ManyWriters

In the third year of our marriage, I discovered I was pregnant. With my husband away on a business trip in another state, I had no choice but to go to the hospital for a check-up alone.
Little did I expect to see my supposedly out-of-town husband outside the examination room, fingers intertwined with his pure love.
I dialed his number once more. He answered, lowering his voice in irritation:
"Faye, are you incapable of understanding English? How many times do I have to tell you I'm in a meeting! A meeting!"
"You may be blind, but you're not deaf!"
A wave of sorrow washed over me as I slowly spoke:
"Where's this meeting? What kind of meeting?"
"If you're sick, go to the hospital. Stop acting crazy here."
He rudely hung up the phone, then turned to Pure Love's inquiry with a gentle smile.
"Just a blind woman. She's nothing compared to you."
The moment he turned and our eyes met, River's smile froze on his face.

Love's Withered Bloom

The air was deathly silent. A bolt of lightning struck in my mind, leaving me almost incapable of thought.


An eerie atmosphere hung between the three of us. Though puzzled, the nurse maintained her smile as she handed the test results to River.


She once again offered her sincere congratulations to the couple.


River stood motionless, his face ashen. Serenity smiled as she took the results, thanking the nurse.


After personally confirming the results, she linked her arm through River's, her face beaming with sweetness. Her eyes, when they inadvertently met mine, held a hint of challenge.


I clutched my own test results, showing five weeks of pregnancy.


I stared blankly at River, unable to hold back the tears that began to roll down my cheeks.


Seven weeks ago, River said he had an important project to oversee in the States, and he'd be gone for half a month.


When he returned, he not only brought me numerous designer perfumes and handbags but also, unprecedentedly, clung to me for days, professing his love.


I thought it was a belated show of genuine affection, but it turned out to be a premeditated act of guilt.


I gazed silently into his eyes, trying to see into his heart through the cornea that once belonged only to me.


River's lips quivered slightly, but I waited for what felt like an eternity, and he never uttered a word of explanation.


"Faye!"River grabbed my wrist, about to explain, when suddenly Jade collapsed behind us, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain.


The hand gripping my wrist let go without hesitation. River turned around, his face filled with worry as he scooped Jade up and rushed her to the exam room.


I thought I had grown strong enough to deal with River's hot and cold, on-again off-again behavior. But seeing him so concerned as he carried another woman in his arms, my heart couldn't help but ache.


The moment I stepped out of the hospital doors, I could no longer hold back the pain in my heart and burst into tears.


I could have convinced myself to believe him if only he had explained. But he didn't say a single word.


My tear-stained cheeks felt numb and cold as the sea breeze blew across them.


For two hours, my vibrating phone never stopped.


Except for one message from Serenity, all the rest were from River.


[Faye, I'm so sorry. The baby isn't River's fault, it's all mine. If you can forgive us, you can do whatever you want, but the baby is innocent.]


Chapter 2