His lame excuse just made me feel hollow.
Afraid I'd be hurt? Then why cheat?
Worried about my feelings? Then why shove birth control down my throat?
What a joke. Joshua Merck—the guy's got zero shame.
I let out a bitter laugh, watching guilt squirm across his face.
Seeing the guilt and unease on his face, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "For years, I barely slept—stressed out, hair falling out in clumps—losing my mind over not having a baby. Do you have any idea what that did to me?
"And you? You fed me birth control like it was nothing. Those hormones destroyed me—I can never have a baby now! You RIPPED AWAY my chance to be a mom just so SHIRLEY could have your kid. You're a MONSTER, Joshua."
My heart tightened, and tears wouldn't stop streaming down my face. When the doctor told me the truth, it felt like my whole world shattered. Joshua crushed my dream of having a daughter.
I hated him.
I never wanted to see him again.
I spun around and headed to the bedroom. As soon as I sat on the bed, my phone buzzed.
Sean.
[Nadia, why aren't you answering me?]
[If you don't want to see the northern lights, we can pick a different place.]
Sean—my childhood sweetheart. He moved abroad after college, and my parents didn't want us together.
Over the years, he'd sent me a ton of messages. Invites to go surfing, hike mountain valleys, watch the sunrise over the desert...
So many chances—none of which I ever took.
Even that one message asking to get back together.
But no matter how much I ghosted him, Sean never gave up. He kept sharing bits of his life like I was still part of it. My chat app was packed with his unread messages.
I couldn't bring myself to look—couldn't reply.
Because I was someone else's wife.
I'd stuck to my morals while Joshua crushed my dignity and wrecked my body without a second thought.
My sacrifice? Just pain.
I broke down, crying hard enough to feel hollow by the end of it. After what felt like forever, I took a deep breath and finally opened Sean's chat, scrolling through everything I'd missed.
[Nadia, I graduated today!! Got my Ph.D.! Wish you were here to celebrate with me.]
[Hey, I found this shop with your favorite vanilla cake!]
[Nadia, did you get the gift I sent?]
[I miss you. A lot.]
His words hit me like a dagger to the heart—regret and longing tangled up in one tight knot.
My phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen—Joshua had just sent me three million.
A message popped up right after:
[Honey, I know I was wrong. This three million is my way of apologizing—please don't be mad at me.]
I let out a bitter laugh. Seriously? Three million?
Did he really think that was enough to buy my forgiveness? To make up for the way he wrecked my life and my health?
Pathetic.
I was done sacrificing for him. From now on, I was living for myself.
I opened Sean's chat and typed:
[After watching the northern lights, I still want to see penguins in Antarctica.]
