Chapter 3

3.

After returning from the storage room, I started feeling sick.

At first, I thought I just ate something bad.

But for a week, I felt like throwing up every morning.

Celine went with me to the clinic for a blood test.

When the results came out, she saw them before I did.

"Willow, you..."

On the ultrasound screen, there was a tiny gray-white shadow, no bigger than a grain of rice.

The doctor pointed to the screen and said, "Five weeks. Development looks normal."

I stared at the screen for a long time.

I didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

Celine grabbed my hand. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell him."

I really intended to tell him.

That night, I cooked four special dishes and placed the ultrasound report on his side of the table.

He didn't get home until almost ten.

"Why aren't you in bed?"

"I have something to tell you."

He loosened his tie and sat down, picking up his fork.

"Lucien."

"Yeah?"

"I'm pregnant."

His fork paused for a split second.

He put it down and looked at me, his brows furrowing.

"Now is not the time."

I thought I had misheard him.

"What?"

"The company is in the middle of a major project, and things are tight. Plus, Sienna just got back, and she needs my help with a lot of things―"

"What does Sienna being back have to do with us?"

He was silent for a moment.

"She needs me."

There were four dishes on the table, but he only took one bite.

"We can talk about this later."

He stood up and walked away.

The sound of the door closing was quiet, much quieter than my own heartbeat.

I scheduled the procedure to let it go for three days later.

Celine offered to come with me, but I told her I didn't need her to.

The afternoon of the appointment was sunny.

I sat in the waiting room on a plastic chair.

There were five people ahead of me, and everyone had someone by their side.

My side was empty.

"Willow Shen."

The nurse called my name.

When I stood up, my legs felt weak, and the hallway felt miles long.

Someone caught my arm.

"Careful."

It was a man's voice, deep and steady.

I looked back and saw a man in a dark gray shirt.

He looked to be in his early thirties, with deep-set eyes and a calm expression.

He handed me a registration slip.

"You dropped this."

I took it and thanked him without looking too closely.

The procedure was quick.

Lying down, the numbing medicine, the darkness.

When I woke up, I stared at the ceiling for a long time.

The nurse said everything went well and told me to rest before leaving.

I turned on my phone.

There were a dozen missed calls from Celine.

None from Lucien.

I scrolled through my social media feed.

Sienna had posted a photo of a birthday cake and balloons.

Her face was pressed against Lucien's shoulder, and she was smiling like the sun.

The caption read: "Thank you for coming back to me."

The location was a five-star restaurant on the waterfront.

I put my phone down.

I touched my stomach, but it was empty now.

The light outside turned from white to gray.

I finally stood up after the nurse checked on me twice.

It was dark by the time I left the clinic.

I hailed a cab and gave the driver Celine's address.

I wasn't going back to the place I had lived for three years.

That night, I took a very long shower.

The water was scalding hot, but I didn't move.

I wanted the steam to wash away the smell of the hospital.

When I was done, I stood before the mirror.

I had lost weight, and my face was as pale as paper.

I pressed my hand against the glass, feeling only the cold.

That was when I made my decision.

The next morning, I opened my laptop and typed out a document.

The title was: Separation and Divorce Agreement.

Celine walked in with a bowl of soup and almost dropped it when she saw the screen.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

I hit the print button.

The printer hummed, spitting out pages of white paper and black ink.

It was time to settle the bill for the last three years. %%%