Chapter 3

Clutching the report, I walked into the stairwell and called Anna.

“The doctor said if I lose this baby, I might never get pregnant again.”

There was silence on the other end for two seconds.

Then Anna exploded.

“Does Daniel know?”

“No.”

“Then tell him!”

Anna’s voice trembled with anger.

“Is this baby only yours? What the hell does he think you are?”

I leaned against the stairwell wall, my chest tightening.

“What difference would telling him make?”

“Am I supposed to use the fact that I might never have children again to force him to let me keep this baby?”

“That still doesn’t mean he gets to abandon you like this!”

Anna sounded furious.

“Five million isn’t enough. Make him pay more!”

“You gave him five years, and now you might even lose your chance to be a mother. How is he supposed to compensate you for that?”

She yelled so loudly my ears rang.

Somehow, I laughed.

Five million dollars was a lot of money.

But to Daniel, it wasn’t that much.

Just like I had never meant that much to him.

“What five million?”

Daniel’s voice suddenly came from behind me.

I spun around.

He stood in the doorway to the stairwell.

Maggie had her arm hooked through his.

I ended the call and quickly folded the report.

Daniel stared at me, his brow deeply furrowed.

“You didn’t have the procedure?”

I dug my nails into my palm.

“The doctor said there’s something wrong with my uterus.”

His expression changed instantly.

“What does that mean?”

I handed him the report.

“This is my first pregnancy.”

“And it might be my last.”

Daniel took the report.

His gaze stopped on the diagnosis, and his grip on the paper visibly tightened.

He had once asked me what I wanted most in life.

I told him I wanted a home with the lights on.

A husband who actually came home.

And a child of my own.

After that, I spent five years chasing Daniel.

I got the house.

The lights were always on.

But he never had any intention of staying.

“Daniel?”

When Maggie saw him staring blankly at the report, hatred flashed in her eyes as she looked at me.

She reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist.

“The baby’s kicking. We should hurry and get my checkup done.”

Daniel didn’t respond right away.

His gaze fell to my stomach, and his lips parted.

“If that’s the case, then this baby…”

My heart jumped into my throat.

I knew I shouldn’t hope anymore.

But I still stared at him.

I wanted to hear him say just one thing.

Keep it.

Maggie’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.

She released his hand.

“Daniel, I know Jessica is carrying your baby.”

“I won’t blame you. I’ll respect whatever you choose.”

Her words sounded understanding, but her tears fell at exactly the right moment.

“Actually, it’s okay if my baby doesn’t have a father. I can raise the baby myself.”

The hesitation on Daniel’s face instantly vanished.

“I promised I’d give you and the baby a complete family.”

He wrapped an arm around Maggie’s shoulders.

When he looked at me again, his expression had turned cold.

“Get the abortion.”

I stared at him.

“Daniel, this might be the only child I’ll ever have!”

Daniel frowned and turned away.

“If the baby is born, it won’t be good for anyone.”

Maggie wiped away her tears and spoke gently.

“Daniel is only thinking about what’s best for you.”

“A child without a complete family will only suffer.”

She paused, then seemed to suddenly think of something.

“You’re not using your condition as an excuse, are you?”

“You want to have this baby so you can keep Daniel tied to you forever, right?”

I turned toward her.

She immediately shrank into Daniel’s arms as if I had done something terrible to her.

Daniel stepped in front of her.

“Enough.”

He shoved the report back into my hands.

His voice was cold.

“I heard what you were saying on the phone.”

“You just want money, don’t you? I’ll give you another ten million. Get rid of the baby.”

“Money is the one thing I’ll never run out of. I won’t shortchange you.”

The report crumpled in my hand.

It was almost funny.

My only chance to ever have a child had become a bargaining chip to them.

The string inside me that had been stretched tight for five years finally snapped.

“Fine.”

Daniel froze.

“What?”

I lifted my head and looked at the man I had loved for five years.

The last trace of warmth in my heart finally died.

“Fifteen million dollars is enough.”

I pushed open the stairwell door and walked straight to the procedure scheduling desk.

I placed the report in front of the nurse.

“Please schedule the procedure.”

Daniel followed me out and stopped several steps away.

I picked up the pen and signed my name on the surgical consent form.

Maggie was right about one thing.

If I was leaving, I needed to leave cleanly.

The baby.

My feelings.

And the Jessica who had spent five years chasing after Daniel.

None of them needed to remain.