I was at the hospital
“The baby’s health indicators look fine, but you need to eat more and rest well,” the doctor said, handing over the report.
I thanked the doctor, took the report, and left the hospital.
As I stepped into the parking lot, I saw Felix Reed leaning against his car, a faint cloud of smoke curling around his fingertips. Dressed in a tailored suit, his sharp, somber expression was bathed in the dim light, accentuating his fit frame and detached aura.
I stared at him almost absentmindedly.
Few would have guessed that I was once his equal partner in building Reed Aerospace Technologies from his family’s traditional manufacturing company into a cutting–edge space technology empire. He had been an exceptional researcher at MIT, but now he was entirely focused on maintaining the business empire we’d created together–though somewhere along the way, “we” had become “he.”
One of my wishes after I became pregnant had been to see him return to pure research again, like our early days when we’d stayed up all night solving equations together. But he always refused, too caught up in board meetings and investor calls.
But now, with our relationship having come to this point, it felt like an unfulfilled regret.
Hearing my footsteps, Felix glanced back and put out his cigarette. “Wait a moment until the smoke clears.”
I felt a sudden daze, my gaze meeting his deep, solemn eyes. Our marriage had been an accident; Felix had only married me because of our child, and because a stable family image was better for the company’s reputation with conservative investors.
Felix took my bag and asked, “How’s the baby?”
Snapping back to reality, I touched my stomach and simply replied, “The doctor said everything is healthy.”
Felix didn’t bother to look at the report. Once I was in the car, his limited–edition Tesla rolled steadily onto the road. “Let’s head to the restaurant. I had Peter order some nutritious dishes for you.”
“Okay.”
Just then, the phone rang. Peter’s voice echoed through the car’s speakers, “Sir, the money has been transferred.”
My heart tightened, and I quickly asked, “Did my mother call asking for money again?”
Felix paused, responding casually, “Yes, your mother said it was for your stepfather’s new investment opportunity.”
I felt a wave of resentment rise in my chest. I couldn’t help but say, “Didn’t I tell you not to give them money?”
But Felix just replied indifferently, “It’s just a little money.”
I wanted to say more, but the words caught in my throat. How could I explain that a year ago, I had spent three million–money I’d earned from my shares in Reed Aerospace–to sever all ties with my mother and stepfather? Ever since Mom remarried that opportunistic businessman two years after Dad’s death, she’d become someone I barely recognized. Gone was the grief–stricken woman who’d once worked tirelessly to honor my father’s memory. In her place was someone who saw my success as a family ATM.
It was Felix’s indulgence that emboldened my mother and stepfather, making them ever more greedy and shameless until they even made headlines in the tech industry gossip columns. There were many ways to handle it, but Felix had chosen the simplest, easiest one. In the end, it was only because he didn’t care about me.
We soon arrived at the restaurant. Passing through a row of flowerbeds, we entered a private dining room.
After we were seated, Felix mentioned something else. “Your pregnancy symptoms have been quite severe. You should take it easy at work for now. I’ve asked Peter to hire a new senior consultant to help with international projects.”
I replied with a soft “Mm.”
After graduating from MIT, I had joined Reed Aerospace and served as Felix’s executive assistant for five years. If it weren’t for a desperate night two months ago that led to an unexpected pregnancy, we might have remained just employer and employee forever.
26.6%
Chapter 30
Coming back to my senses, I noticed that all the dishes had been served. The meal was light and nutritious, perfectly suitable for me.
My phone rang again, and Felix gestured for me to start eating as he stepped out to take the call
I picked up a piece of fish, but a wave of nausea immediately rose. Covering my mouth, I rushed to the restroom, unable to stop retching. Pale–faced, I emerged, holding my stomach with a bitter smile.
I never thought I would go through this hardship.
As I rounded a corner, I heard a soft voice, “I heard you got married?”
My body stiffened, and I froze in place. Through a gap in the potted plants, I saw a man and a woman standing by the window. Felix leaned against the railing with one hand, facing a woman in a white dress, only a few steps apart.
Melody Morgan.
The woman he loved so much. The woman who had convinced him to leave MIT in the first place, who had disappeared to Europe for five years of consulting work, and who had returned just three months ago to “help” with Reed Aerospace’s international expansion.
Felix remained silent. I watched as Melody straightened up, her smile tinged with bitterness. “Every day in Switzerland, I thought of you.”
“Is that so?” Felix finally responded, looking up, his tone unreadable.
Melody gazed at him one last time, then turned away, her soft voice carrying a note of sadness. “Do you still have feelings for me?”
My heart felt like it was gripped tightly, making it hard to breathe. I turned to leave, not daring to hear Felix’s response.
But his words reached me anyway, cold and cutting.
“It’s always been you.”
