Chapter 3

Just after I finished making the appointment, a knock came at the door.

"Emily, I'm coming in," David called out softly.

I quickly burrowed under the covers, turned my back to him, and pretended to be asleep.

The door creaked open, and David stepped inside.

"Emily?" he called out softly.

I didn't answer.

David still wouldn't give up.

"Emily, I know I messed up. Please, just talk to me. Will you?" he begged, sounding more desperate than ever.

"I promise, I will never see Claire again. You have my word," he added, clutching at straws.

Never see Claire again? Who was he trying to fool?

As if he'd ever keep that promise.

I let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Who was he kidding? Claire was never going to let him off that easily.

Figures. He'd just finished swearing up and down he wouldn't see Claire ever again.

But before I could even process that, his phone buzzed. It was Claire. I heard him whisper, "Don't cry. I'll be over soon."

And just like that, he was out the door, rushing off in a hurry.

Not long after, faint murmurs of comforting drifted over from next door, mixed with unmistakable sounds of kissing.

At that moment, I felt my heart turn to ash, like I was dead inside.

In the end, David chose to betray me after all.

Regret washed over me. I'd turned my back on my parents for David, and now I was left with nothing.

I couldn't help but wonder if it was too late to swallow my pride and make things right with them.

I couldn't bring myself to call, so I just sent a message to my mom.

I figured they were still mad at me, but the second I hit send, my mom called me.

"Sweetheart, you know your dad and I never blamed you, not even once," she said softly.

"Mom..." I choked out, my voice trembling.

The moment I heard her familiar voice, my tears just wouldn't stop.

"Em, don't cry, okay? What's going on? Talk to me. Who's been making you upset?" my mom said, her voice worried and gentle.

"Em, just tell me. If anyone dares hurt my baby girl, I'll be the first one on their case!" my dad jumped in, fierce and protective as ever.

It felt so comforting to know my parents were still there for me, just like they'd always promised.

I sobbed for ages before I managed to get my emotions under control.

I said, "Dad, Mom, I'm fine. Just wait for me. I'll come see you in a week."

"Sweetheart, you can come home anytime you want. No need to wait a whole week," my mom said gently.

"I just need to deal with a few things here first," I replied.

Afraid my parents would start asking even more questions, I hurriedly ended the call before they could dig any deeper.

One week. That was all I needed to sort out the broken pieces left between me and David.

David was still barely around. Sometimes the whole day would go by without me catching even a glimpse of him.

Every time he walked through that door, he never failed to bring back the scent of Claire's signature perfume—a bitter little reminder of just where he'd really been.

No need to guess where he'd spent his days. Anyone could tell.

But now, I wasn't going to let it get to me anymore.

If David could just toss aside our years together like it meant nothing, why should I be the only one holding on?

Once this baby was gone, there'd be nothing left between us—no last thread, no lingering connection.

I started packing up, and only then did I realize that I barely owned any clothes at all.

Back when we were saving for our home, I pinched every penny and wouldn't even buy myself any new clothes.

All that money I managed to save up, I handed straight over to David for the down payment.

But seeing it now, those sacrifices were nothing but a joke.

*****

Before I knew it, the day of my operation rolled around.

I got to the hospital at the crack of dawn, lining up with a knot in my stomach.

Lying there on the cold operating table, waiting for the abortion to start, anxiety gnawed at me.

Just then, out of nowhere, my phone started to ring.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was David who had sent a video.

I hit play, and my blood ran cold. There were David and Claire, practically glued together, tangled up in each other like nothing in the world mattered but them.

And right after, a voice message came through that hit like a punch to the gut.

Claire said, "Emily, Dave's been mine since day one. If you hadn't slithered in while I was down, you really think he would've picked you?

"Oh, by the way, Dave promised he'd make it up to me by giving me a baby.

"Wanna know a secret? Jacob was never really my kid.

"But here's the best part. Even if you tell Dave, he won't believe a single word you say."

With a cold, unreadable expression, I saved both the video and the audio, then fired off the signed divorce agreement straight to David.

Right then, I called up my best friend, Yvette Flair, who happened to be a lawyer.

"I need you to look into something for me. The kid who died at my wedding three months ago—who was he, really?" I said, my voice firm without hesitation.

"Em, what's up?" Yvette asked.

"We haven't met in ages, and now you suddenly want me to look into this?" she added.

"Don't ask. I've got stuff to do. We'll talk later," I replied.

Without another word, I hung up.

Soon after, the surgery began.

I just lay there, numb and empty, feeling the cold, unforgiving instruments stirring around inside me.

After the procedure, dragging my body that felt like it was about to split apart, I went back to the doctor's office to grab my meds. No sooner had I stepped out than I ran right into David and Claire.