Chapter 3
Without waiting for me to speak, Melody jumped in first, "Summer, don't take your health for granted just because you're young. No matter how busy work gets, you need to take care of yourself. Don't make Dashiell worry about you."
Her tone was laden with significance, yet there was a subtle hint of detachment in her words.
I pressed my lips together and murmured, "I've been checked out. Once I get my meds, I can leave. You two should go for your prenatal checkup."
Dashiell's eyes were filled with concern. He was about to walk towards me when Melody pulled him back.
"Dashiell, it's almost our turn. Let's go over there." As she spoke, she rubbed her belly, feigning discomfort. "I don't know if it's because I've been worrying too much lately, but my stomach's been feeling off. I hope it won't affect our sweetheart."
She emphasized the word 'sweetheart'. The worry in Dashiell's eyes dissipated, replaced by a look of guilt as he said, "Summer, you head home first. I'll come find you after I accompany Melody for her checkup."
In the past, when his brother was still around, he always referred to Melody respectfully as 'sister'.
Now, he addresses her with such intimacy.Looking at the three of them together as a family, I became acutely aware that I had truly become an outsider in their lives.
The man who once promised to love me forever no longer held a place for me in his heart.
I thought back to how he used to always put me first, no matter what happened.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I choked out, "Alright, you all go ahead."
On the drive home, I gazed out the car window at the familiar scenery flashing by, memories of our time together playing through my mind.
Dashiell and I had known each other since high school.
Back then, he was my desk mate.
He was the quiet, bookish type, while I was lively and outgoing.
My parents were always busy with work, so they had me stay in the dorms, worried I couldn't take care of myself.
I complained about the cafeteria's lousy breakfast, always pestering him to bring me food from outside.
He'd sigh, exasperated, but always gave in.
And this went on for three whole years.
After graduation, we instinctively chose the same college.
As old classmates of three years, I couldn't help but cling to him for comfort in our new, unfamiliar surroundings.
I got used to going to him for everything, and he tirelessly helped me solve my problems.
My mom often said I shouldn't bother others so much.
I shrugged it off and relayed her words to Dashiell.At that moment, he put down his pen and said nonchalantly, "Do you really think I'm some kind of pushover? Summer, if I didn't like you, I wouldn't bother with you at all."
His affection for me was superficial, and I had known that for a long time.
So I shamelessly enjoyed all the nice things he did for me.
Later, when we got together, he didn't even try to hide his love for me anymore.
As long as he was around, I could always live without a care in the world.
My mom, knowing how much he did for me, would often tease me, saying that the hardest thing I'd ever faced in my life was just going to work.
But now I think she was wrong.
The hardest thing I've ever faced isn't work.
It's that the person I love married someone else.
And I was the last one to know.
Remembering the past, my eyes welled up with tears.
The taxi driver, seeing this, handed me a tissue and said, "Young lady, there's no obstacle in this world you can't overcome. Always look forward, good luck is waiting for you ahead."
I took the tissue, thanking him through my sobs.
After getting out and paying for the ride, I was about to chat with a friend when I accidentally clicked on my social media feed.
That's when I saw that Melody had posted a new update just five minutes ago.She posted an ultrasound image and a photo of Dashiell looking down at the test results, captioning it: "Sweetheart, come out soon! Daddy and Mommy can't wait to see you."
Scrolling down, the first comment was from Dashiell's mom.
She wrote: "Grandma's excited too! I can't wait to see my grandson!"