Chapter 4

I stood in front of the pharmacy shelf, staring at the endless rows of pregnancy tests, my palms starting to sweat.

"Can I help you, miss?" the clerk asked cheerfully.

I jerked like a startled cat, snatched up two of the priciest boxes without thinking, checked out, and hurried out of there.

Back home, I locked myself in the bathroom, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of my throat.

I stared at the second line on the pregnancy test, watching it slowly appear, blurry at first, then growing clearer. My mind went completely blank.

I was pregnant.

I was going to be a mom.

There was a baby inside me, a child that was James's and mine.

The realization made my mind spin out of control for a moment, but then a surge of joy I couldn't put into words flooded my heart.

I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to keep myself from bursting out in joy, but the tears came first.

James and I finally shared the strongest connection ever.

I carefully put the pregnancy test away, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. I couldn't wait to tell him the good news. I wanted to surprise him.

I decided to personally cook up a feast, a tableful of James's favorite foods.

I swung by the supermarket and grabbed the freshest ingredients I could find. On the way home, I was practically floating, and even the sycamore trees lining the street seemed cuter than usual.

The sky was a bit gloomy, as it might rain any minute.

As I turned the corner, just one block from home, a new coffee shop caught my eye. It had huge floor-to-ceiling windows and a stylish, upscale vibe.

I gave the place a casual glance, but suddenly my feet felt glued to the spot. I couldn't move an inch.

By the window, a man and a woman were sitting together.

The man was someone I knew all too well. It was my husband, James.

He was turned slightly away from me, and there was a tenderness in his smile I'd never seen before.

Unlike the polite, distant smile he usually reserved for me, this one was genuine, undisguised affection and warmth, as if he truly cared.

Sitting across from him was a girl in a white dress, her long hair cascading to her waist, with a gentle, graceful air.

Suddenly, it started to rain outside.

The girl seemed chilly, shrinking into herself.

James immediately took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Then he got up, walked to the door, and grabbed a long black umbrella.

James popped open the umbrella, walked over to the girl, bent down, and said something to her with that gentle smile of his.

The girl looked up at him and flashed a sweet smile. It was so bright that it felt like the whole rainy day had suddenly lit up.

In that instant, it felt like someone had stabbed my heart straight through.

I didn't need to know who she was. Just seeing the look in James's eyes told me everything.

His dream girl was back.

The shopping bag filled with fresh groceries slipped from my hand and crashed onto the ground. Tomatoes tumbled out, splattering in the mud, each one like a piece of my broken heart.

I stood in the pouring rain, letting the icy water drench me, trembling uncontrollably.

Turns out, the happiness I thought I had was nothing but an illusion.

All the kindness, all that responsibility he pretended to have for me, it was only because the one he really cared about hadn't come back yet.

Since the real one returned, it was time for me, the stand-in, to fade into the background.

How ridiculous. Just a few minutes ago, I was thrilled about being pregnant with his child.

I placed my hand on my flat stomach, where a tiny life was growing, one he probably never even wanted.

A freezing numbness started at my feet and worked its way up, stabbing right into my heart.

I didn't even remember how I got home.

I lay in the bathtub, letting the hot water slowly turn cold until my skin was all wrinkled.

That evening, James came home.

He was humming to himself, clearly in high spirits.

"Emily, I'm home. What do you want for dinner tonight?" He walked into the bedroom and saw me sitting on the carpet, freezing for a moment. "Why is it so dark in here?"

He flipped on the light, and the room was instantly bright as day.

"What's wrong? You don't look well," he said, coming over and reaching out to check my forehead.

I turned my head away, avoiding his touch.

His hand froze in midair.

"James," I looked up at him, my voice eerily calm. "Let's get a divorce."