Chapter 3

3.

I opened a familiar chat window. I was finally replying to a question from three years ago.

"I'm ready to come back."

The reply came instantly. "Master! We've all been waiting for you! When are you coming? We'll pick you up!"

I put my phone away in silence.

Julian took me to a weekly prenatal class. The teacher at the front desk looked at the records and asked him a question.

"Mr. Vance, it shows you booked two rooms. Since you're with your wife, should I cancel one?"

Julian's face went pale. He immediately looked at me to gauge my reaction.

He turned to the teacher and said nervously, "No, keep both."

Then he turned to me. "My assistant's wife is pregnant. He's been working hard, so I booked a session for them too."

I smiled. He was getting worse at lying.

I didn't believe for a second that he cared that much about his male assistant.

Ten minutes into the lesson, Julian's phone rang. He stepped out of the room.

When he didn't return after five minutes, I went to look for him.

As I passed the room next door, I heard a familiar voice.

Perhaps Julian was in such a rush to comfort Jade that he forgot to shut the door properly.

He was holding Jade, kissing her forehead. "That was too risky. Jasmine almost found out. You two can't be in the same place again."

Jade sobbed into his chest. "You promised to stay with me yesterday, but you left the moment you saw her! Don't I matter?"

"When are you going to give her those pills? The press conference is tomorrow. Do you want me and our baby to keep suffering?"

Julian kissed away her tears with a mix of frustration and adoration.

"I'll give them to her tonight. The Vance fortune will only belong to you and our baby. After she loses the child, the doctors will tell her she's infertile. She'll have no choice but to raise ours."

Even though I had known this for three days, hearing him say it still made it hard to breathe.

Julian started kissing her more passionately, pushing her onto the sofa.

"I didn't get to taste my spicy mom-to-be yesterday. Let's make up for it now."

Jade giggled. "Stop it! You're the one who ran off with her."

Then came the sounds of them getting intimate.

I walked back to my room with heavy steps. I couldn't hear a word the teacher said.

When Julian returned, he looked incredibly apologetic.

"Sorry, honey. There was a crisis at work. I had to hop on a quick call. I'm sorry I left you alone."

I smiled and said nothing. My eyes landed on his bitten lip.

When we got home, Julian hurriedly brought me a bowl of herbal soup. He blew on it gently.

"Honey, I got this tonic for you today. It helps with sleep and stabilizes the pregnancy. Drink up."

I looked at the bowl with a bitter heart. I knew exactly what was in it.

With a final shred of hope, I looked at him with teary eyes. "Do I have to drink it?"

Julian's smile vanished. He said sternly, "Jasmine, it's for your own good."

I choked back my tears and downed the liquid in one go.

He smiled again, kissed my cheek, and took the bowl away.

In the middle of the night, I nudged him. "I want cake from that bakery downtown."

Julian wasn't annoyed at all. He got up gently. "Okay, I'll go get it now. Wait for me."

As soon as he left, I pulled out my packed suitcase. I left two pieces of paper on the table.

One was the medical report from my procedure. The other was the divorce papers.

Then, I quietly left for the airport.