Chapter 7

The next time I saw Julian was in a photo someone sent me.

An anonymous text message, an intimate photo.

Julian was asleep, tightly embracing the person in his arms, a pretty, charming woman.

The photo scorched my eyes and my heart. Suddenly, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, violently bending over and dry heaving.

When I came to, I was already in my car.

My mind was fixated on finding answers, but what could I even say?

In a moment of distraction, a powerful impact came from the right.

Before the car window shattered, I only felt like a fool.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital.

My head was splitting, and I felt a bit disoriented.

The pain in my abdomen spread throughout my entire body.

A nurse called the doctor. As the doctor stood by my side, about to speak to me, two people burst into the room.

Julian looked at me with heartache, while Chloe stood outside the door, silent.

The doctor, having seen many ridiculous situations, inwardly scoffed but maintained professional composure, a cold glint flashing behind his glasses.

“Fortunately, the car accident didn’t cause severe injuries, but Ms. Jiang’s body is weak after the miscarriage and needs careful recuperation.”

At his words, everyone present froze, including Liam, who had just arrived.

I touched my aching abdomen, deflated, and softly murmured,

“I… I was pregnant?”

Recalling my recent unexplained emotional fluctuations, everything suddenly made sense.

Light shone at the foot of the bed, but it stopped beside me, casting me in shadow.

A slight chill in the breeze hinted that the city’s cold autumn was approaching.

I sat on the hospital bed, my eyes vacant. The pain in my abdomen spread throughout my body.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, curling into a ball, my eyes red and terrifying, tears flowing unconsciously.

Julian approached the bedside, his hands trembling as he pulled me into his embrace.

It was a rare moment of tenderness after so many days, yet I felt no warmth at all.

The doctor offered a few polite words of comfort and then hurried to the next room.

Julian’s eyes were slightly red, his voice hoarse.

“…We’ll have other children.”

In that moment, those words were genuine, a heartfelt promise from him.

I couldn't even remember the last time Julian had comforted me with such tenderness.

Chloe walked over and sat on the side of the bed, advising me,

“It’s important to take care of your health.”

Catching Chloe’s gaze and the ambiguous red mark on her neck, I snapped out of the fleeting tenderness.

I remembered how I’d lost my mind after seeing that photo.

I struggled forcefully out of Julian’s embrace, retreating away from them.

I had already felt Julian’s perfunctoriness for a long time.

It was just that the feelings accumulated over time were watered with flesh and blood.

The love letter was just the fuse. Even before that, I had been enduring.

My feelings for Julian had also been cooling.

But whenever I thought of the young Julian, I couldn’t bear to let go.

In this relationship, which I wasn’t sure I had wanted, I truly had loved him well.

But now, after losing the child, I couldn't tell if this feeling was love, or just a high sunk cost from the past.

At this moment, I truly hated Julian.

I tried hard not to look too pathetic, but my body was uncontrollably trembling.

I clutched my chest, hatred erupting through my eyes.

When Julian met my gaze, he froze at the hate and disgust in my eyes.

It was as if a sudden arrow had pierced his heart, bleeding profusely.

Before today, he thought he only felt a sense of marital responsibility towards me.

But when he heard about my car accident, he was terrified. In that moment, he realized the world would be gray without me.

Seeing that I was okay, his senses for this world returned, like his heart started beating again.

Chloe, standing nearby, felt complicated. She had just witnessed Julian almost go crazy for someone else.

After hearing the news, he had driven recklessly to the hospital, nearly causing a second accident that day.

The man whose eyes were once filled only with her in high school was now anxious and worried for another woman.

For some unknown reason, she had stubbornly followed him.

She had successfully angered me, the woman who had lost her child, creating a rift between Julian and me. Yet, she found no joy in it.

Now, just as Chloe wished, I hated Julian. Every word I uttered was a sharp knife aimed at him.

“You two disgusting cheats, get out! Get out! What are you pretending for, Julian? You must be thrilled, aren’t you? The baby’s gone, and your crush is back. Congratulations.”

“I shouldn’t have gone looking for you. Why, why do I always lose? Why, why, why, I hate you, I hate all of you…”

After the miscarriage, my face was as pale as paper, yet flushed from emotional intensity, my long hair disheveled.

Tears soaked my beautiful face, making me look sickly and disheveled, with a broken beauty.

I grabbed the water glass beside me and threw it at Julian. He didn’t dodge, and blood trickled down his forehead, bringing me back to my senses.

My body couldn't handle further outburst. I deflated, returning to my usual demeanor, and after a long silence, slowly spoke:

“Now that the baby is gone, I’m also tired of you. Let’s get a divorce.”