Seven months pregnant. With my belly showing, I helped Caleb Prescott secure the latest quarterly partnership. Then, checking his location discreetly, I headed to the bar, planning to surprise him. Just before pushing open the private room door, I heard his voice, laced with a cynical laugh, mingling with his friends. “Caleb, won’t Audrey be mad if she finds out you deliberately sent her on that business trip just so you could celebrate Chloe finishing high school and getting into college?” Caleb scoffed, utterly dismissive. “I’ve pampered Audrey for years. What more could she possibly want? Besides, she’s pregnant, easily agitated. I kept it quiet just to prevent her from getting jealous.” “True, Audrey has been with you for so long, she probably can’t live without you. But you’ve raised Chloe for all these years, and now she’s an adult, and so beautiful. Don’t you have… any thoughts?” Caleb reached out, casually wrapping his arm around Chloe Sterling’s delicate shoulders, his voice thick with doting affection. “That depends on whether our Chloe is willing.” “I… I’m willing to marry Uncle Caleb.”
I pushed the door open. The conversation inside the private room died instantly. Caleb instinctively pulled his hand back from Chloe’s shoulder, his doting expression quickly morphing into calm. “Audrey, what are you doing here? Is the contract settled?” Caleb’s friends, seeing my upset face, quickly tried to smooth things over with smiles. “Audrey, Chloe just finished high school today, and we’re all celebrating. Caleb was just about to call you to join us!” “No, thanks. You all have fun. I’m heading back.” I looked at Caleb and Chloe, their intimate posture a punch to the gut. I forced a strained smile onto my face and turned to leave. “Audrey.” Caleb called out, getting up and coming to my side. “Chloe just lost a game and has to drink ten penalty shots. I’ll be driving later, so could you take them for her?” I clutched my pregnant belly, fighting back the burning sensation in my nose, staring at Caleb in disbelief. “You want *me* to drink?” “It’s a celebration for Chloe. Just cooperate, don’t spoil the fun.” “Fine.” I picked up a glass and chugged it. The beer rushed down my throat, the foam stinging my nose, and my stomach churned, threatening to revolt. One glass. Two glasses. … Caleb’s friends started to look uncomfortable, one finally speaking up. “Caleb, maybe that’s enough.” “It’s fine. Back when Audrey helped me close deals with clients, she could down a liter of hard liquor without batting an eye. This is nothing to her.” I held the last glass, feeling nothing but bitter amusement. The year we got married, Caleb’s company hit a rough patch. I wanted to help him by drinking with clients to secure partnerships, but he stopped me, swearing solemnly that no matter how tough things got, he’d never let me suffer that humiliation. But then Chloe came into our lives. Caleb said she was a friend’s orphan, and he needed to take responsibility as her guardian. From that moment on, all his attention shifted to Chloe. For his company, I started to repeatedly drink and smile for investors. Until six months ago, I was force-fed by an investor until I had stomach bleeding and was almost taken to a hotel. I only escaped by slitting my wrists, threatening to end my life. And that night, he used the investment I had begged on my knees for to throw an all-night fireworks display to celebrate Chloe’s birthday. I finished the last drink, nothing left in my throat but a raw, bitter taste. “Caleb, I’m leaving.” “I’ll drive you back…” Caleb was about to reach out and help me, but then he heard Chloe’s saccharine tone. “Uncle Caleb, I don’t have any family left in this world. Could you… divorce Audrey and stay with just me, forever?” The private room fell into a deathly silence. I froze, looking at Caleb. He didn’t hesitate, handing me a divorce agreement, a pleading look in his eyes. “Audrey, Chloe rarely asks for anything from me. I don’t want to disappoint her.” “Fine. I’ll sign.” I managed a desolate smile, fighting back the tears stinging my eyes, and picked up the pen to sign the divorce agreement. As I walked out of the room, I heard Caleb’s friends trying to reason with him: “Caleb, a divorce agreement isn’t a joke. If Audrey truly gets angry, you might take things too far.” “Audrey’s been with me for eight years, and now she’s pregnant. She can’t leave me. I’ll just sweet-talk her later, it’ll be fine.” Tears finally streamed down my face, uncontrolled. I took a deep breath, wiped them away, and cast one last look at the joyous private room. Then, I pulled out my phone and dialed the hospital. **[截断点]** “Please schedule an abortion for me. The sooner, the better.”
Just as I left the bar, Caleb rushed out after me. “It’s too late. I’ll take you home.” I reached for the passenger side door, but he stopped me. “You’re pregnant. The front seat isn’t as safe for you. You should sit in the back.” Caleb then opened the passenger door for Chloe himself, and thoughtfully buckled her seatbelt. I looked at the “Wife’s Seat Only” sticker on the dashboard, finding it incredibly ironic and blindingly painful. “Uncle Caleb, can I date when I’m in college?” “No!” Caleb’s tone was stern. Chloe giggled, playfully feeding a snack into Caleb’s mouth: “Okay then, Uncle Caleb, I’ll listen to you. I’ll only be with you, forever.” I glanced at the car’s interior, decorated with a girlish touch. The mini-fridge that used to hold my milk and pregnancy snacks had long been replaced with Chloe’s favorite candies. This car, the one I brought into our marriage, felt utterly foreign now. Chloe had quietly, insidiously woven herself into Caleb’s life, yet he deluded himself into believing he was merely a guardian, never truly falling for her. How ridiculous. How utterly ironic. Noticing my gaze, Caleb spoke up. “Chloe said she’s never stayed in a hotel before, so I’m going to drop her off to experience that first. I’ll take you home later.” The car soon stopped outside a hotel. I watched Caleb lead Chloe into the hotel, my eyes falling on a discarded receipt on the passenger seat. The receipt clearly showed purchases of condoms and lingerie – all Caleb’s preferred styles. These two things hadn’t been used since I got pregnant. I remembered when Caleb and I got married, he told me his mother had taken her own life because she couldn’t bear her husband’s infidelity. He hated all unfaithful men in the world. He promised he’d protect me forever, never betray me. But as I stood outside that hotel room, hearing a woman’s sweet cries and a man’s muffled grunts from inside, His past vows felt like a cruel illusion. My eyes welled up, but I had no courage to burst in and catch them red-handed. If you couldn’t keep your word, why make those promises in the first place? … Two hours later. Caleb returned to the car, his hair damp. “That girl Chloe is so clingy. She wouldn’t let me leave, so I just took a quick shower. Sorry to keep you waiting.” I silently stared at the hickeys on his neck. Suddenly, this man I’d lived with for eight years felt like a complete stranger. Caleb noticed my silence and sat beside me. “Audrey, Chloe’s just a kid. Don’t be so hard on her.” “That divorce agreement was just to humor her. The terms clearly state I’m leaving with nothing. Don’t worry, once she loses interest, we’ll get back together right away.” I just smiled, saying nothing. Get back together? Caleb, I loved you for eight years. It’s time for it to end.
Early the next morning. Chloe burst into my room with a housekeeper. “Audrey Prescott, you’ve already divorced Uncle Caleb, so why are you still living here? I’m the lady of this house now, get out!” The housekeeper began clearing out my things. I didn’t stop them. I simply picked up my pre-packed suitcase and walked out of the house without looking back. “Wait! Open your suitcase. Who knows if you’ve stolen anything valuable? Uncle Caleb said everything in this mansion is mine now.” The housekeeper snatched my suitcase, ransacking it. Inside were only a few clothes I’d bought before marrying Caleb. Nothing else. “Can I go now?” “No! You haven’t been searched yet. Strip her!” The housekeeper stepped forward, pulling at my clothes until I was completely naked. Chloe looked at my pregnant belly with disgust. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Are those stretch marks? So ugly. No wonder Uncle Caleb said he didn’t want to touch you.” I clenched my fists, enduring the housekeeper’s mocking stares, and squatted down to pick up my clothes and put them back on. Suddenly, Chloe rushed toward me, slapping my belly hard. I instinctively raised my hand. But Chloe stumbled first, falling to the ground and pointing at my suitcase, sobbing. “Uncle Caleb, Audrey won’t let me move in, and she threw my suitcase!” Caleb glared at me, barely suppressing his rage. “What’s going on?” “Uncle Caleb, Audrey called me a fatherless child and told me to stay away from you. She said I was a burden to you. If only my dad were still here…” Chloe continued to sob. Caleb’s fury could no longer be contained. He slapped me hard across the face. “Apologize to Chloe, now!” Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth, my eyes blurring with tears. “Caleb, we’ve been together for eight years. Is this truly how you see me?” “And why wouldn’t I! Chloe’s just a child. Would she lie about you?!” Chloe clung to Caleb’s arm, acting utterly wronged, and pointed at a frog mascot costume. “Uncle Caleb, I want to see Audrey wear that.” “Did you hear her? Put it on and apologize to Chloe! Don’t forget your dad is still in the ICU. I can stop his medical treatment any time!” Caleb said, already dialing the hospital. “No! I’ll wear it.” I endured the mocking stares around me, painstakingly pulling on the frog costume. The tight fabric pressed painfully against my belly. “Uncle Caleb, look at Audrey in that frog suit! Her belly’s all puffy like that, doesn’t it look like a pregnant toad?!” “As long as Chloe likes it. You can wear it every day to make her happy.” The mascot costume was stifling. My head spun, and sharp pains radiated from my lower abdomen. I don’t know how long passed, then a wave of dizziness swept over me. I fell heavily to the ground.
I woke up in the hospital. Caleb was by my bedside, holding my hand. “Audrey, don’t be mad. Chloe’s just a kid, playful. Just go apologize to her properly later, and this whole thing will blow over.” “What if I don’t?” “It’s just an apology! Why are you arguing with a child?! I swear, you’ve gone completely crazy since you got pregnant!” Caleb angrily threw my hand away and stormed out. A nurse quickly rushed over, her voice urgent: “Ms. Sterling, your father’s medical treatment has been stopped. His condition suddenly worsened, and he’s not doing well. You need to go see him one last time!” My pupils constricted. I instinctively tried to get up. But Caleb, leading a team of doctors, burst into the room and dragged me to the operating theater without a word. “Caleb! Let me go! I need to see my dad…” “Audrey, Chloe just had a sudden severe anemia, and she needs umbilical cord blood to save her life. You can see your dad anytime. You need to give birth now.” I was forcibly strapped to the operating table. “Mr. Prescott, the patient is only six months pregnant, far from her due date. Administering labor-inducing drugs now could have a fatal impact on the fetus.” “Saving a life is more important! Do it!” Caleb snatched the oxytocin syringe from the doctor’s hand and brutally plunged it into my belly. Restraints tightly bound my limbs. I struggled desperately, looking at Caleb, trying to find a flicker of compassion in his eyes. But Caleb’s expression remained coldly indifferent. He just injected one syringe of oxytocin after another into my body until all five were empty. The doctor urgently tried to stop Caleb’s hand: “Mr. Prescott, five syringes are the limit! Any more and the baby will die from premature birth!” “Get out of my way! I only care if Chloe lives!” Caleb brutally plunged in the sixth syringe. An excruciating pain surged through my entire body. I couldn’t hold on any longer and completely passed out. … When I opened my eyes again, My abdomen was flat once more. I desperately got up and rushed to my father’s room, only for the nurse to tell me I was too late. My father had passed away just as Caleb dragged me away. The nurse said his last words were my name, whispered repeatedly. Passing a VIP room, I heard Chloe’s voice. “Uncle Caleb, it’s all my fault for being so sick. It caused Audrey’s baby to be born prematurely and die. She won’t be angry, will she?” “It’s fine. If the baby’s gone, Audrey can just have another one. All that matters is that you’re okay.” I touched my flat abdomen, closing my eyes in despair, letting tears stream down my cheeks. Caleb and I started trying to conceive right after we got married. We bought piles of baby clothes and toys, and he devoured books on childcare, saying he wanted our baby to be the happiest child in the world. Seven months ago, when I finally got pregnant, he was so excited, holding me and listening to the baby’s movements all night. That was the child we had hoped for for seven years. How could he be so cruel?! Three days later. I finished my father’s funeral and buried the baby’s tiny body alongside him. Leaving the cemetery.
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