“Tonight,” he replied after a pause.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
"I’ll be back in time for your next prenatal checkup," he added, sensing my silence.
I did not give any response and when he left for his midnight flight, I had already gone to bed. I had no intention of seeing him off.
A sigh reached my ears, followed by the sound of the door clicking shut. I got up and looked out the window.
Outside, Charlie was already on a call with Miranda. He walked briskly, not once looking back. I watched his figure disappear into the distance.
After they left, the frequent Miranda updated her Instagram even more frequently.
The day Charlie opened a savings account and deposited fifteen thousand dollars into it for her pocket money, I moved out of the apartment.
I retrieved the dowry that I had gotten from his mother during our engagement from the safe deposit box in our bedroom. I packed the thirteen thousand and two hundred dollars in cash and the three-gold jewelry and put them into a gift box.
I brought the jewelry and the money to Charlie's parents without saying a word, but they understood my intention immediately.
Their feelings toward me had always been ambiguous. While they never openly said they disliked me, I knew they had preferred the daughter of the Education Bureau director as their ideal daughter-in-law.
Yet, Charlie had been so resolute in marrying me, that he even threatened to resign and cut ties with them if they didn’t relent.
For him, I had been someone he genuinely loved, once upon a time.
In truth, his parents were never fully supportive of our marriage. Now that I was the one to initiate a breakup, they seemed relieved.
However, Mrs. Peterson, Charlie's mother, still hesitated. Her gaze lingered on my stomach before asking, "How about the baby?
I remained calm as I replied, “I lost it. I slipped and fell on my way to a prenatal checkup a few days ago.”
They said nothing more. They just stood aside and waited for me to leave on my own.
Before I walked out the door, I made one request from them, which was to keep the miscarriage a secret for now. They agreed without question.
Three hours before I departed from the city, I received a rare call from Charlie. "Rose," he said. "I'm sorry. Might need to stay here for another couple of weeks. There’s still some work to finish, so I probably won’t make it back in time for your next prenatal checkup.”