Chapter 3

In the hospital hallway, the smell of disinfectant choked me.

Alex rushed into the emergency room with Cheryl in his arms, Brenda trailing behind, yelling for a doctor.

I stood at the payment window, looking at the name on the screen.

Cheryl Greene.

Companion: Alex Caldwell.

Relationship: Spouse.

The nurse handed out a form.

"Family signature."

Brenda snatched it, signing quickly.

"I'm her mother-in-law."

The pen tip scratched the paper.

I stared at that sentence, a cold numbness spreading through my chest.

Alex emerged from the consultation room, his first words not an explanation to me.

"Southbrook, you scared her just now."

"If anything happens to the baby, you won't be able to bear the responsibility."

I stared at his shirt cuff.

A smudge of foundation was on it, from Cheryl leaning against him.

"How many months along is the baby?"

Alex's eyes darted away.

"Over four months."

Over four months ago, it was my birthday.

That day, he was on a business trip, claiming an emergency meeting for his project.

I lit a cake alone, waiting until midnight, and received a red envelope from him.

The note read, "Happy Birthday, honey. I'll make it up to you when I get home."

— 'Made it up to me' right into someone else's bed, apparently.

Brenda came out of the consultation room door, pointing and scolding me.

"The doctor said the pregnant woman was stressed and needs bed rest!"

"Southbrook, are you happy now?"

I was about to speak when Cheryl's cries came from inside.

"Mom, I don't want the baby to be without a father."

Brenda rushed in to comfort her.

Alex stood before me, his face etched with the familiar weariness.

Whenever he came home late from work, I'd have a warm meal ready for him.

Now, that face held only annoyance for me.

"Southbrook, it's already happened."

"Her getting pregnant wasn't planned."

"I was going to tell you when the time was right."

I asked:

"The 'right time,' was it when she was marrying you in that wedding dress?"

Alex's lips tightened.

"Don't use those words to needle me."

"I don't not love you."

It was so absurd it made me want to throw up.

"Alex Caldwell, you love me, so you got someone else pregnant?"

"You love me, so you lied to her, saying I was your ex-wife?"

"You love me, so you used my money to buy her a wedding dress?"

His brows furrowed.

"I'll pay you back for the money."

His tone was like discussing a regular debt.

My phone vibrated again.

My best friend, Ashley Dawson, sent a message.

"Southbrook, your mother-in-law is telling everyone in the family SnapChat group that you can't have kids, and that you're holding onto the Caldwell family for dear life."

Immediately after, a screenshot popped up.

Brenda had posted Cheryl's prenatal check-up photo.

The caption read:

"The Caldwell family finally has an heir. Some people cling to their position, but even heaven can't stand it."

Someone in the group replied:

"Alex should have replaced her sooner. A man can't be without an heir."

Another said:

"Southbrook always seemed so virtuous, but she's really selfish."

I handed the screenshot to Alex.

"Is this also 'the right time'?"

Alex's face changed, and he immediately called Brenda.

As soon as the call connected, Brenda's voice echoed from the consultation room.

"Did I say something wrong? Her inability to have children is a fact!"

The door wasn't fully closed.

Everyone in the hallway heard it.

The nurse looked up at me, her eyes filled with pity. That pity felt sharper, more cutting than any insult.

I pulled out my phone, scrolling to a health report from five years ago.

It clearly stated:

"Fertility function normal."

The person who had issues that year? Alex Caldwell.

Low sperm count, requiring long-term treatment.

I had never told anyone.

Because he said, a man's pride shouldn't be shattered.

I drank all the fertility medications for him, endured all the judging stares from relatives for him.

Now, he lets his mother call me infertile.

Alex saw the report, his face instantly turning ashen.

"Southbrook, don't bring this up."

His voice was tight.

"Please."

I looked at him, feeling for the first time that this man was as strange as a stranger.

The consultation room door suddenly burst open.

Cheryl stood, supported by the doorframe, tears clinging to her lashes.

"Alex, are you still trying to protect her?"

She bit her lip.

"Then the baby and I will leave."

Alex immediately turned to support her.

The report paper rustled in my hand, caught by the breeze.

Cheryl glimpsed the words on it, her eyes flickering.

The next second, she grabbed Alex's hand, pressing it against her belly.

"The baby moved."

Alex looked down, his palm touching her swollen abdomen.