The Illusion of Happiness

I was just pregnant for a month, and the abortion procedure was painless and quicker than I thought.

It was only then that I remembered adding Sean's number in the next-of-kin section the last time I came for a checkup—the hospital might inform him that I came for an abortion!

As such, my heart skipped a beat as several voice messages came all at once.

"What is this text I received?! You were just fine in the morning, and now you're sending me lies?!

"I know you're upset about the wedding being cancelled, but you didn't have to go that far."

The endless blaming and lecturing left my eyes welling up with painful tears.

I had learnt his family's rules and housework, taking good care of his family just to deserve him.

But in his mind, I was always at fault.

When I returned home exhausted, he was already sitting on the living room couch, clearly having waited for some time.

However, I demanded before he could, "What's the deal with the party? Is a wedding something you can cancel whenever you like?"

Seeing that my eyes were puffy from crying, Sean immediately apologized, "You knew? Just calm down and listen."

"The hall and the luncheon had been booked and couldn't be refunded, so I thought we could just change the occasion."

Breathing a long sigh, he continued exasperatedly, "The child is mine, but I have no feelings for Sally at all. She wanted a child but didn't want marriage. So I helped her. After that, she went abroad.

"I wouldn't even know that she returned with the baby if she didn't text me last week."

That was when Sean smiled, putting a hand around my shoulder while caressing my belly, "Don't worry. You're the only one for me—we will have our marriage registered soon."

My ears were left ringing while bile churned in my gut.

Those sweet words used to be music to my ears, but it only left me sick now.

Sean watched me as I quickly picked up a bucket to retch, and brought a box of candies, smiling, "Morning sickness, I take it? I bought you some fruit candy—open wide, here's a lemon gummy."

The sourness couldn't clear off the bitter taste in my mouth, however.

That night, I couldn't sleep even though I kept my eyes closed.

Sean seemed to think that I was asleep, and went to his parents' bedroom.

I quietly followed and leaned against the door, and heard him say, "Sally was alone abroad when she got pregnant, and took care of him on her own. I can't just let her suffer out there alone."

His parents were beaming and nodded repeatedly at his words.

"Oh, Sally's much more mature than Rachel, not to mention that she's not greedy and always obedient.

"Once the child is a year old, let's buy her a house for her to settle down. She raised your child all on her own—she worked really hard."

My molars were gnashing so hard they almost broke, as I could never forget the last two years that had been sheer agony.

My parents were asking for 400 grand for the wedding, but the Wickhams refused and would only agree to give 40 grand, and that money was supposed to be used for Sean only on top of that.

The Wickhams were not rich, but his parents both taught at universities, and the money wouldn't have been issued for them.

I even got into a big fight with Sean on top of that, and our relationship had been on the brink while our wedding kept getting postponed.

Even when my parents died, they never got to see me marry.

My friends envied me for marrying into a scholarly family, but they wouldn't know the pain I had lived through.