Chapter 7: Chapter 7
Albert had just settled Krista into the car when he overheard the end of my sentence.
I could tell he hadn’t heard everything, so I just shrugged. “An old friend of mine is moving away.”
Albert nodded, not pressing the issue.
Four days left. Albert came home with his and Krista’s marriage certificate.
He was on a video call with her, brandishing the piece of paper with a look of pure adoration.
“Krista, it’s done. Your medical bills will be covered by my insurance now.”
I happened to be getting a glass of water and caught the whole exchange.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Albert’s face.
He looked like he wanted to explain. I glanced at the certificate and said, “That’s nice.”
I used to dream about the day we’d get our marriage license, how happy we would be.
The Albert in the photo was just as handsome as I’d imagined.
The only difference was, the woman standing next to him wasn’t me.
But I felt nothing. Whatever feelings I had left for Albert had died the moment I learned about Krista’s pregnancy.
Albert was stunned.
He realized I hadn’t initiated a conversation with him in ages. He hadn’t even gotten a single text from me during the week he was in Vegas with Krista.
This wasn’t normal.
On the other end of the video call, Krista was chattering away.
He shook his head, pushing down the unease. He just chalked it up to me being stressed from wedding planning.
Two days before I left, I stopped by a clinic to pick something up.
By sheer coincidence, I ran into Albert and Krista, who were just leaving a prenatal check-up.
A rare look of panic flashed across Albert’s face.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Krista beat him to it.
She walked over, took my hand, her voice thick with emotion.
“Sherry, I know you still haven’t approved of me and Albert, but I really can’t wait any longer. The doctor says my condition is poor. I just want to see my baby born. As soon as the baby is here, I’ll leave. I won’t bother you two, I promise.”
Before I could react, Albert pulled Krista back, his eyes filled with concern. “You’re not well. Don’t exhaust yourself.”
He turned to me. “Well, since you know now, I won’t hide it. Don’t worry, this doesn’t change anything between us.”
A month ago, I would have lost my mind. I would have screamed, cried, and questioned everything about myself. I would have wondered what was so wrong with me that he’d go to such lengths with another woman.
But now, I understood. It wasn’t me. It was that Albert didn’t love me. And because he didn’t love me, he could hurt me without a second thought.
I already knew about the pregnancy. My heart was already dead to him. There was no need for them to put on this show.
I watched them silently, then looked away. “I understand.”
I got what I came for and left. I still had packing to do.
They hadn’t expected such a calm reaction. Albert, in particular, watched my retreating back with a complicated expression.
I’d been fighting him on this for a month. Now that I knew the whole truth, I had no reaction at all.
A strange sense of dread washed over him. Something had changed, right under his nose.
I made it to the parking lot when Krista caught up and grabbed my arm. Albert was too far away to hear. Krista’s mask slipped. “So, Sherry, how does it feel to watch your fiancé marry and have a baby with another woman?”
I didn’t want to fight with her. I shook her off and walked away. The moment I broke free, Krista stumbled and fell to the ground.
I instinctively reached out to help her, but before I could touch her, Albert’s furious roar came from behind me. “What are you doing?”
He’d been wondering about my calmness. Now, seeing this, he thought he understood. My calmness was a front. I couldn’t handle it after all.
The moment she saw Albert, Krista flipped a switch, her eyes turning red as she clutched her stomach. “Albert, I was just trying to thank Sherry for being so understanding, but she…”
Albert’s face darkened. “Sherry, I never took you for this kind of person! You will apologize to Krista, right now!”
