Chapter 3

"Honey, what are you doing at the maternity ward?"

I coughed lightly, brushing it off: "Just picking up a test report."

"What about you guys?"

My gaze fell on Imogen’s slightly bulging belly, waiting curiously for their explanation.

"Imogen’s boyfriend is on a business trip, so he asked me to accompany her for a checkup." Asher answered hastily, while Imogen cast him a resentful look.

I didn’t expose the lie, just responded with a nonchalant "oh."

Suddenly, a loud cry erupted behind us. A pregnant woman, crazed, was charging through the crowd.

"Compensation! Heartless hospital, give me back my child!"

"It’s a medical dispute, clear the area!" someone shouted.

But the hospital was crowded, and she was strong; we didn’t have time to evade. As she was about to crash into Imogen and me, Asher clung tightly to Imogen, shielding her in his arms.

Because of my frail body, the force of her collision sent me sprawling to the ground.

"So painful..." I clutched my stomach, waves of pain radiating from my abdomen, blood flowing from between my legs.

The surrounding people screamed in alarm: "Someone’s bleeding! Someone’s bleeding! Doctor, hurry!"

Asher let go of Imogen and rushed over. Seeing my blood, panic flooded his eyes: "Honey, does it hurt? I’ll take you to emergency now."

I was in too much pain to speak, reaching out for him to lift me.

"Oh my God, Imogen, it hurts so much, where are you, honey?"

Hearing Imogen’s cries, his attention instantly shifted to her. He didn’t even have time to explain why she called him "honey" before instinctively letting go of my hand and running to her.

Imogen had scraped her hand on a nearby stone, a small cut bleeding slightly.

"It hurts so much, I’m dying, Asher, I’m so scared."

She sobbed in his arms, her pitiful look tugging at his heart as he gently patted her back to comfort her.

"It’s okay, I’m here. I’ll take you to the emergency room right away."

He gritted his teeth, lifting her in his arms, heading straight for the emergency room. Only then did he remember I was still sitting where I fell, looking guilty as he said to me: "Imogen’s so spoiled, cries all day over a little scratch, and being pregnant, she’s more urgent. I’ll take care of her first."

"The emergency room is just a few steps away; walk slowly and endure it for a bit."

"I’ll come back to the emergency room for you after I take her to the maternity ward."

She lay sobbing on Asher's chest, her vulnerable appearance tugging at his heartstrings. He gently patted her back, trying to soothe her.

"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll get you to the emergency room right away."

With a determined look, he picked her up and rushed to the emergency room.

Only when he was leaving did he remember I was still sitting there. With a guilty expression, he said to me, "Imogen is very sensitive. Even the smallest scratch makes her cry all day, and she's pregnant, so she needs immediate attention. I'll take care of her first."

"The emergency room is just a short walk away. You can take your time and hang in there."

"I'll come back for you after I take her to the maternity ward."

I was in such pain that I had to keep my eyes shut. I couldn't even move my legs, and my lower abdomen felt unbearably heavy. Luckily, since the incident happened right at the hospital entrance, two medical staff carried me on a stretcher to the emergency room immediately.

After the surgery and fall, the doctor advised me to stay in the hospital for a couple of days to rest.

As the nurse was transferring me to the ward, I overheard a conversation between the nurses.

"That pregnant woman had just a small scratch, and her husband made such a scene, rushing her to the emergency room and even kneeling to beg the doctor. It was like something out of a TV drama!"

"That's love for you. A good man like that is hard to find."

I smiled to myself, feeling the irony of it all.

A man who leaves his seriously injured wife but kneels for a mistress with a minor scratch is indeed a rare find.

Asher and Imogen were becoming more and more repulsive to me.

I've never felt such a strong urge to leave.

04

After settling into the ward, I turned on my phone and saw Imogen's Snapchat.

There was Asher, wearing an apron and bending over to make chicken soup for her, something he never did for me. Her caption read, "Have you ever tasted his love-filled chicken soup?"

It was another post visible only to me, Imogen's declaration of war was clear.

I didn't respond, just informed the doctor that no family would be visiting, and I could sign any paperwork myself. After all, Asher had probably forgotten all about picking me up.

When Imogen saw I wasn't reacting, she couldn't resist sending me a private message to taunt me.

First, a photo of Asher massaging her feet, then a video of the two whispering intimately, all too unbearable to watch.

"He wanted me so many times, my back is sore."

"During it, he kept making me call him something like 'daddy,' saying the baby and I are both his precious ones."

Fed up with the harassment, I turned off my phone.

After three days in the hospital, I decided to go home. I had discussed with Gideon that to save costs and speed up progress, we would head out to the wilderness for shooting the next day.

He was in charge of buying tickets and notifying the crew, while I would go home and pack.

When I got home, I found Asher there too.

I was puzzled why he wasn't at Imogen's place, but he spoke first.

"Even if I didn't pick you up from the hospital that day, there's no need to turn off your phone for three days and throw a tantrum, right?"

I remembered I turned off my phone to avoid seeing their explicit videos, so I answered coldly, "The phone was out of battery."

"Imogen is timid and pampered. Her family and friends aren't in River City, so I felt sorry for her and helped her first. You're in your thirties and still jealous of a young girl? Eloise, aren't you being childish?"

"After my dad died, I have no other relatives or friends in this world."

My tone was calm, but his face turned stiff.

My dad and I depended on each other. Since he passed away, Asher was the only family I had left.

"Eloise, I'm sorry, I forgot. It's my fault. Are your knees better now?"

This jerk only had eyes for Imogen. He even remembered my injury wrong.

Tired of his insincere words, I went straight into the room to pack my luggage.

He followed, hugging me from behind. "Today is your birthday, and I want to celebrate it with you."

"Imogen said she wants to come and help celebrate too, and apologize. I booked the most popular Michelin restaurant. Let's have a good meal tonight."

"Wife, you'll always be the most important person to me."

He kept murmuring sweet nothings in my ear, but I was already beyond caring.

Asher was so caught up in his act that he almost believed it himself, his eyes glistening with tears.

As the audience, all I felt was profound embarrassment, remembering he could make the same solemn promises to two women.

I plugged my original phone in to charge and immediately saw over a hundred missed calls from him and a message from Imogen.

"Sis, you must come to dinner tonight. I've prepared a big gift for you."

It seemed Imogen planned to confront me tonight, but she wouldn't get the chance.

Still, I was curious about Asher's reaction.

I smirked and handed him a manila envelope. "Sure, I have a gift for you too. Open it at the dinner."

He took the envelope, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes as he frowned.

"A gift? You don't work and have no money. What could you possibly give me?"

"It's definitely a surprise. You'll see when you open it."

At six in the evening, I was at the airport gate, admiring the sunset through the window. The plane would take off in 30 minutes.

Asher sent a video call request.

"Wife, I'm here. Did you leave yet? Wait, why are you at the airport?"

He was in a new suit and had his hair styled, perfect for the upcoming surprise.

"Don't ask yet, just open the gift I gave you."

"This is... a divorce agreement? Wife, is this a joke? Don't be silly!"

Asher's face was full of panic, his hand holding the divorce agreement trembling.

"Shh, I'm not joking, be patient, Asher. There's more to the surprise."

At this moment, the restaurant waiter brought over a stack of photos just as I'd arranged earlier. Asher, full of doubt, began to flip through them. With each one, his expression grew darker. He probably never imagined that the intimate scenes in the car would be captured on the dashcam and printed out for him to see.

The photos scattered helplessly on the floor as he mumbled, "I can explain..."

"No need, Asher. You know exactly what you've done. Our marriage is over. Starting today, after two years of separation, the divorce agreement will take effect."

"Just focus on being a good dad."