“Allen, we lost our baby. I know you’re heartbroken—I am too. But you still need to take care of yourself. Please eat something, don’t make me worry, okay?”
“Where’s the baby’s body? I want to see him.”
Three months in—my child should’ve been fully formed by now.
But he’d never have the chance to come into this world.
And just like seven times before, her answer was the same.
“I already arranged for the baby to be buried properly. You’re too emotional right now—I didn’t want you to see it and feel worse.”
“Mom and Dad are also devastated. Let’s go to the old house tonight for dinner and spend some time with them.”
...
As soon as we arrived at the old family estate, I saw Khalil holding onto Adriana’s mother’s arm, acting playful and affectionate.
When he spotted me, he raised his eyebrows with a smug grin.
“Allen, you’re here? Long time no see. Come, sit down. I heard your ‘tadpoles’ didn’t pass the quality check again—poor Adriana had another miscarriage. You must’ve cried all night, huh? Try not to wear yourself out.”
Since the wedding incident, things had fallen apart between me, Melissa, and Khalil. I usually avoided coming here when they were around.
But today, luck clearly wasn’t on my side.
I thought of the photo he’d posted—Melissa’s six-month baby bump. I thought of the truth: that child was Adriana’s. My heart twisted painfully.
Adriana had never let my child survive past the third month.
When her mother—my mother-in-law—saw me, her expression immediately soured.
“Useless piece of trash. How many times has this happened now? And you still have the nerve to look tired? How did my daughter end up with someone like you?”
She was Adriana’s biological mother, but only Melissa’s step-grandmother. At fifty, she was still ambitious, and watching the CEO position—originally meant for Adriana—fall into Melissa’s hands, filled her with bitterness.
In the past, Adriana might have spoken up for me.
But now, her eyes were fixed on Khalil, filled with longing and devotion. It was like she couldn’t hear anything else being said in the room.
“Grandma, don’t be angry,” Khalil said with false concern. “It’s not Allen’s fault he wasn’t born to be a father. It’s not like he meant to lose that many babies.”
My mother-in-law scoffed coldly.
“He’s a walking curse. All he does is drag my daughter down.”