Chapter 6
Richard had already picked up his coat.
Lily reached out and grabbed his arm.
"You're leaving again?" she asked.
Richard didn't say a word.
"You always lie to him," Lily said.
"You always say you'll hug him after his shower.
"You always say you'll spend time with him after dinner.
"You always say you'll stay home at night.
"But have you ever actually done it?"
The air hung heavy for a few seconds.
Richard looked down and straightened his cuffs.
His voice was cold.
"Is this place even worthy of being called a home?" Richard asked.
Lily's face went pale.
Richard looked up.
Richard said, "You know where my real home is.
"You've always known.
"I only have one home.
"And there's only one woman for me.
"Don't cross the line."
The air went quiet.
Lily's eyes started to well up with tears.
But she still forced a smile.
"What about Autumn?" she asked.
"He's your only son," she added.
Richard paused for a moment.
"I'll handle it," he said.
With that, he turned and walked away.
Lily stood frozen in place.
She didn't move for a long time.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from upstairs.
Autumn ran downstairs in his underwear.
His hair was still dripping wet.
His skin was red from scrubbing.
"Where's Dad?" Autumn called out.
No one answered.
"Did Dad go work overtime again?" Autumn asked.
"He promised he'd hug me after my shower, but he lied again," Autumn mumbled.
His voice grew quieter and quieter.
Lily crouched down.
She hugged Autumn close to her.
"Come on," Lily said.
"Mommy will take you to find Dad," Lily said.
Autumn's eyes lit up.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes," Lily replied.
They hurried out the door together.
They must have been in such a rush.
They hadn't even shut the front door of the villa properly.
I waited for a long time.
Long enough to be sure there was no one else left in the house.
Only then did I slowly step out of the storage room.
My legs were so weak.
I could barely stand.
The painting was still there in the living room.
It was a picture of the three of them together.
Richard. Lily. And Autumn.
At the very top, scrawled in messy handwriting, were the words: "My Home."
I thought.
He'd probably be busy tonight.'
So I didn't go home.
I sat there in the café, spacing out.
But I didn't expect what happened next.
At exactly seven o'clock, Richard showed up at the café entrance.
Not a minute late.
Just like he had done countless times before.
"What's up?" he asked.
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Is the coffee here any good?" he asked.
He looked completely unfazed.
His suit was perfectly pressed.
It was as if nothing had happened in the last few hours.
I looked at him.
Suddenly, I found myself wondering.
How does he always have Lily under his thumb? I thought.
The coffee was cold now.
It was so bitter.
Richard ordered me a hot one.
"You're really drinking cold coffee?" he asked.
"You trying to ruin your stomach?" he added.
He was a master at this.
Even if he'd gotten out of another woman's bed, he could still appear in front of me at exactly seven, right on time.
When we got home that night,
Richard sat at the far end of the couch, going through some paperwork.
He'd make small talk with me from time to time.
It felt just like old times.
He was gentle.
He was considerate.
He was perfect, really.
At eleven that night, Susan's message came through.
I grabbed my phone and headed out to the balcony.
Susan pulled up every record she could find.
My hormones were normal.
My ovaries were normal.
My fallopian tubes were normal.
No evidence of long-term birth control use.
No traces of any fertility-affecting drugs.
I was perfectly healthy. So why, after six years, was I still unable to get pregnant? I wondered.
My phone buzzed again.
Another photo popped up.
It was a record of a vasectomy procedure.
Under the "Name" field, it said: Richard Lane.
My hand suddenly trembled.
I kept staring at the time.
The date.
It was crystal clear.
It was the day after Autumn left.
I suddenly felt so cold, like the chill went straight to my bones.
My teeth actually started to chatter.
Susan's messages kept coming.
Susan wrote: [The file was buried deep.]
She added: [I had to pull a lot of strings to dig it up.]
I slowly crouched down.
Six years ago.
Richard, his eyes red from crying, saying "I'm sorry."
Richard, who never left my side for three days and nights.
Richard, holding me close, whispering, "We'll have kids someday."
So that was the truth.
So that's what he did, the very next day, he got a vasectomy.
Suddenly, I remembered this afternoon.
That little boy, Autumn.
He ran straight into Richard's arms, beaming with pure joy.
Calling him "Dad."
And Richard lowered his gaze to that painting.
The tenderness in his eyes was real.
My stomach lurched, and a wave of nausea washed over me, making my whole body feel cold and shaky.
I clutched my stomach and slowly crouched down.
"What's wrong?" Richard rushed over, his voice anxious.
"It's a bit of a stomachache," I mumbled.
"I drank too much coffee earlier. I need to rest a bit," I added.
He didn't hesitate for a second, he pulled me to my feet. "We're going to the hospital."
We sped through the streets, and in ten minutes, we arrived at the hospital owned by Lane Corp.
The entire medical staff was already lined up outside, all bowing as we pulled up.
Everything was fast-tracked for us.
The nurses and doctors moved like clockwork, everyone knowing exactly what to do.
I suddenly laughed to myself at the thought: what if I found out I was pregnant right now?
Now that Richard's had a vasectomy, what would he do?
He'd probably keep his cool and dig into it.
He'd run blood tests, check the dates, review his schedule, and pull up the security cameras.
If it wasn't his, he'd probably act like nothing happened, like he did with Lily today.
He'd had a vasectomy, Lily was pregnant, and yet he was so calm, it was as if none of it mattered to him.
But if it was his, would he be even quieter?
So calm he'd handle everything for me.
He'd book the hospital.
Find the doctor.
Schedule the surgery.
He wouldn't let me suffer for long.
Then he'd hold me close, gentle and caring.
The test results came back clean, it was a stomach cramp.