Chapter 2

As soon as the elevator doors opened in the parking lot, I grabbed my keys and was about to head for my car when a soft voice caught my ear.

"Jonathan, I think I left the prenatal report in the car."

I paused, turning my head.

Not far away, the black Rolls-Royce's door was wide open. Jonathan was bent over, pulling a small handbag out from inside.

Standing next to him was a woman in a flowing dress, her expression gentle, her baby bump just beginning to show.

They didn't notice me.

She slipped her arm through Jonathan's, and the two of them shared a smile, completely lost in their own little world.

I remembered the year I miscarried. I must've been about her age back then.

Back then, our careers were just starting out. We didn't have the energy or the money to raise a child.

But we still loved each other, and letting go of the baby was something we just couldn't bring ourselves to do.

But soon enough, we didn't have to agonize over it anymore.

Before we could even make up our minds, I lost the baby.

Jonathan held me tight all night, his eyes bloodshot from staying up. When the sun came up, his voice was hoarse as he promised, "Susan, just give me a little more time."

"Next time we have a baby, I swear, he'll be the happiest kid on earth."

I clung desperately to Jonathan's shirt, knowing his pain was no less than mine, so I didn't even dare to sob.

At 24, I lost my baby.

Jonathan was better than me at moving on. He knew how to fill the void his regrets left behind.

"See? The woman who took my place is 24 now, and she's pregnant with Jonathan's baby."

I got into the car, my hands shaking as I fumbled for a cigarette.

But in the end, I just buried my face in my hands, a bitter smile tugging at my lips as tears started to fall.

I'd already accepted that Jonathan had moved on, and I didn't expect anything from him anymore.

So I really had no idea why I was crying.