Chapter 2
Two months ago, Cayson came home with a forged medical report, telling me the surgery deposit was all on me.
I believed him.
I took vocal lessons during the day and worked at a club at night, even pawning my wedding ring for cash.
He took my hand, clearly moved. "Isabella, you're the only family I've got."
But now, his only family was sitting in a private room, being made a spectacle for everyone else.
The music started.
I sang an old song.
It wasn't a cheerful one.
It was my dad's favorite song when he was alive.
As soon as I started singing, Cayson's expression shifted.
My dad used to be the tuner at the old theater. When he passed away, all he left me was a battered old piano and a cabinet stuffed with handwritten scores.
Back when I was nineteen, after my show, Cayson stood in the pouring rain, waiting for me with white roses in his hands.
He told me, "Isabella, when you sing, it's like the whole world suddenly gets brighter."
I really thought he got it.
So for the past two months, I endured being ordered around in that smoke-filled, grimy club.
When I finished singing, the private room was dead silent.
Alisha was the first to laugh.
She said, "Cayson, you used to say her singing was captivating. I thought she'd be something extraordinary.
"So that's all there is to it."
Cayson didn't even glance at her. His eyes were fixed on me.
"Come here!" he barked.
When I didn't move, his face darkened and he lunged for the mic in my hand.
I instinctively stepped back, and tears started to well up and fall down my cheeks.
"Cayson, didn't you say you had to stay in the hospital for a check-up tonight?" I asked.
He froze, his hand hanging in midair.
Alisha lounged on the sofa, slowly caressing her belly.
She drawled, "Oh, there was a check-up, all right.
"But it was just Cayson coming with me for my prenatal exam."
She picked up the ultrasound report from the table and waved it right in my face.
She said, "Isabella, take a look.
"The baby's perfectly healthy."
In that instant, it felt like a thread was strangling my throat.
One of the guys nearby started making fun of me.
"You really bought that? Cayson's as healthy as a horse."
"He just didn't want you touching his money, so he came up with some lame excuse to stop you from poking around."
"But hey, you're pretty impressive. You managed to rake in hundreds of thousands in just a few months. Guess your voice really is worth a fortune."
The private room erupted in boisterous laughter.
Cayson's face finally darkened.
"Enough!" he snapped.
But he wasn't telling them to stop laughing at me. He was just afraid I'd keep asking questions.
Alisha walked up to me and fixed my shawl for me.
She sneered, "Isabella, you and Cayson have been married for three years and still haven't had a kid. Now that I'm expecting, he's got to step up and take responsibility.
"And honestly, the fact that he hasn't divorced you yet? That's already him doing you a favor."
I glared at her, fury blazing in my eyes, and slapped her across the face with a loud smack.
Her head whipped to the side, and her earring crashed against a wine glass.
The sound rang out, harsh and piercing.
The next second, Cayson grabbed my wrist in a bruising grip.
"Isabella!" he barked.
The pain shot through me, and my hand went limp. The mic slipped from my fingers and crashed to the floor, sending a burst of static through the room.
Alisha clutched her face, her tears falling fast and hard.
She said, "Cayson, just let it go. It's on me.
"I shouldn't have told her about the baby."
Cayson pulled her behind him, shielding her from me.
His gaze was nothing but a warning when he looked at me.
"How could you be so heartless? Alisha's pregnant, and you really want me to end up childless?" he snapped.
My wrist tingled from the pain, going numb.
I let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
"Fine," I said.
Cayson froze.
I picked up the mic from the floor and handed it to the manager.
I said, "Make sure to settle up for tonight.
"I'm rushing to earn money for Mr. Lawrence's medical bills."
With that, I turned and walked out.
Cayson called out to me from behind.
"Isabella, stop right there!"
I didn't look back.