Ethan smiled, drinking, saying nothing to stop her.
Encouraged by the crowd, Tara added proudly,
“He actually took it seriously! Then he actually took me to get embryo culture!”
She blinked, signaling for Ethan to continue.
“Ethan, what about the child?”
Ethan tilted his head back, finishing his drink, eyes dark.
“What’s in Nicole’s belly right now is Tara and I’s test-tube baby.”
Boom—
My mind exploded, and everything went blank.
I could hear Henry cursing, “Bastard!” and see Ethan’s indifferent gaze.
I clutched my stomach. It seemed to sense my grief and moved violently.
But all I felt was irony.
From the very start of our pregnancy preparations, Ethan had lied, claiming his sperm motility was low and that IVF had a better chance.
For countless days and nights, I took medication until I felt sick, my belly covered in purple pinpricks.
On the day the pregnancy succeeded, he had gently leaned against my belly and said,
“Dear baby, Daddy will make you and Mommy the happiest people in the world.”
Those words had never been meant for me.
Tara’s voice drifted again, laced with contempt:
“Ethan is so clever! Look at Nicole, completely out of shape. Tsk tsk, I don’t want to become a shrew like her.”
I couldn’t listen anymore and turned to leave.
Suddenly, a huge wave hit, and the cruise ship rocked violently.
Tara, standing on the edge, was flung backward.
Without hesitation, Ethan grabbed the lifebuoy and jumped in, swimming toward her.
I was completely stunned.
He was clearly a landlubber.
He had always said he was most afraid of water!
And yet, he had risked his life for her.
I turned away, unwilling to witness the heroic rescue again, and headed straight to the hospital for an abortion.
The anesthetic coursed through me, and as my consciousness blurred, one thought consumed me:
Ethan, you can get out now.
When I opened my eyes again,
Only Henry, eyes red-rimmed, stood by the bed.
I instinctively touched my belly—it was flat.
A long-lost sense of relief washed over me.
I turned my head, voice hoarse: "Where’s Ethan?"
Henry turned and handed me a video.
The screen trembled. On the beach, Tara cried as she administered artificial respiration to Ethan.
When he awoke, coughing violently, she immediately hugged him tightly.
"Ethan, I can’t go against my will anymore!"
"I love you! Ethan, you big fool! I love you!"
Amidst the cheers of onlookers, they clung together, drenched in sweat.