I was in the middle of pressing Jasper for answers when Wallis's shriek cut through from outside. He turned and ran to her without a second's hesitation.
Every single time after that, whenever it came down to Wallis or me, Jasper chose her.
He'd come home and explain himself, and every time I'd talk myself into accepting it. I'd given up too much for Jasper Morton. As long as he was mine, I told myself I didn't need anything else.
But this time, I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to be the woman standing in place, waiting. And I refused to share a man with someone else for one more day.
I was up early the next morning. After a sleepless night of thinking it through, I'd made my decision: I would have the baby and raise it on my own.
Jasper hadn't gone out again after coming home last night. I'd taken the guest room and locked the door behind me. I knew he'd want to explain why Wallis had asked him to divorce me, but I was done listening.
When I came out of the guest room, Jasper was already dressed and ready. Of course he was eager. He'd probably been waiting for this day for a long time.
He looked at me. I didn't look back. I grabbed my bag and headed straight for the door.
But Jasper stopped me. "The doctor said Wallis isn't doing well mentally. We're supposed to accommodate her as much as possible. So when she asked me to go through with the divorce, I had no choice..."
"Jasper. After today, you never have to explain anything about you and Wallis to me again. Because I don't want to hear it. And after today, I won't have the right to hear it anyway." I grabbed the door handle. "Let's go. If we leave now, maybe we'll be the first divorce of the day."
I cut him off and let out a dry laugh at the end. Last night I'd finally seen it clearly: if someone doesn't have you in their heart, what's the point of tying yourself to them?
Jasper opened his mouth to say something more, but I was already out the door.
That bit about Wallis's mental state went back about a year. Jasper had stayed with her for a full week, and when he came back, his explanation was that Wallis had developed depression from chronic stress and needed to be kept in good spirits going forward.
But Wallis had texted me herself, saying she'd only faked it and Jasper bought it immediately.
One of them was lying. Not long after, I walked in on Wallis clutching a pill bottle and sobbing in front of Jasper. I almost laughed out loud. The two of them were a perfect pair: one loved to lie, and the other believed every word.
So when Jasper mentioned Wallis's mental health just now, I didn't believe a word of it. Not that it mattered anymore.
I stepped outside and found Wallis already waiting by Jasper's car. The moment she saw me, a smug grin spread across her face. She walked right up to me and said, all sweetness, "May, I'm tagging along for the divorce. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not. You two can file for a marriage license right after. Seamless transition. Saves you a trip."
I smiled back pleasantly. Her grin widened. But the second Jasper started walking toward us, Wallis swapped faces like flipping a switch.
"May, this is all my fault. My mental health has been so fragile, and Jasper feels sorry for me. I know it's been unfair to you."
I shot her a look. Talent like that was wasted outside of Hollywood.
Jasper glanced at me, then turned to comfort Wallis instead. "It's fine. I already told May. Once you're feeling more stable, she and I will remarry."
He said this right as I was about to get in the car. I caught a glimpse of Wallis's expression. She did not look pleased.
"Let's go," I said flatly, and climbed into the back seat.
The two of them sat up front. Wallis kept showing Jasper things on her phone, the two of them chatting and laughing. I kept my eyes closed the entire ride.
At the courthouse, the paperwork went fast. No disputes. No children on record. I didn't even bring up alimony.
All I wanted was to get away from them. I held up my divorce certificate and waved it at Jasper. "I'll grab a cab home. Wouldn't want to hold you two up from picking up your marriage license."
I tossed the words out as lightly as I could and spun around to leave, but I walked straight into someone coming the other way. My bag hit the ground, and the pregnancy test results slid out, landing right at Jasper's feet.
My stomach dropped. I'd planned to keep the pregnancy a secret. I lunged for the paper, but Jasper was faster. By the time I reached down, it was already in his hands.
His brows drew tight. He read the report top to bottom, then looked at me. "May, you're pregnant?"
