Withered Yet Freed

Sarah kept her eyes lowered, the hand on her stomach clenched tightly. She gripped so hard that her fingers turned slightly white.

"After all these years, you still remember even this?" Lucy asked with feigned embarrassment. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the downcast Sarah with a hint of triumph.

Perhaps realizing his reaction had been excessive, Nelson picked up his glass and said to his friends, "I'll drink with you all."

With that, he downed the drink from Lucy's glass in one go. The group immediately started teasing them. Though no names were mentioned, their suggestive glances bounced between Nelson and Lucy, their meaning crystal clear.

Sarah wasn't a fool, nor was she blind.

Finding it hard to breathe, she got up and went to the restroom.

Standing at the sink, she looked at her pale face in the mirror and couldn't help but laugh bitterly at herself. She really knew how to make herself suffer.

Lucy's reflection appeared in the mirror as she approached and stood beside Sarah. She unhurriedly turned on the faucet and smiled. "I've been gone for three years. I thought Nelson would have forgotten me, but he's still so attentive—he even noticed when I was on my period."

Sarah had no patience for her nonsense.

As she turned to leave, Lucy blocked her path. After looking Sarah up and down, Lucy sneered, "I thought you were my replacement, but now I see you're just a tool for his physical needs."

Sarah looked up at her, her expression cold. Suddenly she let out a short laugh, then her face darkened as she raised her hand and slapped Lucy hard across the face.

"Smack!"

Lucy was stunned. After a moment, her face contorted with rage as she lunged at Sarah. "How dare you hit me? I'll finish you!"

Though Sarah had been well-protected by her family, her father had enrolled her in martial arts classes from a young age—partly for fitness, partly for self-defense.

Almost effortlessly, she gained the upper hand, and Lucy received several more slaps to her face.

But Sarah didn't escape unscathed—Lucy had pulled out chunks of her hair, leaving her looking disheveled.

The commotion in the restroom grew too loud. Just as Sarah had Lucy pinned down and was raising her hand to strike again, someone stopped her.

Sarah turned her head to see Nelson standing there, his face cold.

Before she could speak, Nelson yanked her away and helped Lucy up from the floor.

Almost instantly, Lucy's tears fell as she collapsed into his arms, sobbing quietly.

"Nelson, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have appeared in front of you again. Then Miss Paterson wouldn't have attacked me just because you remembered my cycle. I should stay far away from you..."

Despite saying she should stay far away, her arms held him tighter than anyone's could.

Looking at Lucy crying uncontrollably in his arms, Nelson's face darkened terribly as he glared angrily at Sarah.

Before he could speak, his friends started accusing Sarah.

"Miss Paterson, no matter what, you shouldn't resort to violence. Lucy is our friend too. You're being completely unreasonable."

"Exactly. What happened between Lucy and Nelson is long over. You're being too petty holding onto it like this."

"..."

Listening to the chorus of hostile remarks, Nelson glared at Sarah and said coldly, "Sarah, apologize to Lucy."

Sarah laughed bitterly. He hadn't even asked what happened before believing Lucy's version and deciding it was her fault.

Taking a breath, Sarah gave a cold smile. "If you want me to apologize, keep dreaming."

As she tried to leave, Nelson blocked her path. His face dark, brows furrowed, he said, "Sarah, what's happened to you? I wanted to bring you to meet my friends, and this is how you act? First you make a scene about not drinking, now you're jealous of Lucy and attacking her. You're being so childish."

"I'm being childish?" Sarah laughed in disbelief. "Why don't you ask me why I hit Lucy? She was the one who first—"

"Ouch, my hand..." Lucy winced, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Nelson. "Nelson, I think my hand is injured. It hurts so much."

Learning she was hurt, Nelson's expression turned anxious. Ignoring Sarah completely, he carried Lucy out, rushing to the hospital.

Watching them hurry away, Sarah felt a sharp pain in her chest. It took a long time for her to recover from the mixture of hurt and humiliation.

Pushing back her tears, she left the club and took out her phone to call a taxi.

Only then did she realize how far they were from the city center. None of the ride-sharing apps were finding drivers willing to take her request.

Nelson had already driven off with Lucy.

As for the others, when they passed Sarah, they all seemed to have agreed to ignore her completely.

Sarah thought about asking one of them for a ride, but no one acknowledged her.

She knew it was because of Lucy—they were getting back at Sarah for her.

Unable to get a taxi, she began walking home on foot. All around was silence except for the howling of the bitter wind.

Sarah had underestimated both her physical condition and the night's cold. After walking for who knows how long, she began to feel a dull pain in her lower abdomen. At first, she could just barely endure it, but gradually it became so intense she could hardly take another step.

She knew if she kept walking, something serious would happen.

Fighting through the pain, she clung to her last shred of hope and called Nelson.

Having spent years in this city focused solely on him, she had no other friends to turn to.

He was her only option.

The phone rang several times but kept getting disconnected.

Blood had begun to appear where she sat huddled on the ground. Sarah panicked and, hands trembling, dialed his number again.

Just as she was about to give up hope, the call connected.

"What is it?" Nelson's impatient voice came through.

"Nelson, help me. I'm pregnant, and I think I'm bleeding..." Her voice was hoarse as she tried to control her panic.

But before she could finish, the man's cold voice cut her off.

"Pregnant? Is this your way of apologizing?" His tone grew icier. "Sarah, that's a terrible excuse. Come up with something new next time."