That night, I posted the house for sale online. Then, I booked a plane ticket—three days from now. Tomorrow, I had an appointment for an abortion. The doctor had asked me to arrive early for a full exam.
The next morning, as I lay down on the examination bed at the hospital, the outer door suddenly slammed open.
"Doctor, please check my wife first. She’s in urgent condition!"
That familiar, unmistakable voice pierced through the cold hospital walls.
It was Darien.
"The patient inside is still being examined. Please wait outside," the doctor replied, coolly and barely flinching.
However, I knew Darien too well. He never took no for an answer. So, I sat up quickly and got ready to leave.
With a loud bang, the door burst open and Darien barged in. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me up from the bed before even registering who I was.
"Elodie? What are you doing here?"
Before I could respond, he turned to the doctor outside, his tone shifted from confusion to relief. "It’s all right, Doctor, we know each other. She’s a friend. Let her finish her exam later—we’ll go now."
With that, he tugged my arm, trying to drag me out.
A jolt of pain stabbed my lower abdomen. I bent forward, stifling a gasp.
Darien mistook my hesitation for resistance and frowned. "Elodie, don’t make a scene. Let’s go. Vienna’s in pain—she was crying earlier."
So, the one he rushed here for was Vienna. He brought her here for her prenatal check-up.
He had completely forgotten that just this morning, he told me he was tied up with an important client. He even asked me not to call him today.
Turned out, all of that was just a lie so he could enjoy a peaceful little day with Vienna.
Vienna swept her eyes over me slowly, scanning me from head to toe. A sneer curled on her lips.
"Darien, who is this?"
Her tone was sweet, but her words were sharp, cutting with feigned innocence. Darien looked caught, guilty. He quickly let go of my hand, as if touching me might stain him in her eyes and gave me a light push backward.
I stumbled slightly, leaning against the cold wall, breath shaky. My wrist throbbed where he had gripped it moments ago.
"You said you weren’t feeling well, didn’t you?" he murmured gently, turning to Vienna to support her weak step. "Come on, let’s get your check-up over with."
As she walked past me, Vienna leaned in slightly and mouthed one word, "Useless."