Her Boyfriend Is My Husband of Ten Years

The assistant looked embarrassed, his mouth twitching slightly. Judging by his reaction, he must have known about Ms. Lilian for a while. He’s been with Edward for five or six years now, always polite to me. I had a good impression of him and often asked him to look after Edward during business trips or dinners. Now, I suspected part of why Edward was able to hide this affair for so long was due to the assistant’s involvement.

The pain in my abdomen was intensifying. I could imagine how pale my face must look. The assistant seemed to misinterpret my expression, thinking it was the shock of betrayal that was affecting me. His worried eyes were filled with sympathy. I didn’t bother to correct him. Forcing a smile, I said, “Could you do me a favor? Don’t tell Edward that I was the other party in the accident. And please have my car sent to the repair shop.”

The assistant looked surprised. After all, most people in this situation would make a scene, but I remained calm—at least in his eyes. I waited quietly for his reply. He hesitated for a moment, clearly struggling, but eventually nodded. Still, he’s Edward’s man, so who knew if he’ll tell him later.

I flagged down a cab. When the driver asked where I wanted to go, I didn’t hesitate to answer, “The City Second Hospital.”

I had no desire to see Edward, even if we were in the same space.

At the hospital, the obstetrician performed a thorough examination.

“Ms. Charlotte, due to the impact and considering your early stage of pregnancy, the fetus is unstable. You’re showing signs of a potential miscarriage. You need to rest and stay in bed to avoid the risk of losing the baby.”

I placed my hand over my flat abdomen. A little life was growing inside me—a life I had waited ten years for. But sadly, it had come at the worst possible time.

Edward and I used to be the envy of everyone. He was gentle, elegant and took care of me in every way. In the ten years we had been together, we had never fought. The only regret in our marriage was that we couldn’t have a child. We tried everything, but nothing worked. And now, just when I didn’t expect it, I found myself pregnant.

Recently, I had been feeling nauseous and assumed it was my gastritis acting up. I had planned to get medicine for it. Ironically, just before the accident, Edward had called me, telling me he was making soup for me at home and that I had lost weight. I had even fantasized about how happy he’d be when he learned I was pregnant.

But now, everything had changed.

“Schedule the surgery,” I said. “I don’t plan on keeping the baby.”

The doctor didn’t seem surprised. I was sure they deal with cases like this every day. Though she advised me to reconsider, I knew my marriage with Edward was over. As much as it hurt, I couldn’t bring a child into a broken family.

After the procedure, I took a taxi home. When I opened the door, I was startled to find Edward standing there, about to leave. He had changed his clothes and was holding a suitcase—the one he always took on business trips. It looked like he was heading out of town.