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“You really don’t have to put on this act anymore. If you’re worried that a divorce. will affect your company, you can rest easy. I won’t use that to blackmail you, nor will I drag you into a lawsuit to get all your assets. I’ll only take what’s mine. I won’t take an extra penny.”
He interjected quickly, “No, Nora. It’s not about the company. I just…”
“Don’t say you love me. I’m just a laughingstock, an old hag. How could I ever compare to the beauties you keep by your side?” I said with bitter self–mockery.
“Zach, I believe you truly loved me once. But I know how you act when you love someone. So, when your love faded, I sensed it right away.
“I was naive before. I knew you wanted a child, and I thought that I could tie you down by getting pregnant. But now it
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seems I was terribly mistaken.
“I not only hurt myself but also my child. Maybe your mother was right. We shouldn’t have been together from the start. Our family backgrounds and values are vastly different. We were never a good match. I didn’t want to accept it before, but now I do.”
He grasped my hand, tears dropping onto the bedsheet. “I’m sorry…”
I pulled away from him again. “Zach, for the sake of the love we once had, please let me go. I’m really tired.”
Zach wiped his tears, standing by the bedside as he looked at me. “Nora, I know you hate me. I can… let you go, but I won’t give up.”
With that, he turned and left the room.
In the dark ward, I stared blankly at the white wall, my hand unconsciously resting on my stomach.
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My belly was now very flat. Apart from the slightly loose skin, there seemed to be no trace that my child had ever been there.
I couldn’t hold back any longer and buried my head in the blanket, crying out loud.
“Oh, are you feeling sad? Seems I’ve come at an inopportune time.”
Laura had somehow entered my ward.
She carried fruit in one hand and, with the other, gently caressed her belly, looking at me with a smug expression.
I ignored her. She put down the fruit and sat on the stool next to me. “I heard that someone aborted your baby yesterday and you bled so hard that you almost died?”
She snickered, “What a surprise. You’re still alive after all that.”
I replied indifferently, “So what? Why are you here? Or are you just here to gloat?”
“Oh, I’m just here to gloat and to show off. Is that a problem?” She looked down at me,
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her hand on my stomach.
“I should say, now that you’ve lost your child, you shouldn’t hold onto the position as Mrs. Brooks anymore. Give it to me. After all, I was your best friend, and now I’m carrying Zach’s child. Even for the sake of the child, you shouldn’t let it be born out of wedlock, right?”
I sneered, “What’s the point of telling me this? What does your child have to do with me? Even if I divorce Zach, that’s my own business. You don’t get to pressure me here. Who do you think you are? You’re at
best a mistress or a concubine.”
“Who do you think you are to challenge me here? Do you really think getting pregnant will make you replace me?” I scoffed, “Zach has plenty of younger, more beautiful women who want to have his children. You don’t even qualify to get in line.”
She stood up in a huff, grabbed a glass of water from the table, and threw it at me!
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“Do you think you’re still the Nora from before? Before mocking me, you look at your sallow face and bloated body in the mirror. No wonder Zach’s lovers call you a hag.”
I ignored her provocation. I just said calmly, “I’ve never understood why, if you were involved with him for so long, you didn’t fight me for him but continued to be my friend?
“Because you like the thrill? Or do you just find it amusing to play with me? I remember you’ve been dating someone these past few years.”
Laura burst into laughter. “You got it right. I never intended to compete with you. I just found it fun. Just think about it. I was your best friend on the surface, competing with your husband for your affection, while we secretly met and had an affair. Don’t you find that amusing? You have no idea how hilarious I found it every time I watched you mediate between us.”
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I asked, “Why would you do this? I never offend you…”
Her face contorted with rage as she said, “Why? Probably because I was jealous of you. I’ve never understood it. You’re an orphan, unloved by your father, yet you’re always the center of attention. People I wanted to befriend sought you out. The guy I liked fell for you. You even got the job offer I coveted the most. I don’t get it. Why do you deserve all this?
“I had parents, yet I felt like I was worse off than you, an orphan. You probably don’t know how many years we’ve known each other is how many years I’ve been jealous of you.”
She laughed at that. “But it’s okay. I’m not jealous of you anymore because you have nothing now. Your husband has betrayed you, your job is gone, and you’ve even lost your child. You’ve become a hag. There’s nothing you have that can compare to me
now.
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“I didn’t want to compete with you before, which is why you got to be Zach’s wife for five peaceful years. But now that I’m
pregnant, I naturally have to consider my child. You better leave on your own. Don’t make me… hurt you.”
With that, she revealed a victorious smile and left with her hand on her belly.
