Chapter 3

And honestly, it looked fake as hell. William kept repeating himself over and over: "Charlie, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm an asshole. I let you down..."

He reached for me, then stopped halfway like he was afraid he'd hurt me if he touched me. "You've been so good to me. My whole family only got out of that place because you helped us. You pulled me up. You gave me dignity. You gave me a future... and I let you carry the pain of losing our child all by yourself. I don't deserve you..." His shoulders shook as he cried.

I looked at that tear-soaked face and felt nothing, only irony. I really wanted to know whether those tears were for the unborn baby, or for the sweet young lover he'd just been forced to let go of under the Wisteria Arbor.

I didn't expose him. I waited until he'd cried enough, then finally spoke in a voice that sounded just fragile and understanding enough. "Three months ago, the doctor said the baby had a chromosomal problem. There was no saving it." I closed my eyes as if steadying myself. "I was afraid you'd be upset, and I didn't want you distracted from work, so I went to the procedure alone and told nobody."

I turned my head toward the dark night outside the window, my voice soft as a sigh. "The doctor said it might've been because I'd been under too much stress lately and not getting enough rest. You know how those company projects have been recently..." I let the rest hang there on purpose.

William took the bait immediately. He grabbed me hard, his arms tightening around me like he wanted to crush me into himself and make up for everything at once. "I'm sorry... I'm so damn sorry... Charlotte, I didn't know. I had no idea. What the hell have I been doing all this time? I'm trash. I really am..."

"Stop." I cut him off gently, wrapped my arms around him too, and patted his back like I was soothing a child who'd done something wrong. "It's over now. The doctor said we're still young. We can have another one later."

William went stiff, then held me even tighter and kept making vows in my ear over and over. "Charlie, I swear, from now on I'll treat you right. We'll live well together. I'll never let you suffer again..." He kissed my hair, my forehead, and my cheeks like a madman, desperate and almost reverent. When he got close to my lips, I turned my head slightly and let him miss.

"I'm tired. Let's sleep," I said. William let go at once and carefully tucked the blanket around me. That whole night, he stayed awake, glancing at me from time to time, his eyes full of guilt, heartache, unease, and one faint thread of confusion he couldn't hide.

I knew exactly what he was thinking. He was wondering if, had he known earlier that the baby was gone, he might not have needed to "break up" with Emily at all. He was wondering whether those stolen months of pleasure had really been worth this ending, and how he could make it up to me enough to ease his own conscience. What a joke.

The next morning, for the first time ever, William didn't go to the university. He cooked breakfast for me himself, though he couldn't even fry an egg without burning it. He stood there awkwardly in front of me with a plate of blackened food, offered to make another, and when I told him it was fine and ate it without complaint, his eyes reddened again.

"William." I put down my fork and looked up at him, my voice calm. "What's done is done. Let's both move forward, okay?"

My tone was gentle and my gaze forgiving, like some truly generous fiancée still deeply in love with her man. William nodded hard. The last bit of confusion in his eyes was swallowed by guilt and determination. "Okay. We'll move forward. Charlotte, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you." I smiled and nodded, but inside I was sneering. The rest of your life? As if you deserved that.

Over the next few days, William canceled every social event, came home on time every night, and kept making all kinds of soups to help me recover. He even offered to postpone the wedding. I leaned against his chest and said softly, "The wedding can wait. Your school projects are at a critical stage, aren't they? Don't put them off because of me."

"You're what matters most." He kissed the top of my head. I lowered my eyes, hiding the coldness in them.

See that? What a perfect fiancé. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would've believed a gentle man like him could be carrying on such a lively affair behind the scenes?