I sat alone on the balcony, caressing my belly, which twisted violently, and dialed the doctor.
"Doctor, I want to schedule an abortion."
The next morning,
Sharp pain woke me. I struggled to find Ethan.
He sat on the sofa, legs crossed.
The phone pinged, and he smiled brightly.
I called several times before he looked up. Seeing my pale face, he froze, then hurriedly helped me sit, his fingers lightly massaging my shoulders.
"Honey, I can’t be with you today. President Morgan is waiting to discuss the cruise ship acquisition. We need new travel routes."
His tone was calm, as if yesterday had never happened.
He always did this—let me stew in my emotions all night while he carried on.
It was as if he could simply leave me behind, ignoring the problem.
Pain surged, and I instinctively grabbed his hand, but his other hand stayed on the keyboard, utterly focused, ignoring me.
From outside the villa, Tara’s cheeky voice rang:
"Ethan, your father’s here. What are you waiting for?"
Ethan instantly released me, dropped his phone, and sprinted to the door.
I fell, knocking on his phone with my elbow.
On the screen, a group chat called “Princess Tara and Her Knights” was pinned. I clicked it, frozen.
"Nicole is so pretentious! I told you two weren’t a good match, but you wouldn’t believe me."
"Having someone else at every party is exhausting! You might as well have married Tara!"
Tara sent a tongue-out emoji:
"Lulu, it’s my birthday today. Why mention that annoying person? Ethan said he’d buy me a cruise. I want to face the sea and enjoy the spring blossoms!"
Ethan teased, "Bend over backward to your father. This life belongs to you."
Tara immediately bent over backward:
"Your life belongs to me now. I command you not to bring any family today!"
"Ethan, I saw Tara in a bikini. Whose birthday present is it? [smirk]"
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over me, suffocating every breath.
As expected, you can act, but you can’t fake your social life.
When I first tried to fit in, everyone seemed as friendly as angels.
But I took their politeness seriously. They were impenetrable fortresses, and I, forever, the unacceptable outsider.
The cramps worsened, and I trembled as I pulled out my phone, snapping pictures and saving them page by page.
By the time Ethan came in to retrieve his phone, I was already curled up on the sofa in pain.
He didn’t even glance at me, eager to leave.