Steven’s lazy voice came through, “The funeral’s over, right? Wanna come by the recovery center to see the baby?”
I glanced at myself in the rearview mirror—dark circles, red eyes. “Steven, we broke up.”
There was a pause on the other end. Then he just said, “Yeah. That’s probably for the best. Nel’s been kinda depressed since the birth. Seeing you might upset her.”
And just like that, two weeks’ worth of tears finally spilled over. I laughed through the ache in my throat. “Did you not hear me? I said we’re done.”
Another pause—then a low, mocking chuckle. “Lucia, you were with me for five years. I used you up. You think anyone else would still want you?”
“I told you, the baby was a mistake. Why can’t you just let it go?”
I didn’t respond.
Then I heard something crash on his end of the call.
Steven gave a sharp laugh. “Fine. Go. Leave. I’ll be here when you come crawling back.”
He hung up.
When I got home, I found the door code had been changed.
I tried calling him—straight to voicemail. With nowhere else to go, I checked into a cheap hotel for the night.
The next morning, my feed lit up with a livestream suggestion.
It was from the postnatal recovery center. Nellie was hosting the stream, smiling, chatting with followers. Steven sat beside her, gazing at her like she hung the moon.
The same look I used to think was meant for me.
The livestream had been going for nearly five hours.
The chat flooded the screen:
“So jealous—she’s staying in a $7,000-a-month postpartum recovery center and her husband’s right there with her.”
“Living the dream.”
“Manifesting a husband like that!”
Before Steven took over the Grant Family business, he served in the military. He hated being on camera. When I once asked for just a quick selfie, he shut me down cold with a look.
But here he was, smiling for the camera, streaming live with Nellie for all eyes to see.
Nellie beamed at the viewers. “He’s just really sweet and thoughtful~”
Thoughtful? A sharp ache stabbed at my chest as I wiped the corner of my eye, forcing a smile.
Steven was never that man with me.
I remember once begging him to go see a movie with me. It took ages to convince him. He finally said yes. But during that two-hour film? He slept through 90 minutes.
When he woke up, he rubbed his temples like I’d caused him physical pain. “Spending time with you feels like a waste of mine,” he muttered.