [Things got moved up. Three days later, bring your ID to finish the last step. I'll swing by and pick you up.]

Abby's eyes flickered, barely showing any emotion. She typed back a cold [Thanks.] That was all she could manage then.

Just three more days, and she could finally start over.

This time, no one was ever going to find her again.