Love Was a Dream, Now It’s Dead

Adrian covered the phone's receiving speaker, and his pleading gaze fell on me. "Emily, something urgent came up at the company. I need to go."

I could hear the guilt in his voice, but I pretended not to notice and replied indifferently, "Go ahead."

"Alright, after seeing the doctor, go home and wait for me. I'll come back to accompany you once I've finished at work."

As he spoke, he was already halfway out of the examination room in a hurry.

Then, Adrian's anxious voice echoed down the hallway, making its way back to my ears. "Clara, don't worry. Just leave the house and wait for me outside in the hallway. Be good, and don't do anything. I'll handle it personally. Mercury is extremely toxic."

I ignored his comforting words to Clara, my attention fully drawn to the doctor standing before me. "Mrs. Reed, your condition is quite unique, and there are a lot of medications we can't use right now. I'll prescribe something without steroids for now, but you need to go home, rest, and take good care of yourself. We'll also need to monitor your condition closely."

Still confused and a bit overwhelmed, I asked, "Doc, what exactly is wrong with me?"

The doctor looked at me with some surprise. "You've been pregnant for over a month now. You didn't know?"

I stared at him, equally shocked. Adrian has severe OCD and finds intimacy repulsive. As a result, he's barely touched me in the eight years we've been married.

Suddenly, a memory resurfaced. Last month, during Adrian's grandmother's birthday banquet, he drank far too much while covering for Clara, who was on her period.

That night, he held me all night, but in his drunken passion, he kept calling out, "Clara, Clara..."

That memory was still cut deep in me. Heartbroken, I had left in the middle of the night, avoiding confrontation with Adrian. I had buried the incident deep in my mind, and he never mentioned it again. But here we were. What I didn't expect was that the one time we had sex this year would result in pregnancy.

Feeling the warmth of my hand resting protectively over my abdomen, I quietly decided not to take any medication.

The next time I saw Adrian was a week later.

It was the company's anniversary celebration, and as the boss's wife, I was expected to give a speech on stage.

But when I arrived at the venue, I found Adrian standing with his arm wrapped tightly around Clara's waist, casually announcing to everyone, "From now on, Clara will be my secretary. Every company matter, big or small, must go through her before it gets to me."

Someone from the crowd spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. "Mr. Reed, wasn't Miss Emily handling those projects before?"

Hearing this, Adrian's face immediately darkened, and without hesitation, he snapped, "How can someone as stupid as her get approval for major projects?!"

The entire room fell silent, his harsh words hanging in the air. I slowly clapped my hands, the sound drawing all eyes toward me. I could see pity in their gazes, but I remained calm under the weight of their stares. Without a word, I removed my work badge and placed it on the dining table before me.

My voice was steady as I spoke, "In that case, I'll step down and let Miss Bennett take over. Congratulations on your promotion."

Adrian's eyes grew colder, his expression hardening. "Emily, have you completely lost your mind?"

"I'm not crazy." My calm and straightforward response irritated him even more.

"Fine! If you've got the guts, go to HR right now and resign!" he shouted.

I turned to leave, but Clara grabbed me by the arm before I could take a step.

Her voice was thick with fake concern as she said, "Emily, please don't jeopardize the company's future because of me."

A thermometer slipped under her arm as she spoke, shattering on the floor and spilling mercury across the floor, splashing onto my feet. Panic surged through me, and I immediately kicked off my heels, terrified for the baby inside me. I wanted to wash the area as quickly as possible.

But before I could move, Clara yanked my arm back with all her strength, causing me to lose my balance and fall hard to the ground.

Adrian instinctively reached out to catch me, but Clara cried dramatically, "Oh no, Adrian!"

Suddenly, Adrian pulled back and rushed to support Clara instead, leaving me to hit the floor. My palm landed on the broken shards of the thermometer, and I felt the sharp sting as blood began to drip from the fresh cuts.

Before I could even register what had just happened, Adrian slapped me in the face. "Emily, how could you be so vicious?! You tried to hit Clara with your heel?!"

My cheek throbbed with pain, but I forced myself to hold back the tears.

I tried to defend myself, but my voice was calm but painful. "I didn't touch her."

But Adrian didn't hear a word I said. He didn't even glance at the blood pouring from my hand. Instead, he scooped Clara into his arms before everyone and stormed out of the banquet hall.

He threw one last cold remark over his shoulder as he walked away. "If anything happens to Clara, Emily, I will never forgive you."

I laughed bitterly. This is what they mean, then.

Adrian's treatment of me was evident to everyone in the room, yet no one intervened when he stated that laughing is the only option available to those who are truly silent.

I had no choice but to call 911 and wait for the ambulance alone.

…

On the way to the hospital, my phone rang. It was Sally, my best friend.

"Emily, I heard what happened at the company. Are you okay?"

The question broke me, and my tears suddenly poured out.

My voice cracked as I finally let it all out. "Sally, I'm going to divorce Adrian."

Sally didn't hesitate, her voice full of determination. "Emily, don't cry. If Reed Corp doesn't want you, I do! I've already booked you a flight out of the country for tomorrow. Pack your things and leave."

I wiped my tears, trying to pull myself together. "Sally, tomorrow might be too late."

She quickly asked, "What? Why not?"

"I'm pregnant with Adrian's child. But… I've been exposed to a lot of mercury." I replied hesitantly.

Sally's voice wavered as she started crying even harder than I did. "Oh my God, Emily. What are you going to do?"

I took a deep breath before responding, "I'll handle it, I promise. After everything is taken care of, I'll come and find you."

Before she could respond, I hung up the phone.

…

In the ambulance, the doctor frowned, confirming my worst fears. "Mrs. Reed, given the amount of mercury exposure, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to keep the baby. However, the hospital just informed me that there's a newborn in critical condition who urgently needs umbilical cord blood. If you've decided not to continue the pregnancy, would you consider donating the cord blood?"

I closed my eyes, the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

After a long pause, I responded, "I'll do it, but I have one condition."

The doctor nodded, ready to listen. "Of course. What is it?"

"I want the prenatal report, the abortion procedure, and the baby's remains sealed in a box. I need them sent out."

Focused on saving lives, the doctor agreed without hesitation.

And so the procedure didn't take long. When I woke up in the hospital, I immediately contacted my divorce attorney. I instructed him to compute every marital asset Adrian and I had, ensuring I'd get the best possible settlement.

After everything was finalized, I headed to the airport and mailed the divorce papers and the sealed box from the doctor to Adrian.

Just before takeoff, my phone rang. Adrian's name flashed across the screen repeatedly, his desperate calls coming in like the relentless tolling of a death knell.