Chapter 2

2 I woke up in the car, on the way to the hospital.

Chad was telling the driver to floor it, his eyes all red.

"Amy, you're awake! I am so sorry. You lost blood. I'll take you to the ER."

"Don't sweat it. The bills are paid. The wedding's in three days! You can't be hurt. You're gonna be my wife forever."

I looked at him with the least emotion possible.

I pulled out the bank card and gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks, but it's okay. This is all the money you paid for my mom. Take it."

Chad looked shocked, pushed my hand back, and said gently:

"Amy, you don't owe me anything. We're getting married. Your mom is my mom. I'll do anything for you."

I didn't say anything.

At the hospital, the doc wanted to talk to me alone. Chad stayed outside.

She said it was a little spotting, take it easy, and I'd be fine.

"Actually, I'd like to schedule an abortion."

The doc looked surprised, then at the door, thinking about Chad, and said:

"That's your husband, right? Maybe talk to him first? See what he thinks?"

I went to the door and heard Chad on the phone.

He was on speaker, so it was loud.

"Chad, I was thinking… Amy was bleeding down there… is she pregnant? Chad, you can't keep doing this to her. Stop."

Chad sounded annoyed:

"No way. I've messed with her 26 times. Her body's wrecked. How would she get pregnant? Even if she did, it's an illegitimate kid that nobody needs. So what? It would just piss off Shelly."

The doctor looked uncomfortable.

I made the appointment, went back to Chad, and he grabbed my arm.

"Amy, what did the doc say?"

"Just my period."

At home, Chad pushed me on the bed, breathing on my neck.

"Amy, I was thinking today. Let's have a kid after the wedding, okay? Your mom would love to be a grandma."

I knew what he said, but I was sarcastic about it.

"Okay, you're tired, too. Get some sleep."

After Chad was out, I grabbed his phone.

The password was Shelly's birthday.

The top contact was 'Shelly my love'.

There were all the videos of the 26 times I'd saved Chad.

"Shelly, this time, it's 'walk the plank'. Amy looks like Swiss cheese."

"Shelly, she's a Shelly double. I love you."

There were thousands of photos of him and Shelly from when they were kids.

Every birthday, he'd said he was going on business trips. He was with Shelly.

He took her to theme parks all over the world and kissed her at the entrances.

He never took me to the movies.

"Movies are dumb. It's all made up for idiots."

He also gave me Shelly's smallest ring.

And in a group chat with his friends, he wrote that made me die inside.

"Amy gave me this card. I know there's nothing in it. She just thinks that I am too dumb to see. Amy just feels bad about the hospital bills that I payed."

"I did not fall in love with her on my own. I thought I would be nice to her, but I am getting sick of this."

I never thought that he would think that about me.

I had so many extra jobs so I could save his money, so he would not think that I did it for the money.

I bought the plane tickets and was done.