Chapter 2
Rowena's heels barely made a sound as she walked across the carpet.
As she reached the door, Leopold called out, "I'll have my assistant send you the money tomorrow."
Rowena didn't look back.
"Use it to fix Mona's head," she said sarcastically.
The door slammed shut.
The private room fell into a heavy silence.
Penelope was so angry she kept slapping the table. "How dare she act like that!"
Mona tried to calm her, speaking softly. "Don't be upset, Mrs. Hopkins. Rowena's just having a hard time with this."
Leopold stayed silent.
He stared at the closed door, an inexplicable agitation building in his chest.
It was as if something was slipping beyond his grasp.
As Rowena stepped out of the hotel, it started to rain.
The early spring night air was cold, stinging her face like tiny needles.
Rowena stood at the bottom of the steps, not moving right away.
She hugged her bag to her chest and looked up at the neon lights.
The lights were harsh and almost blinding.
Suddenly, her stomach churned.
The nausea came on strong, and she couldn't fight it. She bent over by the flower bed, dry heaving.
She had barely eaten anything all day, her stomach painfully empty. Nothing came up, just sour acid burning her throat.
She leaned against the wall for a long time, her palms slick with cold sweat.
Her phone rang.
She thought it was Leopold, but when she glanced at the screen, it was her bestie, Audrey Lawrence.
As soon as Rowena picked up, Audrey's voice burst out.
"So, did you finish talking? Is that bastard pretending he's dead again?"
Rowena gave a wry smile. "Yeah, we're divorced."
Audrey went quiet for a couple of seconds, then exploded. "For real? Leopold is such a bastard! Did he drag that bitch Mona along, too? I knew it! Every single one of them is awful."
Rowena could practically feel her eardrums vibrating from Audrey's rant through the phone.
She couldn't help but smile a little.
At least someone out there genuinely thought she deserved better.
"Audrey," Rowena said softly. "I think I need to go to the hospital."
Audrey immediately stopped. "What's wrong?"
"I'm feeling sick, my stomach's acting up."
"Stay right there, I'll be there in a minute!"
"No need, I'll grab a cab myself."
"Quit acting tough!"
Audrey was furious. "Text me your location. I'm coming to the hospital to catch you myself."
Rowena hung up and raised her hand to hail a cab.
The rain was coming down harder now.
As she got into the taxi, she caught a glimpse of her pale face in the rearview mirror, her lipstick smudged.
The driver glanced at her. "Did you just have an argument, miss?"
Rowena murmured a quiet "yeah."
The driver clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Young people, don't let your feelings mess up your health."
Rowena rested her head against the window, saying nothing.
The city lights sped past outside the window, just like her three-year marriage—gone in a flash.
It looked so alive out there.
But honestly, it was all just empty inside.
The hospital ER was blindingly bright.
After registration, blood work, and a round of tests, it was already almost eleven at night.
Audrey burst in, her heels clicking loudly, just as Rowena sat on a bench in the hallway, lost in thought as she stared at her test results.
"Girl, you nearly scared me to death!" Audrey exclaimed.
Audrey rushed over and snatched the test report from Rowena's hand. "Let me see what the hell is going on with you—"
But she stopped mid-sentence, stunned.
The air hung in silence for a second.
Audrey glanced down at the report, then up at Rowena, then back down again.
"Holy crap," she blurted out. "Am I seeing things?"
Rowena stayed silent.
Audrey's voice was almost floating. "Six weeks... pregnant?"
A kid was crying in the hallway, and a nurse rushed by with a medical cart.
It was like Rowena didn't hear a thing.
She just kept staring at those words on the page.
Six weeks pregnant.
Six weeks ago, she and Leopold were still okay.
That night, he got drunk—rare for him—and lost control, holding her tight and begging her again and again not to leave.
She thought it was a sign he might finally want her back.
Turned out, it wasn't.
It was just him being drunk and out of it.
Of all days, she had to find out she was pregnant the day she got divorced.
Audrey was totally dumbfounded. "Seriously? This is like straight out of a soap opera."
Rowena just murmured a soft "yeah."
Yeah, it was ridiculously messy.
So messy, it felt like even fate was having a laugh at her expense.
Audrey crouched down in front of her, her voice gentle. "So... what are you going to do now?"
'What should I do?' Rowena wondered, lost.
She gripped the test report so tightly her knuckles turned white.
If it had been three hours ago, she might have hesitated.
But now...
All she could think about was that scene back in the lounge.
Mona stood next to Leopold, eyes red, playing the innocent victim.
Penelope made it clear she didn't want Rowena there.
Leopold told her to take the money and get out.