The Shape of a Missing Heart

The car keys Alan chucked at me not only split my forehead open but also delivered a crystal-clear message.

'What, you thought the kid was yours?'

Maybe it was just my imagination, but when those keys thudded against my skull, I could have sworn I saw something flicker in Alan's eyes.

His voice, though, was as icy as ever. "What are you waiting for? Drive! Get Jessica to the hospital!"

In a fog, I followed his orders, slammed the pedal, and raced to the hospital.

It was not until I was fetching Alan's lab results that a nurse caught sight of my head and gasped, "You're bleeding!"

I touched my temple and felt the dried blood where my skin had split open.

I patched myself up quickly and headed back to Alan's room with the test results. As I reached the door, I caught the tail end of the doctor's warning.

"Mr. Yates, Ms. Foster and the baby were lucky this time. You'll have to be more careful in the future. The pregnancy is already high-risk due to IVF and unstable implantation."

IVF? Why would they need that?

Confusion washed over me.

Alan and Jessica were not exactly discreet about their affair. Why resort to IVF?

Lost in thought, I did not notice Alan until he stumbled right into me.

I locked eyes with him and asked, "What's this about IVF?"

He froze, his eyes flickering away, and his words came out jumbled. "IVF? No... There's no IVF!"

He looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. My expression darkened.

Could it be that the child...

A sudden dread gripped me.

I glared at him, my voice rising as I exclaimed, "Alan! What's going on with the IVF?"

Alan's shoulders shook under my stare, his breath quickening as if he was on the verge of spilling the truth.

"Alan, is the baby okay?"

Jessica's voice cut through, full of concern. The man jerked away from me, pushing me aside as he snapped.

"Stay out of it! Ruby, you won't hurt my and Jessica's child!"

His words hit me like a splash of cold water. I had been holding on to hope, but it vanished in an instant.

After all, it was their child, their choice.

I forced a laugh and handed the car keys back to Alan. "Sorry for meddling. If there's nothing else for me here, I'll head out and let her get her rest."

Turning to leave, I was stopped by the sound of Jessica's applause.

"Ruby, your fake innocent game is chef’s kiss—I need lessons!" she teased.

"I should've known. You took forever with that lab report because you were busy putting on a show.

"Wrapping up such a tiny scratch… You're just fishing for Alan's sympathy, aren't you?"

That was when Alan finally noticed the bandage on my forehead, his eyes briefly betraying his concern.

He reached out, as if to check on my wound, but then he abruptly pulled me in close.

"Jessica can't drive, and I need to look after her. You'll have to take us home. While you're at it, whip up some dinner and bake a cake. We've got to celebrate Jessica's birthday tonight."

It finally hit me that it was Jessica's birthday. It was also mine too. Despite being five years older, we shared the same birth date.

In my previous life with Elliot Carter, my birthdays went uncelebrated. Only Alan had cared.

However, in my new life, Alan had forgotten me entirely.

I met his gaze, my voice steady and firm. "I won't do it."

For the first time, I stood up to Alan.

In my previous life, he had avenged my death and had wanted to be laid to rest beside me. Since my fresh start, I had vowed to give him all my love.

However, I was just exhausted.

Jessica gave Alan's sleeve a gentle tug. "If Ruby's not up for it, let's not fuss. We can still have a birthday, cake or no cake."

"That's enough! You don't get to say no!" Alan snapped.

Before I could protest, he ushered Jessica and I into the car.

Back at the villa, as I methodically set about making the cake, Alan finally stepped out of the kitchen looking content.

I could still recall the first time I baked Alan a cake. His eyes sparkled with delight as he watched my every move, not taking his eyes off me for a second.

However, as time went on, even the sweetest things turned stale.

With a soft sigh, I opened the oven to retrieve the perfectly baked cake base.

"Isn't it done yet? I'm so hungry," whined Jessica from behind me.

I ignored her, but suddenly, a shove from behind sent me lurching forward.

My hand, in a frantic attempt to steady myself, landed on the searing oven rack.

"Ouch!"

The searing pain raced up from my palm as I jerked my hand back, peeling away skin that hissed against the hot metal.

Jessica quickly tapped the oven, then crumpled to the floor, clutching her hand.

"Ruby! My bad!"

"What's going on?" Alan burst into the kitchen, his voice laced with concern.

I held my wrist, my hand shaking, convinced Alan would rush to Jessica's side first.

However, to my surprise, he came straight to me, grasping my injured wrist.

His eyes filled with sympathy as he took in the sight of my blistered hand.

"What did you do to yourself..."

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine, filled with a sudden unease.

"Ruby, I know you're mad about making the cake, and I appreciate you trying to get it for me, but you didn't have to go this far..."

Jessica's tearful voice floated over, and Alan quickly released me to help her up, shooting me a harsh glare, though his voice betrayed a hint of awkwardness.

"Ruby, was that really necessary? You went way overboard, hurting yourself just as much as you tried to hurt Jessica. There was no need to be so extreme just to make a point…"