Chapter 2

2

I needed to confirm it one last time. I used the last of my strength to walk to the restroom and called Caleb.

His line was busy. I knew he was still on that video call, but I kept dialing like a madwoman.

Thirty minutes passed before he finally sent a text. He said he was busy.

Those few words shattered what was left of my heart. I pulled myself together enough to take a photo of the woman waiting by the clinic and sent it to him.

Less than five minutes later, my phone rang.

"June, I… I can explain," he said, his voice trembling with panic.

"I can explain." Those words were a confession in themselves.

"So, she really is your wife?" my voice was hoarse, the words barely escaping my throat.

"No, she isn't… Mandy is just a friend. She likes to play jokes, don't believe her," Caleb pleaded over the phone.

His words stung like a needle. In all the years we were together, he was often away, but I never doubted him.

Now, he was throwing out such a pathetic excuse. It was laughable.

"She showed me your anniversary photos. All of them, Caleb!"

"She said you've been married for six years!" I screamed, my voice shaking with rage.

"I…" Caleb tried to say something else, but I hung up on him.

A sharp ache radiated through my lower abdomen. It felt like a reminder. Tears streamed down my face as I touched my belly.

I walked past the ultrasound room and headed to the surgical wing. I was going to end this.

The nurse told me I needed a family member to sign the papers and suggested I think it over.

My hand stayed on my stomach, my gaze firm. "No need. I've made up my mind."

"I haven't had any morning sickness at all! Maybe the baby just loves me too much to make me suffer," I heard Mandy's voice talking to a doctor outside.

The day I found out I was pregnant, Caleb had been so happy he cried. He was babbling with excitement.

That memory was still fresh, but now it was all ruined. Caleb had destroyed it so easily.

"Your body makes it very difficult to conceive. If you go through with the termination, it will be extremely hard to get pregnant again. Please reconsider," the doctor said, looking at my chart.

"Just do it. I've decided," I said. My heart had already hit rock bottom. I didn't care about the consequences anymore.

I couldn't give this child a real family. I had to stop the damage now.

The anesthesia kicked in quickly. My vision blurred, and soon, it was over.

I clutched my stomach and stumbled out of the surgery room. I went home like a ghost.

The physical pain was so intense that I collapsed onto my bed and fell into a feverish sleep.

In the middle of the night, I felt a movement beside me. Caleb was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at me.

He saw me wake up and tried to pull me into a hug. I pushed him away with every ounce of strength I had left.

"Caleb, I want a divorce," I whispered, my voice trembling.

Caleb's hand froze in mid-air. His whole body went stiff.

I watched his expression shift from confusion to shock. Then, he looked at me with a strange, serious intensity.

His reaction reminded me of something. We had never actually gone to the courthouse to get a marriage license.

He always claimed he was too busy, pushing it off month after month. We had a small ceremony, so I eventually thought the paperwork didn't matter.

Now I knew why. He was already legally married to Mandy.

If he had signed those papers with me, it would have been bigamy. I was just the mistress in his shadow. I didn't even have the legal right to ask for a divorce.