Chapter 2

2

After my IV drip was finished, I packed my bags and went home alone.

This was my tenth year in Chicago. For the first time, I realized I had no one to talk to here except Silas.

After graduation, I had ignored my family's protests and followed Silas here to build a life together.

For ten years, we were the perfect couple. I never regretted my choice.

But now, I saw that his sweet words were just a beautiful cage.

I had just sat down on the sofa when Silas came rushing through the front door.

"Elara! You caught a cold in the ocean. Why didn't you wait for me to pick you up?"

"It's all my fault. I was so busy with the contract that I neglected you."

Silas sat down next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Elara, I missed you so much."

Usually, I would have melted into his embrace.

But today, I reached out and pushed his face away when he tried to kiss me.

"I'm not feeling well. I want to sleep."

A flash of confusion and hurt crossed Silas's eyes. I ignored it.

The thought of his lips on Maisie made me want to gag.

"Elara, are you still mad about the yacht party?"

"What do I have to do to make you forgive me?"

He blocked my path, looking like he was the one who had been hurt.

"I'm not mad. I understand."

Silas was no longer a man who loved me unconditionally. He didn't deserve a single one of my tears.

That night, Silas kept trying to pull me close, but I kicked him away every time.

There was enough space between us in bed for two more people.

We lay back-to-back, and I didn't sleep a wink.

Silas left early for work. Once he was gone, I finally felt a bit of drowsiness.

But as I was cleaning the table, my stomach did a somersault.

I ran to the bathroom and threw up everything I had eaten.

My period was a month late. I had a bad feeling.

I bought a pregnancy test. The two red lines on the stick made my heart drop.

We had been married for ten years. We had always wanted a child of our own.

But my body was weak, and it was extremely difficult for me to conceive.

This baby had come at the worst possible time.

If I brought a child into an unhappy home, it would be a tragedy.

I struggled with my emotions, but eventually, my logic led me to the clinic.

"What? Elara, you know how hard it was to get this baby."

"You've taken so much herbal medicine over the years to make this happen. Do you really want to end it?"

It was true. I had swallowed bitter medicine every single day for this.

I touched my slightly bloated belly, feeling torn again.

"Elara, think about it. Talk to your husband first."

This doctor had been treating me for years. She was more excited about the pregnancy than I was.

After all, this might be my only chance to ever be a mother.

When I left the clinic, I didn't go home.

I sat in a coffee shop downstairs from Silas's office, wondering if I should tell him.

While I was lost in thought, a familiar figure appeared.

It was Maisie Thorne.