Chapter 2

The shock hit me all at once. My vision went dark, and I collapsed.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. A doctor stood beside me as she said gently, "From now on, you need to take better care of yourself. You're pregnant, so try not to get too worked up."

My heart sank. I turned and saw both our parents standing nearby. Relief washed over their faces, even a hint of joy.

I forced my lips into a bitter, awkward smile.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes.

How was I supposed to explain to my parents that this ten-year love story had finally come apart, leaving a gaping wound I didn't know how to mend?

Not long after, Julian arrived.

His face was pale. When his eyes met mine, guilt flickered across his expression before he quickly looked away.

My parents quietly left the hospital room, reminding him to apologize properly before closing the door behind them.

The door clicked shut, and silence filled the room.

Julian reached for my hand. His palm was warm, but mine was cold. He held it for a long moment.

"Wenna," he said, his voice low and hoarse, "in these ten years I've never asked you for anything, and our relationship has always been good. This time, I'm asking you—please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want it to affect Lynn."

My chest tightened so sharply that it felt impossible to breathe.

He shouldn't have been asking me for anything at all. What he should have been doing was apologizing.

People's first instincts never lie, and mine was telling me the truth.

He had not once considered how utterly humiliated I had been at the wedding.

He had not asked why I had ended up in the hospital, and the very first name to leave his lips was still hers.

Tears finally broke free, spilling down my cheeks and soaking into the blue hospital sheets, leaving dark, spreading stains that would not fade.

I forced a single word out of my throat, barely audible. "Okay."

Julian visibly relaxed at my response, leaning back slightly, though his eyes were still clouded with tension.

He spoke again, his voice tight and hesitant. "Lynn didn't take the news of my marriage well. She's emotionally unstable right now."

"I want to stay at the hospital with her for a while, to comfort her. Give it about half a year, just six months, and then we can get married, alright?"

There was a tremor in his voice that betrayed his nerves.

'Six months, huh?' I thought.

I had waited ten long years for him. Six months was nothing in comparison. I could wait if that were what it came down to.

But the truth was, he didn't need to dress it up with excuses. He had simply fallen out of love with me.

And I could accept that.

A dull, suffocating pressure burned in my chest, scorching through my insides.

There was still a small life growing inside me, waiting for me to protect it.

I sat there for a long moment, thinking, my mind replaying that girl's smiling face and the tender, almost indulgent look Julian had worn whenever he stared at his phone.

Slowly, the tightness in my chest began to ease, and then, suddenly, I realized I no longer wanted to wait.

I pulled my hand out of his grasp and spoke softly, my voice trembling just enough to betray the storm inside me.

"Julian," I said.

He looked at me, confused, and I swallowed hard before continuing, "I'm not exactly the brightest woman. I fell in love with you when I was eighteen, and I've loved you for ten years."

"I still remember how nervous you were the first time you confessed," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "Your hands were shaking so badly it made me laugh and fall for you even more."

I continued, tears brimming in my eyes. "I remember the day I agreed to be your girlfriend, you hugged me and cried. That was the first time I felt love beyond family."

"All these years, anything I liked, you bought for me," I said, my voice breaking. "Every promise you made, you kept. Every vow you spoke, you fulfilled."

"For ten years, I truly believed you loved me, down to your bones," I added, lifting my gaze to meet his as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

I swallowed hard, my lips quivering as I forced the words out. "But t-today, I finally realized you don't love me anymore."

The realization tore me apart. The idea that Julian no longer loved me destroyed me completely.

After all, we had shared ten years. There were far too many memories to count, each one etched painfully into my heart.

Julian's eyes were red, and a single tear slid down the corner of his cheek.

"But Wenna," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, "she needs me right now."

His words hit me like a physical blow—he cared more about her needs than mine.

In that moment, clarity washed over me, cold and unforgiving. I didn't stop him.

I watched silently as Julian turned and walked out of the hospital room, leaving me alone with the weight of everything he had chosen over me.

The next day, as I was preparing to be discharged, I ran into Julian in the hallway.

He didn't notice me at first, his full attention on the girl in his arms.

She was tall and slender, with a delicate, almost ethereal face. Her eyes were large and bright, their intensity making my chest tighten.

She had to be Lynn Collins—the girl who would give her life for Julian. The girl who had made the usually composed Julian lose control at his own wedding.

I must have been staring too long, because she finally noticed me.

Her face went pale, and she quickly turned her head aside, clutching Julian's arm as if for protection.

Julian finally looked up.

His brow furrowed, and he strode toward me, his tone heavy with irritation.

"Wenna, Lynn is weak," he said, his voice low but sharp. "If there's anything to discuss, we'll talk at home. Don't make a scene here and embarrass her."

Lynn's face turned even paler, as if she were afraid I might strike.

"W-Wenna, I… I really have nothing going on with Dr. Grant," she stammered, her voice trembling. "Please don't misunderstand."

I tightened my grip on the test report in my hand and allowed a faint, controlled smile to show on my face.

"You're mistaken," I said softly. "I'm here to pay my medical bill."

Julian stared at me, his expression a mix of surprise and something I couldn't quite read, and for no apparent reason, the irritation in his eyes seemed to fade.

I brushed past him, holding my head high, and made my way to the payment counter.

As I stepped out of the hospital, my phone buzzed in my pocket, a message from Julian popping up on the screen.

[Wenna, don't be mad. I panicked earlier and didn't mean to snap. I sent you a gift. Remember to sign for the delivery.]