Chapter 3

3.

Underneath the medical reports was a yellowed piece of stationery.

It was the first love letter he had ever written to me.

I traced the elegant handwriting. He wasn't that man anymore. Now, his world revolved entirely around Sienna.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Zachary walked back in and stopped dead when he saw my tear-stained face. "Why are you crying?"

He reached out to wipe my tears, but I flinched away.

"Are you okay, Molly?" He looked lost.

I shook my head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about the day we found out about the baby."

He noticed the letter in my hand and stiffened.

I panicked and tucked it away. "It just fell out while I was looking for something."

He looked skeptical. "You shouldn't cry so much. It's bad for the pregnancy."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Anyway, why are you back?"

"I forgot some clothes. And I wanted to ask, what engraving do you want on the anklet?"

I blinked. He actually cared about the details?

"How about a four-leaf clover?" he suggested. "For luck."

I looked down at my stomach, my heart twisting. "Whatever you want."

Luck. Too late for that.

He finished packing and looked at me one last time. "You're sure you're okay?"

Seeing him like this, a tiny, pathetic spark of hope flickered in me. "If I said I wasn't, would you stay?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Molly, don't be like that. Sienna is waiting. I don't want her to worry."

"I was joking. Just go." I felt disgusted with myself for even asking.

I got up and started packing my own bags the second he left. I tried to stay focused, but the memories kept leaking out of my eyes.

I set my suitcase aside and saw the jar of stars.

Every star was a broken expectation. Zachary had shattered them all.

I picked up a star and began to unfold it, smoothing out the creases until it was flat in my palm. My eyes landed on the ring on my finger.

He had made it himself.

"I'm going to craft a ring that is as unique as you are," he had told me back then.

The next morning, a text from Zachary popped up. He said the anklet was ready and told me to come pick it up.

He had moved Sienna to a private villa. I hadn't known until today.

I stood before the unfamiliar front door and rang the bell.

A maid led me to the garden. Sienna was lounging on a porch swing, looking like a pampered princess.

She didn't have a care in the world. Zachary had built a perfect, peaceful bubble for her.

I felt a surge of envy so sharp it burned.

I composed myself and asked coldly, "Where's Zachary?"

Sienna turned around, a smirk playing on her lips. She looked like she owned the place―and him.

"Oh, hi Molly. You're here for the anklet, right?"

I just stared at her.

She stood up and walked toward me, flaunting a delicate gold chain around her neck. Hanging from it was the tiny infant anklet.

"I liked it so much that I asked Zack to give it to me," she chirped.

"If you really want one, I'll tell him to get you another one later."

My blood turned to ice.

My baby never even got a chance to enter this world. All I wanted was that one memento of his existence.

And he gave it to her. Like it was some cheap trinket.

I had never asked for much. I even let him play house with this woman. I loved him enough to forgive almost anything.

But this? This was our child's jewelry.

I began to shake with a rage so intense it was physical.

My eyes turned bloodshot as I stared at her.

Sienna looked startled by my expression.

Before she could say another word, I lunged forward and slapped her across the face. She stumbled back, clutching her cheek. "You… you hit me?"

"That slap was for my baby," I hissed.

I couldn't stand to look at her for another second. I turned to leave.

Sienna's wails erupted behind me.

Zachary came running out at the sound. "Sienna! What happened? Who did this?"

Sienna quickly tucked the anklet into her pocket and started sobbing. "It was Molly! She came for the anklet, and when I said I didn't know where it was, she accused me of losing it and hit me!"

Zachary's face darkened with fury. But then, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. Why would I hit her out of nowhere?

"Zack, it hurts so much," Sienna whimpered.

He began to comfort her, but the confusion lingered.

"Dr. Reed is here," a servant announced.

"I know you hate hospitals," Zachary told Sienna. "So I had my private doctor come here from now on."

Dr. Reed performed a quick check on Sienna, then pulled a folder from his bag. "I went to the hospital to pick up your old records, Miss Lowell. You just need to avoid stress, and your memory should return gradually."

Zachary sighed in relief.

Then, the doctor pulled out another file. "Actually, I saw your wife's records while I was there, Mr. Hart, so I brought them along. She needs a lot of rest. If she doesn't recover properly, she might have trouble conceiving again."

Zachary frowned. "What are you talking about? What happened to her?"

"Well, after the loss of her pregnancy, her body is very weak…"

"Loss?!" Zachary cut him off, his voice cracking. "What loss? Whose pregnancy?"

The doctor looked confused. "You didn't know? Your wife lost the baby a week ago."

Zachary went numb. Why hadn't I told him? Why didn't I say a word?

He snatched the file from the doctor's hand. There it was. The record of my emergency procedure.