Julian got a girl pregnant one drunken night. By the time I found out, she was already six months along. He told me to keep the baby, and that everything between us would go back to how it was. I shook my head, stubbornly asking him: “Me or the baby, who do you choose?” That day, he remained silent for a long time, unable to give me an answer. But after I disappeared, he regretted it. Married to Julian for five years, I never imagined we’d end this way. At the hospital entrance, Julian was tenderly supporting a young, beautiful girl down the steps. I stood not far away, my eyes meeting Julian’s, which were filled with a tenderness I hadn’t seen in a long time. He flinched, his gaze quickly darting away from mine. The heavily pregnant girl beside him also looked my way, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. After safely getting her into the car and whispering a few careful words, Julian finally walked towards me. His steps were calm and composed, completely lacking the panic I expected after being caught. He first touched my hand, which was cold as ice, holding it tightly in his palm. “Why are you at the hospital? Are you not feeling well?” He spoke with concern, reaching out to touch my forehead. I pulled away. “Who is she?” Julian didn’t answer my question. Instead, he pulled me into a comforting hug. “Someone unimportant. I’ll explain everything when we get home, okay?” His gentle words, at that moment, finally brought tears to my eyes. I stubbornly lifted my head, desperate for an answer. If he just said it, I would believe him. Julian sighed softly, then slowly wiped the tears from my eyes. “The baby is mine.” My tears froze on my face. I felt like I’d forgotten how to breathe. I bit my lip until it bled, then struggled free from his embrace, stepping back, one pace at a time. It was then that a hint of anger finally crossed Julian’s face. He pulled me close again, looking at me with pained eyes. “Nora, you can blame me, but don’t hurt yourself.” I couldn’t understand why he was acting so loving after doing something like this. As we stood in silent confrontation, The girl from the car got out. “Get back in!” Julian’s voice was cold, devoid of any warmth. The girl looked timidly at him but didn’t leave, a newfound determination in her eyes. “Miss Shen, Julian and I aren’t what you think. This baby was an accident.” She finished with a bitter smile. “If I could, I’d want him gone more than anyone.” My vision blurred with tears, so I couldn’t clearly see Julian’s expression. But knowing him as I did, I could sense that his initial coldness had already softened. “Enough! Stop talking!” Jealousy and resentment surged through me. I screamed, my voice breaking. The girl flinched, swaying, almost falling, but Julian quickly caught her in his arms. I stared at the scene, a thought flashing through my mind. I lunged towards them. Just as I was about to touch the girl’s swollen belly, a powerful force shoved me away. I landed on the ground, lifting my scraped palm, and managed a bitter laugh. Julian looked at his outstretched hand in disbelief, frozen. That day, Julian left the six-month pregnant girl and took me home. But I knew there was no future for us.
Back home, Julian tried to explain. I sat on the bed, motionless, for a long time. He, meanwhile, stood on my room’s balcony, smoking cigarette after cigarette all night. I knew he was trying to make me feel sorry for him, torturing himself. He always knew my weaknesses. As dawn broke, Julian turned and came inside, walking over to me. “Hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll make it.” I stopped him with a hoarse voice. “Julian, we need to talk.” Julian’s steps faltered. He didn’t turn around for a long time. I knew he understood my personality. I cared about this kind of thing. A lot. Even if he was drunk that night, even if his encounter with that girl was unintentional, I couldn’t forgive him. So, Julian kept it a secret. But no one expected that the stranger he’d met just once would get pregnant. Due to a unique medical condition, she couldn’t terminate the pregnancy. Which led to this situation. Julian eventually left. He was afraid to face what I was about to say. I knew he loved me. If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have been together for so many years. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have spoiled me into someone who easily got emotional and cried at the drop of a hat. For the next week, Julian didn’t come home. But he still meticulously asked Maria, our housekeeper, every day how I was doing. Maria tried to persuade me: “Madam, you and Mr. Sterling are the most loving couple I’ve ever seen. Just talk things out. “Mr. Sterling, he’s lost so much weight recently.” Maria had been with us for years, and she had never seen Julian and me have a single argument. Even Julian’s mother, who had been displeased with me in the early years, gradually accepted me as her daughter-in-law because Julian and I were so happy together. My phone rang. It was Julian calling. “Nora, Julian’s completely wasted. Could you come pick him up?” “Don’t bother with him!” After hanging up, my inner frustration only grew. Julian’s retreating figure, seemingly hunched, kept replaying in my mind. I still couldn’t bring myself to leave him there alone. After a struggle, I grabbed my car keys. And walked out purposefully.
The VIP room door was ajar. I stood outside, not going in. Julian was indeed drunk, sprawled out on the sofa, completely without dignity. In front of him stood the heavily pregnant girl. One of Julian’s friends looked embarrassed. “Selena, Nora wouldn’t come, and Julian wouldn’t leave, so I had to call you.” The girl smiled faintly and helped Julian lift one arm. He abruptly pushed her away. A few gasps pulled Julian out of his drunken stupor. He looked at the woman in front of him, a smile more painful than a grimace on his face. “Selena, it’s all because of you. Nora doesn’t want me anymore…” Julian kept repeating the same phrase, then started looking for more alcohol. Everyone tried to stop him, but he grabbed a bottle and started guzzling it down like he had a death wish. Suddenly, Selena snatched the bottle from his hand and smashed it on the floor. The room fell silent instantly. Even Julian, who had been throwing a drunken tantrum, stared blankly at her. “Julian, you’re scaring our baby with all this shouting. “Get up. I’m tired. Take me home.” Julian, who practically ruled the city, had never been ordered around like this by anyone except me. Everyone assumed he was furious and held their breath. But in that oppressive silence, Julian said nothing. He slowly got up, picked up his jacket, and quietly followed Selena out. They left together. I hid in the corner, watching the man and woman in front. Suddenly, I laughed. But that laugh was laced with a bitter taste. I followed their taxi to an upscale apartment building. I watched Julian get out of the car and go upstairs with the girl. A light flickered on in one of the higher floors. I sat in my car all night, and Julian never came out. At seven in the morning, he walked back in, carrying breakfast. I watched that incredibly familiar figure. And quietly drove away.
I called Julian back, but I didn’t mention divorce. I looked at the man, who had lost a lot of weight, and quickly averted my gaze. “I didn’t pick you up last night. Where did you stay?” Julian’s fingers trembled slightly. After a moment, he said: “I stayed at the office.” I couldn’t quite describe the feeling in my heart—not much bitterness, But mostly disappointment. When did Julian start lying to me? The man who once promised to be honest with me forever had changed. I didn’t expose him because, to me, it no longer mattered. “She, how many months along is she?” Julian’s voice paused for a few seconds, as if he couldn’t bear to hurt me. “Almost seven months.” After saying that, he knelt before me, burying his head deeply in my lap. His tears soaked my dress. “Nora, I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me.” In my memory, Julian had never cried before. Now, his sobs were violent. Watching him cry, my heart ached too. But I knew, at this moment, I couldn’t soften. “Arrange for me to meet that girl.” We met at Selena’s apartment. Julian waited for me outside the door. Selena gently stroked her belly, her eyes filled with anticipation for the baby. “That night, the lights were off, and I was really terrified. “But the next day, when I saw Julian lying beside me, I actually felt a moment of relief.” Selena chuckled as she spoke. She looked up at me, still maintaining that gentle, lovely demeanor. “Miss Shen, Julian’s and my baby is almost due. Why don’t you just let us be?” With Julian not present, the girl in front of me seemed to transform. Honestly, I wasn’t too surprised. Because the night I went to find Julian, Selena had glanced towards the door. I knew she had seen me that day. She slowly stood up and pushed open a closed bedroom door. Inside was a cozy nursery. “Everything in here was personally chosen by Julian, and he decorated the room himself. “He’s not without hope for this child.” I desperately wanted to maintain my last shred of composure in front of Selena, who was flaunting Julian’s fatherly love to me. But she still provoked me. So, Julian *did* have expectations for this child. He wasn’t indifferent at all. All the strength seemed to drain from my body. I leaned a hand on the dining table, knocking over a water glass. It hit the floor with a crisp *clink*, a sound that echoed in my heart, shattering it into cracks. Julian heard the noise. When he looked, he saw me swaying, and Selena on the floor crying out in pain. That day, I will never forget, Julian’s first choice was no longer me. Selena shot me a triumphant smile, believing she had won. As he brushed past me, Julian hesitated for only a second. Then he went past me, picked Selena up, and rushed her to the hospital.
Julian didn’t look at me as he left. I stood there for a long time, slowly accepting the fact that he had abandoned me. I followed them to the hospital. By the time I arrived, Mrs. and Mr. Sterling were also there. It turned out they had known all along, only keeping it a secret from me. Seeing me, Mrs. Sterling slapped me across the face. “If anything happens to my grandson, I swear I’ll make you pay!” Julian immediately shielded me, pulling me behind him. Seeing this, Mrs. Sterling became even angrier. “Julian, it’s fine if you protect her usually, but now she’s trying to harm your son!” Julian laughed, his voice tinged with suppressed defiance. “So what? If he’s gone, he’s gone.” If they hadn’t kept this child behind his back, why would Nora be so heartbroken and upset? No one knew that when he saw Selena fall, His first reaction was actually relief. He regretted this unexpected arrival. The doctor came out of the room, saying the baby was saved. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling hurried in, showering Selena with concern. Selena, however, kept looking towards Julian, who stood by the door, her expression fragile and pitiful. She dared to scheme against me, so why should I let her have her way? I showed him my swollen left cheek, letting him feel a pang of sympathy, and told Julian: “I don’t want to stay here anymore.” Julian left with me. As I walked out, I looked at Selena, lying in the hospital bed, and returned her smile with one of my own. At least for now, Julian still sided with me. Even if I no longer wanted that favoritism. In the days Julian thought I had accepted the baby, I had already begun preparing to leave. I packed my belongings and prepared the divorce papers. Just waiting for the day I’d leave. That’s right, I would leave on the day Selena gave birth. She wanted me to complete their family of three, didn’t she? Then I would fulfill her wish.
Recently, I’d been having a vague discomfort in my lower abdomen. I went to the hospital that day for a check-up, but I didn’t expect to run into them. I rescheduled my appointment and had the check-up. The moment I got the results, I laughed through my tears. Julian and I had tried for a baby for five years without success. Now, this baby seemed to have come at the most inconvenient time. I walked through the hospital, clutching the pregnancy test results, lost in a daze, unsure how to treat this little life inside me. I knew I should terminate it, but I couldn’t bear to. This decision was harder than letting go of Julian. Then I looked up and saw Julian and Selena emerging from her prenatal check-up. These past few days, neither of us had mentioned Selena’s situation again. He thought my silence meant I had tacitly accepted her presence. “Julian, our baby is so healthy. I’m so happy.” Julian’s voice betrayed no emotion, but his slightly raised eyebrows revealed his good mood. “Hmm, you’re taking good care of him.” They chatted about the baby, neither noticing I had stopped in front of them. The moment Julian saw me, he immediately let go of Selena’s hand, creating a distance between them. After a silent pause, I spoke first. “What a coincidence. Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’m going now.” Julian frantically grabbed me, unwilling to let me go. “Nora, let me explain.” I calmly pulled my hand away from him, without a hint of anger. “I’m not mad. This baby is your responsibility. I understand.” At my words, Selena’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Miss Shen, do you really agree to keep this baby?” Since our last confrontation, I didn’t feel like giving her any pleasantries. “Miss Selena’s baby is due in a few days. Does my disagreement even matter anymore?” The woman immediately panicked, her voice catching with a sob. “I… I was forced.” Saying all this now was meaningless. Without letting Julian follow, I turned and went back to the doctor. Someone had just made the decision for me. On the day Selena went into labor, Julian was called away at four in the morning. Before he left, he leaned close and whispered in my ear:
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