Chapter 3

3.

Alex stood behind Hannah, a mocking look in his eyes, waiting for me to break down.

But I just gave them a cold glare and walked away.

That ring. I didn’t want it anymore. It was disgusting.

“Wait!”

Alex caught up to me, a flash of irritation in his eyes.

“You claim to be my fiancée! Why aren’t you trying to prove it anymore?!”

“The doctor said I’m sick. You’re giving up on me just because I’m sick?!”

I suddenly laughed. Laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face.

“What more do you want me to prove, Alex?”

“Selective amnesia. You only forgot me. If I keep showing up, it’ll just make things worse, right? That’s what Dr. Patterson said.”

Alex didn’t expect me to let go. Panic flickered in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with that arrogant superiority.

He pulled out his wallet, took out a hundred-dollar bill, and threw it at me.

“You claim to be my fiancée. That means you should know my size, right?”

“Go buy some condoms. Get the right size. If you do that, maybe I’ll give you another chance to prove yourself.”

He slowed his speech, as if explaining something perfectly reasonable.

“Hannah and I are together now. Couples have sex. It’s normal, isn’t it?”

“But if you’re really my fiancée, you wouldn’t want me getting someone else pregnant. Right?”

I took the hundred dollars.

The moment the elevator doors closed, the tears finally broke free.

“You’re both under my control. Always have been.”

Hannah was pregnant with his child. And he was still playing games with me, just like when he’d framed me two years ago.

The hallway seemed to tilt. My reflection in the elevator mirror was ghost-white.

I took out my phone and called Dr. Patterson.

“I need to schedule a procedure. As soon as possible.”

“Clara, are you sure? You know how hard it was for you to conceive. With your heart condition, a procedure like this carries significant risks―”

“I’m sure. Tomorrow, if you can arrange it.”

She sighed. “Eight a.m. Come to my office.”

After hanging up, I went back to my studio and finally let myself completely fall apart.

Alex always said he was worried about my poor health, scared that a pregnancy would be too dangerous for me, so he was always careful with protection.

Sometimes, he even made me take the morning-after pill.

He’d said, “Even without kids, I’ll love you forever.”

It turns out he did want children. Desperately.

He just never wanted them with me.