Goodbye, Lover

Then I gave in and told him I would agree, it didn’t have to be anything big, he just needed to propose. Charles didn’t even respond.

Two years went by and I realized he had no intention of marrying me. So, I started bringing it up, but he always said we were still too young and needed another two years.

The less he wanted to get married, the more insecure I felt and the more I wanted to lock him down with a marriage just to feel secure.

I even asked him if he would marry me if I got pregnant. I never imagined it would really happen, though, especially after all the precautions we took.

At first, Charles didn’t want the baby, but when he saw how firm I was about keeping it, he finally agreed to marry me. I was thrilled, thinking that after all these years of loving him, it was finally happening.

Then the car accident happened. My first instinct was to protect my baby, to make sure nothing happened to it.

But when I found out I lost the child, I wasn’t as devastated as I thought I would be. Instead, I felt this unexpected relief.

I had been so focused on building a family with Charles, but once I let go of that pressure, I felt calmer, more at peace.

I felt bad for my baby, for myself and for what had happened with Charles, but honestly, even if we broke up, I could walk away with a clear conscience.

Charles, of course, was still furious. “You're still mad at me, right?” he snapped. “My patience is running out. Don’t think I’ll let you walk all over me just because you’re pregnant! You really pushed me to the edge. I won’t even acknowledge you if you have this baby!”

I didn’t say anything and he just kept going, his words getting nastier.

He always did this. When he was angry, he could say the most cruel things without thinking. I used to cry over it, but now, I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t love him and his words couldn’t hurt me anymore.

Before Charles could say anything, his phone rang. He glanced at it and his expression shifted.

"See you at the Town Hall entrance next Monday morning. If you don’t show up, don’t try to use the baby to get to me later!" he snapped, then walked out without another word.

I watched him leave and bitterness started to spread in my chest. He really thought I would keep loving him even after everything.

That night, I barely slept, then the next day, I went to Bridgeside District to check out the new place. I was happy with it.

The landlord explained the house was originally for his son’s wedding, but his son moved abroad, so now he was renting it out and hoped I would take care of it.

I signed the contract right there, paid for three months and arranged for the movers to bring my stuff over.

By evening, I was just finishing up getting settled in when I got a strange call. I picked up, still confused and heard Charles’ voice. "Baby, you smell so good!"

"Ugh, Charles, you're such a tease!" Then Jenna’s voice came through, all breathy and seductive.

"How is it? Are you happy? Gonna head to the rooftop again?"

"Ah… Charles!"

In that moment, I knew exactly what was going on and it made me feel sick. I hung up the phone immediately.

My recovery leave was over and I was ready to get back to work. As soon as I walked in, I found out Gregory Lockwood from the Lockwood Group was coming by.

My company worked in the car industry and Lockwood Group was a big player. I had been working for months to get Gregory to invest in us.