Loving and Letting Go Without Regret

Ivan rubbed his temples and softened his tone. "Alba had a fever today while helping me clean up the mess. She has got Nettie to care for. I'll check on her and be back to talk."

He left in a rush, not noticing the blood dripping from my hand, cut by the broken glass.

Thunder rumbled outside, and, as expected, Alba's message arrived.

I knew it would hurt, but I opened it anyway.

[How does it feel to wear my leftover ring? You always get my hand-me-downs. Here's a secret, since I'm in a good mood. Remember your appendicitis surgery before you got pregnant? Ivan wasn't there because he was with me. That client wasn't as important as he told you. I was.]

She then sent over a voice message. In it, Ivan was humming a lullaby.

[He sang this to my daughter that night he stood you up. Isn't it beautiful?]

My heart broke at the revelation.

I scheduled an abortion for the following Monday, packed my things, and left the house.

...

The next evening, Ivan called.

He didn't ask where I was or if I was okay. He just said, "Moving out to calm down is probably good. When you're ready, I'll come take you home."

I snorted and hung up.

My friends, knowing I was pregnant, suggested I visit an early education center to reserve a spot. I didn't tell them about the abortion, but I went to pass the time.

As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Ivan in a class with Alba and her daughter.

The two looked cozy and interacted like a married couple.

I froze, recalling Ivan's habit of leaving weekly meetings early every Wednesday. Looking back, he started it since Alba gave birth.

Things started to fall into place, and a suspicion formed in my mind.

While a staff member poured me water, I glanced at her schedule book.

It showed Ivan had signed up for the most expensive package for Nettie Lawson and attended classes with them every Wednesday.

All my strength seemed to drain in an instant.

The staff member, unaware of my reaction, pushed their maternity center. All smiles, she pointed to Ivan in the classroom. "That's Mr. Knowles. He signed up for both our maternity and early education programs for his wife and their child. They're our VIP clients, and Mrs. Knowles loves our services. You can talk to her after class if you'd like."

She paused and added, "We offer special privileges for our VIPs. If the parents decide to purchase a growth fund for their baby later, we'll gift them a set of gold couple mugs as a souvenir."

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was stunned. 'If Alba is Mrs. Knowles, then who am I? A mistress who doesn't even rate?'

For seven years, Ivan had barely given me any gifts, but for Alba, he'd gone all out, even taking care of things like the maternity center.

I suddenly remembered that I had once seen the same gold mugs on their desks.

"It's just a company anniversary gift. Don't be so paranoid," Ivan had said.

I still remembered how the marketing manager couldn't stifle a laugh and got punished by Ivan with a one-month bonus deduction.

I left the early education center and wandered to the maternity center.

Just then, my phone rang with a call from Ivan.

"Where are you?" he asked. "I'm picking you up for lunch. A friend gave me barbecue coupons. You've been craving it, right?"

His tone was cheerful, indicating his good mood from having the class with Alba and Nettie.

I was about to respond when a TV on the wall caught my eye.