He paused, then smiled, reaching for my hand again—though it carried no warmth.
“Silly girl, of course I do. If I don’t love you, who else would I love?”
“Then…” I withdrew my hand once more, my gaze colder still.
“Do you love our child? Even if she’s a girl?”
Daniel’s smile faltered for the briefest moment, a flash of unease in his eyes. He hadn’t expected me to ask that.
But he recovered quickly, his tone firm. “Of course I do. Boy or girl, our baby is our treasure. I even said on social media that she’s my little princess.”
Yes—little princess. A princess in name only, someone he could sacrifice at any time.
I didn’t press him further. I lowered my head and pushed at the rice in my bowl. It tasted like sand—dry and flavorless.
Through Daniel’s “devoted husband” performance at dinner, I chewed on nothing but cold hatred.
That night, I lay in bed with my back to Daniel, my body stiff as stone.
He curled around me from behind, his hand slipping into my pajamas with practiced familiarity, settling over my flat belly.
“Was the baby good today? Did she kick Mommy?” The intimacy in his voice made my skin crawl.
I went rigid, a wave of disgust crashing over me. I slapped his hand away and turned over.
“I’m tired. I want to sleep.” I shut my eyes, unwilling to look at his false face.
He pressed close again, aggrieved. “Rachel, what’s wrong with you today? Did I do something?”
I kept my eyes closed and said evenly, without a trace of emotion, “No. I just don’t feel well.”
Silence stretched behind me so long I thought he’d fallen asleep.
In the dark, he sighed softly, like a considerate husband. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I was thoughtless. The first trimester is tough—more sensitive, moods all over. I shouldn’t have upset you.”
He wrapped his arms around me again, but this time his touch was light, careful, as if I were something fragile.
“Sleep. I’m right here.”
I didn’t move, letting him hold me while breathing in that faint perfume on his skin—the scent that belonged to Olivia.
I spent the night sleepless beside him, a vast abyss yawning between us.
Early the next morning, Daniel prepared breakfast as usual and saw me out the door.
Before I left, he pressed a kiss to my forehead, the picture of tender farewell.
“Rachel, be careful on the road. Come home early.”
I looked into his gentle eyes and felt only ice.
“Be careful on the road.” From his mouth, those four words were a knife in my chest.