When my wife, Karen Sheldrick, was three months pregnant, we discovered that the child had congenital issues and was at risk of premature birth. I discussed the procedures for protecting the pregnancy with her, but she was indifferent. While talking on the phone with her childhood friend, she impatiently said to me, "I have plans to go shopping. You talk to the doctor yourself."
Five minutes later, a friend suddenly sent me a screenshot of Karen’s social media post. In the picture, she and her childhood friend were holding hands and they were wearing matching rings.
[I spent a long time choosing this gift for a silly little one.]
As I looked at my own empty social media feed, I finally realized that she had blocked me. This time, I didn’t question her, didn’t ask for explanations and didn’t confront her. I finally understood that when some people stop loving you, nothing matters to them anymore.
——
I listened to the doctor’s words alone in the hospital. The doctor asked, “Why did the child’s mother leave early? She really should be hospitalized for treatment now.”
I replied, “She’s busy.”
“Tsk. Another career woman. What could be more important than her child? The baby might not even survive,” the doctor muttered.
I had no response. Karen had always disliked me interfering in her personal life, so to avoid her disliking me, I gave her as much freedom as possible. In our three years of marriage, I lived cautiously, not daring to bother her at all.
But looking back now, I found it laughable. Was there anything about our relationship that resembled a marriage?
After completing all the tests, it was already 6 p.m., right during rush hour. Karen had taken the car and it was difficult to get a taxi from the hospital. So I could only sit on a bench and wait.
I waited and waited, but no cars were available. With one last shred of hope, I called Karen. The phone connected quickly, but before I could say anything, she immediately started accusing me, “It’s after 6 p.m.! Why aren’t you home yet? I’m pregnant and you’re still not back to cook for me?”
I calmly replied, “I’m at the hospital. I just finished discussing your prenatal checkup with the doctor.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Clearly, she was having fun with her childhood friend and had completely forgotten the doctor’s advice.
I felt a bit tired. Just then, an empty cab approached and I was about to hang up when I heard Karen say, “I’ll come pick you up now. Don’t go anywhere.”
Before I could refuse, she hung up the phone. I had no choice but to continue waiting.
But an hour passed, then two, and she still hadn’t shown up. I checked my phone and came across a post on her childhood friend, Leon Wright,’s social media.
[Holy shit! Found a giant cockroach at home! Luckily, my big sis, Karen, came in time and cleaned it up! Ahh, she’s super awesome!!]
The accompanying picture showed Leon hugging Karen, who was wearing an apron while cooking. My eyes were drawn to a clear lipstick mark on his cheek.
Leon always said he treated Karen like a buddy, yet he acted intimately without restraint and Karen treated him specially as well.
Once, when I was seriously ill with a fever, I asked Karen to make me a bowl of porridge but she complained, saying men shouldn’t step into the kitchen. Yet now, she was willing to cook for her so-called childhood friend?
In the comments, some of her friends joked about how close they were, saying that Karen was a good wife who took care of people. Leon smugly replied, "Of course, look who trained her."
Quietly, I deleted Leon from my friends list.
By then, the sky had completely darkened and I was still sitting alone by the roadside. At 8 p.m., I walked half an hour by myself to the bus stop. I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day, nor had I sat down to rest. Every step I took caused sharp pain in my lower back and I felt lightheaded from low blood sugar. A passerby noticed how pale I looked and quickly gave up their seat for me, asking if I needed to see a doctor. I shook my head and they handed me a bottle of water.
By the time I got home, it was already 10,30 p.m. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Karen sitting on the couch, looking annoyed.
“You finally come back,” she said.
I felt exhausted and set my bag down casually. “Next time, if you’re busy, you don’t have to say you’re coming to pick me up.”
She was at a loss for words for a moment, then finally said, “Something urgent came up. Can’t you just get a taxi yourself? Stop being so dramatic.”
I asked, “Was catching a cockroach and cooking for someone else the urgent matter?”
Karen froze for a second, then let out a mocking laugh. “Jordan, will you ever get over your jealousy?”
“I’ve known Leon since we were kids. I treat him like a little brother. What’s wrong with helping him out a bit? I’m pregnant, already in a bad mood. Can’t you just cut me some slack?”
Yes, she’s pregnant and the child had congenital issues, at risk of miscarriage at any moment. But even so, she could cook for Leon, killed cockroaches and completely ignored the doctor’s warnings.
In the past, I would have argued with her. But now, I just didn’t care anymore.
I nodded coldly. “I won’t get jealous anymore.”
Soon after that, I turned and went back to the bedroom, leaving her standing there, stunned.
Chapter 2After becoming pregnant, Karen used the excuse that I would disturb her rest to insist on sleeping in separate rooms. I knew she wanted to have a video chat with Leon alone. In the past, I would come up with various reasons to get her to stay with me in the living room, but today, I ignored her sitting on the sofa and went straight to my room to lie down.
I contacted a doctor friend I knew and sent them today’s test results. They replied quickly.
[Is she hospitalized? In this situation, she needs to be admitted immediately. The baby’s condition isn’t good. According to the report, she may need long-term hospitalization and observation.]
I briefly asked if the child would have any physical illnesses. My friend's chat box showed "typing..." for a long time and I understood. At that moment, I surprisingly felt a sense of relief, as if the last bit of emotional attachment and hope had faded away.
I exchanged a few words with my friend and finally told them that I was planning to persuade Karen to terminate the pregnancy while the baby was still small. I didn’t want the child to come into this world and suffer.
Just after I hung up, Karen came in, eyeing me suspiciously. “Who were you talking to?” she asked.
I ignored her and silently messaged a lawyer, asking them to draft a divorce agreement.
After hesitating for a while, Karen finally said, "Aren’t we chatting tonight?"
"No, I'm tired today."
I wasn’t sure why she suddenly came to me, but I was exhausted and didn’t want to say anything to her. Standing at the door, her face changed several times before she slammed the door and said, "Fine, no chat then."
That’s how she always was—hitting me with a stick, then offering a sweet treat afterward.
At first, I didn’t understand why she treated me with such hot and cold behavior until one day, I overheard her talking to Leon. Leon had said to her, "I'm a man too and I know men well. You can't treat him too nicely. Men are born to be lowly. Give them a little attention and they’ll light up like a star. Got it?"
Then, they both burst into laughter. Leon fell into her arms and she hugged him, saying, "But aren’t you a man, too? Should I not treat you too well either?"
"Get outta here. I’m not the same. If you treat me like that, watch out or I'll give you a beating." Leon wrapped his arm around her neck, their closeness unmistakable. Back then, I thought Karen took it as a joke. But I forgot, she always listened to Leon.
The next day, I sent Karen a message, asking her to meet me at a café so we could talk about divorce and the child.
By the time I had finished my second slice of cake, she finally arrived, fashionably late, with Leon by her side.
My eyes landed on their clasped hands and instead of letting go, Leon held on tighter. He greeted me carelessly, "Sorry we're late, Jordan. You know how women are—always fussing around when they're about to leave."
As he spoke, he casually shoved Karen into the booth’s left side, squeezing in next to her without hesitation. I watched coldly as Karen dutifully poured him water and ordered his favorite food.
Leon glanced at me and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder, teasing, "Karen, what's going on? Aren't you gonna order something for your husband, too?"
She looked up at me, just about to say something, but I cut her off. "No need. I’m full."
Karen froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting my coldness. Then, she took out a small jade pendant from her bag and placed it on the table. "This is for you. I know you like jade."
She looked very pleased with herself, as if expecting me to be grateful. I picked up the pendant, glanced at the matching rings on her and Leon’s hands and everything became clear to me.
The pendant came as a gift with the purchase of the rings. In other words, it was just a freebie.
I said casually, "No thanks. I have plenty of cheap stuff like this."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Chapter 3Karen’s face immediately fell. "Jordan, what do you mean?"
Calmly, I picked up my glass of milk and said, "Exactly what it sounds like. You're wearing matching rings with him, then using a free gift to apologize. Karen, what am I to you?"
She hadn't expected me to expose her on the spot and she was momentarily embarrassed. However, Leon quickly stepped in. "Jordan, don't get upset. Karen gave me this ring because I helped her out earlier. If you’re unhappy, I’ll give it to you instead."
"I already told her I don't like this kind of thing. I'd rather get a basketball!" Although he said this, he made no move to actually give me the ring. Instead, Karen spoke up, defending him. "Don't mind him. Jordan is always like this—small-minded and jealous at the drop of a hat..."
"You can give him whatever you want, but I hope this doesn’t interfere with us settling our finances." I cut her off coldly.
Karen froze and asked, "What do you mean?"
I pushed a folder across the table toward her. "Karen, let’s get a divorce."
Her face changed dramatically. She stared at me intently. "What game are you playing this time?"
I didn't respond. Leon licked his lips and interjected, "Jordan, maybe this is a misunderstanding?" He wrapped his arm around Karen and continued, "If our Karen did something wrong..."
Before Leon could finish, Karen suddenly pulled her arm away. She turned to him and said, "You go home first. I need to talk to him."
Leon was stunned. This was the first time Karen had shown him such coldness, but her expression remained emotionless. In the end, Leon stormed out angrily.
After Leon left, Karen’s tone softened immediately. "You really want to divorce me? Are you serious? What about the child?"
She touched her slightly protruding belly. "The child isn’t even born yet and you want to make it a single-parent child?"
I didn’t say anything. Even though I no longer had any love for her, the thought of the child with its congenital deformities, possibly even genetic disorders, still pained me.
This baby could have grown up healthy, but the doctor’s examination had revealed, advanced maternal age, poor long-term dietary habits and excessive exposure to secondhand smoke had caused the baby’s developmental abnormalities.
At that moment, I deeply regretted ever loving Karen so much.
I didn’t smoke, but Leon did. He never cared about Karen’s pregnancy, even deliberately blowing smoke rings into her face. She would laugh every time, thinking it was a form of intimacy.
I indulged her too much and in doing so, I harmed this child.
Karen had always said she didn’t want a child, so I would take precautions every time. But when she said she wanted one, I was overjoyed. I actively prepared for the pregnancy, trying all sorts of ways to make her nutritious meals, but she would throw them all away and secretly go to bars and night markets with Leon behind my back.
Every time, she gave me the cold shoulder and I endured it in silence. I never ate on time, waiting for her to come home for dinner.
But now, she was using this child, one we were about to lose, to threaten me.
I finished the last of my milk and said, "Karen, I know you don’t like me. Getting divorced sooner is better for both of us."
She slammed the folder onto the table. "Who said I don’t..."
A sudden phone ring interrupted her. I glanced at it; it was Leon, who had just left.
Karen hesitated for a second before answering. I didn’t know what was said on the other end, but she quickly stood up.
She glanced at me hesitantly. "Something happened with Leon. I have to go check on him."
I shrugged indifferently. She quietly picked up the divorce agreement and said, "I know you care about this baby. I was wrong before and I promise I’ll behave and listen to you from now on. Let’s not joke about divorce."
She then leaned in, intending to kiss me, but I quickly dodged.
Karen froze in place. I said coldly, "This Saturday, meet me at the maternity ward of the city hospital. Nine in the morning—don’t be late."
Karen had the right to be there for the child and I had the obligation to be with her when we terminated the pregnancy.
I watched indifferently as her expression went from gloomy to cheerful and she playfully said, "No problem! I’ll be there on time!"
I didn’t respond and casually deleted all her contact information.
Chapter 4In the end, Karen didn’t show up. She missed the appointment.
The day before, I had visited my parents and sister to tell them about everything. I saw my mother quietly wiping away tears, so I comforted her a bit.
I said, "It seems like the child and I just don’t have fate. Three months—it’s for the best. At least the child won’t have to suffer with me."
At the hospital, I waited and waited, but Karen never came. I called her several times, but no one answered.
Just as I was about to leave the hospital, I unexpectedly ran into Karen supporting Leon. He was wearing a hospital gown, his arm wrapped in bandages.
They both froze when they saw me. After a long moment, Karen spoke hesitantly, “What a coincidence. What are you doing at the hospital?”
I scoffed, “I had some business here, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”
With that, I turned to leave.
But she grabbed my arm. “What’s with your attitude? I’m pregnant with your child! Is this how you treat me?”
I looked at her coldly. “Are you even worthy of being a mother? I’m not keeping this child.”
“What are you talking about? Stop saying things out of anger!”
She took a deep breath and glanced at Leon. “Leon had a car accident the other day. I couldn’t just let him come to the hospital alone, could I?”
Such a convenient accident—one that left him with nothing but an injured arm.
I said, “Karen, next time, I hope you won’t be late in court.”
She froze, staring at me in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m divorcing you.”
I stared at her steadily and she looked back at me with wide eyes, utterly shocked. After a long pause, she grabbed my arm tightly, nearly hysterical. “Impossible! Jordan, I’m telling you, I will never divorce you! We have a child! Don’t you want this child anymore? I’m the mother—”
“Are you even a man? You’re divorcing me while I’m pregnant?!”
I looked at her coldly. “This child is deformed. I made today’s hospital appointment to take you here to terminate the pregnancy.”
I shoved all the prenatal examination reports into her hands. "You’ve never cared about this child. You’ve never paid attention. Let’s get a divorce, Karen."
Leon stepped forward to pull her away. “Karen, just do what he said. Even without him, I’ll take care of you!”
“Get lost!”
Then, she suddenly gave Leon a hard slap, leaving him stunned. Then, she stumbled toward me, looking disheveled.
“No, no… Jordan, don’t leave, don’t leave… My stomach… it hurts, it really hurts…”
She staggered, then collapsed to the ground. I looked down and saw dark blood slowly staining her dress...