“Ashlyn, how long do you plan to keep up this spoiled act?”
“I give you an inch and you want the whole mile?”
In the past, whenever he got angry, I’d rush to reflect on my mistakes—try to soothe him, fix things, make peace.
But now?
I simply pointed to his buzzing phone and said, without emotion, “It’s Daniela.”
The moment her name left my lips, Michael's expression softened with a hint of a smile.
Without another glance at me, he stepped into the corridor to take her call.
As soon as he left, my phone rang.
Taking a deep breath, I answered the call.
Before I could say anything, the voice on the other end broke through, anxious and urgent.
“Weren’t you supposed to meet me? Ashlyn, did you change your mind?”
“No... I didn’t. Something just came up,” I said.
“Something came up? What happened? No, this won’t do—I’m coming back. I’m flying home myself!”
I cut off the person on the phone, my voice quiet as I lowered my gaze and pressed my lips together.
“Just give me a few more days. That’s all I ask.”
When Michael returned to the hospital ward, I had just ended the call.
Noticing the faint smile tugging at the corner of my lips—a smile he hadn’t seen in a long time—something in his chest twisted uncomfortably.
But he had just promised Daniela he’d be home soon to sing lullabies for her and the baby.
So, he didn’t have time to ask who I’d been talking to.
He assumed it was probably my cousin—the only female relative still in contact with me since we got married. After all, I no longer had any friends of my own.
Without turning back, he gathered his files and said coldly, “Ashlyn, something cropped up at the office. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
In the blink of an eye, tomorrow had passed and the day after.
And the day after that—he never showed up.
Instead, thanks to mutual acquaintances, I kept receiving videos of him and Daniela.
He took her to dinner, at galas.
He looked like a giddy young boy in love, showing her off to everyone like she was the greatest prize.
On the day I was discharged from the hospital, Michael posted a nine-grid photo on his social media.
In the golden hues of sunset, he stood on a romantic hot air balloon platform, gently cupping Daniela’s rosy cheeks as they kissed passionately.
I left a comment.
[Wishing you two a lifetime of love, and a healthy baby on the way.]
Ten minutes later, my phone rang. It was Michael.
I didn’t pick up.