Chapter 2

2.

Two weeks ago, I had severe abdominal pain.

Julian had come home to grab some files.

Before I could ask him for help, he got a call from Sienna.

"Is there an issue with the Mitchell account again? Damn it..."

He grabbed his suit jacket without even looking at me.

"Okay, wait for me. I'm coming over."

He rushed out to help Sienna deal with a difficult client.

And I, enduring the excruciating pain, called 911 myself.

As soon as I got to the hospital, my phone buzzed with a notification.

A gossip column had posted a photo of him and Sienna at a charity gala.

In the photo, Julian's hand was naturally resting on Sienna's waist.

And on her wrist, she was wearing the exact same Cartier Love bracelet I received for our anniversary.

The pregnancy, already unstable, couldn't be saved.

At three months, the baby turned into a pool of blood and left my body.

The tissue didn't clear completely.

Yesterday was our anniversary, but I had to undergo the procedure alone.

What’s funnier is that shortly after I got off the operating table, I received that cat.

It felt like Julian and his assistant were mocking me.

Every little thing they did was like a knife stabbing straight into my heart.

Especially since he knew I had severe trauma regarding cats.

Julian stood up abruptly, gripping the jewelry box so hard his knuckles turned white.

He didn't ask why I didn't tell him.

Because that night, he hung up on my distress calls countless times.

The only time he picked up, he said one sentence: "I'm busy, don't annoy me."

What kind of business requires being called out by an assistant in the middle of the night?

"It's okay... we still have Liam."

He forced a smile, but it looked uglier than crying.

Before I could answer, he turned and walked into the bedroom, closing the door.

He seemed to have forgotten that our son, Liam Sterling, hasn't been by my side since birth.

For years, the person Liam hates most is me.

I looked at the closed door.

For the first time, I didn't knock to beg for peace.

In seven years of marriage, I was always the one to bow my head first.

Six months ago, our conflicts escalated.

I selfishly thought if we had another baby, one I could raise myself, it might heal our family.

I thought I could finally get the love I missed from a child.

But I was wrong.

With this baby gone, the cracks between us are irreparable.

"Goodbye, Julian."

I whispered to the door.