Chapter 3
In this city, the few connections I had were all somehow linked to William.
After so many years together, my whole social life revolved around him, and even my career was built around him. It felt like my whole life was centered around him.
My entire world had been focused on him for so long that I could barely remember who I was back when I first started college.
With no family to run to, I ended up booking a room at a hotel nearby.
Lying in bed, I replayed all those moments from the past in my head.
Back in college, he chased after me so passionately that everyone in our class was talking about it.
When we were dating, he took care of me in every possible way. He'd do anything for me.
When we were starting our business, we'd pull all-nighters, but he never forgot to bring me breakfast.
The day he proposed, his eyes sparkled like stars. He said, "Hazel, I'll be good to you forever."
But when did things start to change between us? Was it when Madeline showed up? If he really loved me, how could he marry her so easily, without even a hint of guilt?
Thinking about it made me feel sick to my stomach. As I was stuck in the bathroom, unable to stop throwing up, a terrifying thought suddenly hit me.
Could I be pregnant? My thoughts were all over the place. If I really were pregnant, what was I supposed to do? Should I still go through with the wedding?
Was I really supposed to spend the rest of my life with William for the sake of this child?
In the end, I gritted my teeth and headed downstairs to look for a pharmacy. Luckily, there was one right around the corner from my apartment.
I clutched the pregnancy test so tightly that my knuckles were pale. As I waited to pay, I caught sight of someone I knew standing ahead of me.
William was at the pharmacy, too, holding a box of medicine, and had paid.
When he saw me, his expression flickered with panic for a moment.
Our eyes met, and he stood there, completely frozen.
The next moment, his gaze locked onto the pregnancy test in my hand. His eyes widened suddenly, like he'd pieced everything together.
Once we stepped out of the pharmacy, he nearly lunged forward, grabbing my shoulders. "Hazel, are you pregnant?"
His tone was so gentle that it was as if he was afraid even the slightest sound might shatter the moment or disturb the baby.
"We're really having a baby, aren't we?" William said, hugging me tight, tears streaming down his face as he laughed. "This is incredible. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
"I'm going to get a divorce right now. I'll do it, I swear."
He kept holding me, whispering again and again in my ear, "We're having a baby."
He was so excited, so eager, and so full of anticipation.
It was like I was his whole world, like me and the baby were the reason he kept going.
But my heart kept sinking, all the way to rock bottom. I knew the medicine he was holding. We used that one all the time.
"What's that in your hand?" I killed his excitement, breaking the spell of his anticipation.
William's face went very pale, and he dropped his gaze, unable to meet my eyes.
"Tell me the truth, William. Who did you buy it for?" I demanded.
He kept backing away, step by step, until he hit the wall, with nowhere left to go.
William muttered, "I'm sorry. I drank too much. I was so upset.
"I thought you didn't want me anymore. Madeline saw how devastated I was. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Please, you have to believe me."
His voice was low, like he was confessing a crime, full of remorse and panic. He blamed it all on being drunk.
My heart went cold. Why was he so shameless? He kept telling me he loved me, all while hooking up with Madeline.
He promised to marry me, but he'd already tied the knot with another woman.
"I messed up. I really did. It was this one time, I promise, never again," William kept pleading, his voice thick with guilt and regret.
"Go on, get back to your wife. She's still waiting for her birth control." I turned and walked away, not even bothering to look back at him.
William shouted my name, his voice cracking with tears, but he didn't chase after me. Because he had to bring that birth control to Madeline.