Chapter 2
For the following days, Zach had been working from home.
He claimed it was to take care of me, but in reality, he was afraid I would sneak to the hospital for an abortion while he was out.
Even when my best friend, Laura, invited me for a shopping trip, Zach had to tag along.
“Must be tough for you, being stuck with a bloated, nagging wife like me all day,” I said sarcastically.
Zach’s expression darkened. “Did you hear that?”
I scoffed, “Zach, why are you so insistent on watching over me? You’ve got a whole line. of girls eager to have your child. Do you really want to risk both my life and the baby’s for this? Aren’t you afraid that neither of us might make it?”
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Zach clamped his hand over my mouth. “I’ve said it before, only you can bear my child. The baby will be fine, and so will you.”
At that moment, Laura waved at me from
the entrance of the mall.
Seeing Zach, she teased, “Oh, Mr. Brooks, are you that worried about Nora? You have to keep an eye on her even when she goes shopping?”
Zach responded with a smile, “Of course. My Nora is just too charming to be left alone.”
I was caught between their banter, listening to their playful exchange.
Had it been before, I might have laughed and told them to stop joking.
But perhaps the incident with Zara had
made me more sensitive, and I felt an odd
vibe between them that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
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I excused myself to the restroom, asking
them to wait for me outside.
I stood at the corner of the bathroom, eavesdropping on their conversation.
They continued to bicker playfully about me, and I suddenly felt guilty.
Laura and I had been friends for ten years. How could I suspect her like this?
But just as I was about to step out, Laura’s voice dropped, and her tone turned bitter.
“Why don’t you come to see me lately? I miss you so much. What’s the point of always staying with a pregnant woman? Or is your secretary better than me?”
Zach whispered soothingly, “You see, Nora has been upset with me lately. How dare I go out to see you? Besides, we’ve been together for so many years. Zara was just a fling. She can’t compare to you.”
My heart ached as if it were being stabbed. The pain was so intense that I bent over,
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clutching my chest and gasping for air.
Sweat dripped from my forehead into my eyes, stinging them and causing tears to well up instantly.
Zach’s affair with Zara had already broken my heart once.
But I never expected that my best friend would also be involved with my husband…
And from what they were saying, they must have been sneaking around behind my back for years.
I suddenly felt like my life was a failure.
It seemed like everyone around me was wearing a hypocritical mask, hiding behind a human facade.
I couldn’t tell who was genuine anymore.
Perhaps realizing I had been in the restroom for too long, Zach, fearing something might have happened to me, stopped his flirtatious exchange with Laura. They both came to find me.
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Seeing me bent over and clutching my chest, Zach and Laura hurriedly rushed to my side to help.
I pushed them away with all my might. “Get out! You both disgust me!”
Laura fell to the ground. She clutched her leg and screamed, “My leg! It hurts so much. Zach, do you think it’s broken?”
Zach immediately knelt to inspect her leg.
She was crying pitifully, one hand on her leg and the other tugging at Zach’s arm, shaking it gently. “Never mind, don’t worry about me. Check on Nora first. I’ll be fine. It’s just a leg injury. I can see a doctor later.”
“I’m OK. Don’t worry about me first. You should see what’s going on with Nora. I’ll be fine alone. It’s just a leg injury. I can see a doctor later.”
Despite her words, she held onto Zach tightly.
“But I’m already carrying your child. Zach,
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I’m so scared something might happen to our baby…”
I looked at her pale face, frail body, and the slight tremble in her crying voice.
If I were a man, I would probably prioritize her, too.
“Nora, what’s gotten into you?” Zach yelled
at me.
He swept Laura up in his arms and left without a second glance.
Laura gave me a defiant look, silently mouthing, “Clown!”
