On our eighth wedding anniversary, my husband, who had been diagnosed with azoospermia, suddenly had morning sickness. Then, the screen showing my photo changed. After that, it began to play 365 private photos of my husband in bed with his assistant.
While I stood there frozen, the assistant calmly took Michael Coldsworth's hand.
"I made a wish at the annual meeting," the assistant, Regina Wilde, said.
"I wish that your husband would help me have a child. Don't worry, ma'am. We're only partners in this. There are no feelings involved."
Michael looked at me with guilt in his eyes.
"Weren’t you hoping for a child too?" he said.
"Now you don’t have to go through the pain of pregnancy."
I slapped both of them on the spot.
Michael watched as his assistant ran off crying, then turned around and tried to comfort me with a soft voice.
The next day, I was attacked. A sack was thrown over my head, I was blindfolded, slapped 99 times and stabbed in the lower abdomen. I was lying there bleeding. During the emergency treatment, I heard Michael's voice through the haze.
"It's fine if Elizabeth's child can’t be saved. Regina’s baby is still safe."
"What if your wife wants a divorce after finding out?" another voice asked.
"Divorce? Where could she go? She's just an orphan."
When I came out of surgery, I saw over a hundred missed calls.
I returned one of them. The call was answered instantly and I spoke first.
"I need someone to marry me right away. Are you in?"
——
Outside the ward, I heard the doctor and Michael speaking softly, their voices drifting in and out.
"Mr. Coldsworth, the wound on Mrs. Coldsworth’s abdomen is too deep. She may never be able to conceive again."
"How is Regina? She was very emotional last night. Could that affect the baby?"
The doctor paused, surprised.
"Miss Wilde is physically healthy. Her previous surgery was successful. She's fully recovered from infertility. She’s a healthy woman now."
Michael let out a breath of relief.
"Good ... That’s good."
"Elizabeth doesn't need recovery. If she can't get pregnant again, that's ideal. I will never forget seeing my sister lying in the morgue."
He let out a cold laugh.
"Even if I didn’t have azoospermia, I would never let someone like her carry a child from the Coldsworth Family."
A tear rolled down my cheek. A voice on the phone brought me back to the moment.
"Elizabeth, were you serious just now? I’ve said so much, but you haven’t answered me."
"Do you want a classic wedding or something more modern?"
My voice was hoarse.
"Whatever you want. See you at the Town Hall in seven days."
I ended the call with the last bit of strength I had left.
The ward was warm, but I felt so cold. Just last night, I had only slapped Regina. Michael pretended to comfort me, but allowed someone to hurt me like that.
Was it really wrong to be angry when someone betrayed you? My hand moved to my flat belly. I bit down on my lip to stop a groan.
Eight years of marriage. I thought he loved me. But deep inside, he had always believed I was the one who caused his sister’s death.
No matter how many times I explained, he never believed me. If he didn’t love me and couldn’t forgive me, then I would walk away. With that thought, I tried to stand and prepare to transfer to another hospital. The farther away from them, the better.
But before I could move, the door opened.
Regina burst in, crying, with Michael right behind her, his face tight.
"If your wife doesn’t want this child to exist, then I’ll end it. I’ll have an abortion!"
Regina moved wildly, waving her hands to stop Michael from getting near her. In the chaos, she pulled out the hose from my IV.
Pain shot through my hand. Blood began to drip down.
