Chapter 2

I dismissed the call without much thought, but the phone rang again, insistent and unyielding. Reluctantly, I answered.

"Eva, did you go to the Alps on your own?" Ellis's voice was low, tinged with irritation. "Didn't we agree that I would go with you after we got married? How could you travel so far alone without considering the risks?Especially after your... condition."

His casual reference to my traumatic loss and newfound infertility as a "condition" sent a chill through my body. Through the background noise, I could hear hospital staff occasionally calling out patients' names. Ellis was clearly in a hospital.

"I didn't encounter any danger," I replied coolly. "I wanted to go, so I did."You know, that's the difference between us, Ellis. I do what I say I will."

His self-righteous concern left me unmoved. After eight years of dating, I had asked him every year to visit the Alps. It was my mother's dying wish. But each time, Ellis had a different excuse to decline.

"Eva, I'm too busy right now. I'll take you when things settle down."

"There's some family stuff; let's go next year."

"No time!"

And it went on, until the last time I asked. He couldn't even be bothered to come up with an excuse, just flatly refused with visible frustration. I had long since grown weary of waiting.

"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up now." I pressed the end call button before Ellis could respond, feeling relief wash over me.

That evening, back home, I was focused on my laptop in the study when Ellis suddenly tossed a piece of clothing at me.

"Eva, can you clean up your stuff? You keep leaving your worn clothes everywhere.This place is a mess since you've been back."

The embellishment on the clothing was sharp enough to nick my face, causing a sting of pain.

"It was under the couch," he said. "Take care of your things; make sure it doesn't happen again!"

I glanced at the bold, low-cut nightgown designed for maternity wear and replied icily, "It's not mine. I can't wear maternity clothes anymore, remember? Thanks to you."

Ellis's expression changed, a look of panic sweeping across his face as realization hit. He snatched the item from the floor and awkwardly hid it behind his back.

"Maybe it's something Laylani left behind when she visited last time. I'll return it to her one of these days. It's nothing... just something she asked me to keep when she pretended to leave."

I said nothing and returned to my laptop, my cheek still stinging from both the cut and his lies.

Ellis seemed repentant, rummaging through a box to find an old adhesive bandage. He sat beside me with exaggerated care.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have thrown it at you. I didn't realize how sharp it was...Look, Eva, we need to talk about our wedding. The invitations—"

The bandage's scent was unpleasant. I moved away from him. "It's nothing. And there won't be a wedding"

I gathered my laptop and headed to the bedroom, leaving Ellis standing there, watching my retreating figure, lost in thought for a long while.