“Dean, I accept the assignment. I’ll go to Sheania in two weeks.” Ophelia Hegseth stood by the office window, holding a pregnancy test report. The Dean’s voice came through the phone. “What changed your mind? I’ve been trying to convince you for years.” Ophelia smiled, “Just thought a change might be good. I need to get back to work now, bye.” Fighting back tears, Ophelia looked down at the pregnancy test report again. She had been an outstanding OB-GYN with multiple awards and a promising future. But instead of climbing the ladder, she chose to be a regular doctor just so she could spend more time with Jayden Romano. Three years ago, the Dean had offered her a career-advancing opportunity abroad, but Ophelia turned it down, unwilling to maintain a long-distance relationship with Jayden. Then, just thirty minutes ago, Jayden’s secretary came in for a pregnancy check-up. But it wasn’t really about the check-up. The secretary was marking her territory. Jayden had always doted on Ophelia, loving her to his core. He would’ve given her the moon if she’d asked for it. Their relationship was legendary in business circles. Everyone knew how Ophelia had supported Jayden when he was building his empire from scratch, staying by his side through thick and thin. People often said that when men got wealthy, they couldn’t resist temptation and ended up leaving their wives. But with Jayden, that wasn’t quite the story. Ophelia had believed she and Jayden would spend their lives together, deeply in love. Growing up without parents, she’d always been self-reliant until meeting Jayden. His love and protection had made her give him her whole heart. But things had started to change recently. For the past month, Jayden had been “busy”, and their time together kept shrinking. At first, Ophelia thought he was wrapped up in a new project. Her heart ached for him, and no matter how exhausted she was, she’d come home every day to cook dinner and wait up for him. But today, she learned the truth. Jayden hadn’t been busy with work this past month—he’d been busy with another woman. Ariel Meyer told Ophelia that she and Jayden had been together for a year, starting when she first joined the company as an intern fresh out of college. Suddenly, it all made sense—how she’d gotten fast-tracked from intern to executive assistant before her probation period was even up. When Jayden had claimed Ariel was hired for her “exceptional skills”, he clearly wasn’t talking about her office abilities. It was about how good she was in bed. Ophelia carefully folded the prenatal test results and slipped them into her pocket. Seven years with Jayden, and she’d been hoping to bring up marriage this year. Well, looked like that conversation wouldn’t be necessary now. As she stepped out of the hospital after her shift, she spotted Jayden waiting for her. The black Bentley was hard to miss, as always. “Look who’s here – your devoted CEO boyfriend again!” Her coworker gushed. “God, I’m so jealous. Seven years together, and he still picks you up from work. You two are crazy for each other!” “But aren’t you heading to Sheania for that three-year assignment in two weeks?” her colleague added. “How’s he going to handle that long-distance thing?” “As long as I can handle it, that’s all that matters,” Ophelia replied curtly, already walking toward the Bentley. It was no mystery why women fell for Jayden. Over six feet tall, movie-star handsome, and now a powerful CEO—who wouldn’t be drawn to that package? So Ophelia didn’t blame Ariel. If anyone was at fault, it was her own man who couldn’t keep it in his pants! As Ophelia approached, Jayden pulled a bouquet of blue roses from his car and held them out to her. “Rough day at work, baby?” For the past year, Jayden had brought flowers every time he picked her up. Ophelia had never been into flowers, but she’d always accepted them with a bright smile. Now it clicked. Ariel must have been the type of girl who went crazy for flowers, and Jayden had just assumed Ophelia was the same. “Only little girls need flowers like these. I don’t.” This time, Ophelia didn’t accept the bouquet. In a way, she was grateful to Ariel. Without her, Ophelia would have kept living in denial. She knew with absolute certainty that Jayden would never have ended things with her on his own. But Ophelia didn’t want a love that was tainted.
Back in the car, Jayden must have sensed something was off. He reached for her hand. “What’s wrong, babe? Rough day at the hospital with a difficult patient?” Ophelia had always worn her heart on her sleeve, often taking her patients’ struggles to heart. “Yeah,” she said softly, looking at Jayden. “Today, I had a patient come in for a pregnancy check-up. I found out later she was the other woman in an affair. “Why do people cheat? Is the grass really always greener on the other side?” At Ophelia’s question, panic flickered across Jayden’s eyes for a split second before he masked it with a casual smile. He pulled her close and said, “You’re just too empathetic, always taking everyone’s problems as your own. “But you know how people are. Sometimes, they just can’t help themselves, always chasing after something new and exciting.” Ophelia looked up at him, a strange feeling settling in her stomach. Earlier that day, she’d been devastated. Seven years of pouring her heart and soul into a relationship—anyone would be heartbroken by such betrayal. But after spending the afternoon processing everything, Ophelia had gained some clarity. So when she heard Jayden’s calculated analysis, she felt no pain, only irony. “You want to try something new?” Ophelia asked, her voice steady. Jayden’s fingers trembled slightly on her shoulder as he answered with practiced tenderness, “You’re all I need. What we have is irreplaceable. I don’t need anything new.” “Yeah, right,” she thought with a bitter smile. If Ophelia hadn’t met Ariel today, she might have believed him. Just then, his phone rang. Jayden instinctively glanced at Ophelia when he saw the caller ID, only answering after confirming she wasn’t paying attention. Jayden instinctively edged toward the car door, trying to put some distance between himself and Ophelia—probably afraid she might overhear. What he didn’t realize was that his Bluetooth earbuds were right next to her, still connected and broadcasting every word of Ariel’s side of the conversation. Ophelia dug her nails into her palms, fighting to keep her composure. After hanging up, Jayden turned to her with a guilty look. “Baby, I’m so sorry, but there’s an emergency at work. I need to head there right away. Let me get you a cab, okay?” But Ophelia had heard it all crystal clear. Ariel was having morning sickness and wanted him to come over for dinner. She’d even bought a new roleplay outfit she knew he’d love. At that moment, Ophelia felt physically sick to her stomach. Looking at Jayden, she put on a sweet voice. “Why don’t I come to the office with you? I don’t have anything planned after work anyway.” Jayden’s face immediately tensed up at her suggestion. “Baby, you’ve had such a long day already. I might be stuck there till late tonight. There’s no point in you waiting around. Just head home and get some rest, okay? I’ll try to wrap things up as quickly as I can.” He sounded so caring, so concerned about her wellbeing. If only he knew that she already knew everything. But Ophelia didn’t push it any further. What was the point? She was just tired of it all. Ophelia asked the driver to pull over and got out of the car alone. Standing on the sidewalk, she watched Jayden’s car disappear into the distance. At that moment, she felt the last warmth in her heart turn to ice. Ophelia walked aimlessly through the autumn night, memories of her life with Jayden playing like a movie in her head. Back then, when Jayden had announced he wanted to start his own business and quit his job, she’d stood by him without hesitation. She’d supported them both on her modest salary, never complaining once. She could still remember those winter mornings, biking to work in the freezing cold instead of taking a cab just so she could put better food on their table. “I promise I’ll make it big,” he’d told her. “We’ll have our dream house someday, Ophelia. Just trust me.” “I’ll cherish you forever,” he’d said. “You’re my forever and always.” A bitter smile crossed her face. He had delivered on part of his promise—the luxury mansion, the successful business. But “forever” hadn’t lasted nearly as long as she’d thought it would.
Back home, Ophelia took a hot shower to shake off the winter chill and then began packing for her departure. She filled her suitcases with clothes and essentials, arranging for an international courier service to pick them up. The housekeeper noticed her bustling around and asked curiously, “Mrs. Romano, are you going on a business trip?” “No,” Ophelia replied. She had no intention of telling anyone, especially not Jayden’s staff. Instead, she made up an excuse. “Just clearing out my old clothes for donation.” “Mrs. Romano, you’re so thoughtful. I have prepared something to eat for you. Mr. Wilson just called to make sure we’d take good care of you.” “Just called?” Ophelia scoffed inwardly. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Jayden was quite a player—wanting to have his cake and eat it too, refusing to let go of Ophelia while sweet-talking Ariel on the side. He’d even managed to call and check on her while he was busy tending to his pregnant mistress. No wonder everyone still saw Jayden as the perfect husband. All her years of devotion had been forgotten, and now Ophelia finally understood why—Jayden was one hell of an actor. Staring at the food on the table, Ophelia couldn’t bring herself to take a single bite. Her stomach churned, though she wasn’t sure if it was from thinking about Jayden’s disgusting two-faced act or realizing she’d been nursing a snake in her bosom all this time. She barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gripped the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Something clicked in her mind, and she reached for the pregnancy test she kept in the bathroom cabinet. A chill ran down Ophelia’s spine as she waited for the results. Her period was late by a few days this month, but she hadn’t thought much of it until the morning sickness hit. She’d written off the irregularity as stress from her hectic schedule. Ten minutes felt like an eternity. When the two lines appeared, Ophelia’s hands trembled. There wasn’t a shred of joy in her heart. Instead, it felt like a boulder was crushing her chest, making it hard to breathe. Just yesterday, news of this pregnancy would have sent her running to Jayden, excitedly planning their wedding. But knowing Jayden was at Ariel’s place right now, she couldn’t find any joy in the moment. Coming out of the bathroom, Ophelia sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought for what felt like hours, wrestling with what to do about the baby. She’d always loved children and had spent countless nights imagining what it would be like to start a family with Jayden. But this was the last thing Ophelia had seen coming. While she was still reeling from the revelation, Jayden called. He told her he had to go on a last-minute business trip for a week, asking her to take care of herself and stay safe during her commute. Then, she heard a faint voice in the background, a travel agent confirming two tickets to Crystal Island. “Alright, take care of yourself too,” Ophelia replied with her usual warmth. Her familiar concern put Jayden completely at ease. After hanging up, Ophelia smiled. Minutes ago, she hadn’t known what to do about the baby. Now she did. Ophelia called in sick to work and then made appointments for the medical check-up and termination. She couldn’t keep this baby. Ophelia lay awake all night before heading to the hospital early the next morning. After the examination, she followed the doctor to the procedure room. Lying on the cold surgical table, she felt a chill that went bone-deep. The coldness pierced through to her core, like shards of ice stabbing at her heart. At this moment, the last thread connecting her to Jayden was about to be severed forever. From now on, they would truly be separate people living separate lives. When Ophelia woke up, she was hooked up to an IV drip. Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach. “It was over?” she thought, a bitter smile crossing her face.
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