Sabrina's POV
“Don’t worry, this is the most advanced one on the market. Not a single word will be missed,” I said as I bit down hard, trying to hold myself together, but the tears still broke free.
Phyll, I hoped you wouldn't regret everything you’d done today.
At the counter, the cashier blushed as she pulled out a raffle box.
“Good day, sir and ma'am! Today’s our grand opening. Just draw a question and answer it, and you can take home any item for free.”
Phyll didn’t care about saving a little money, but with Barbara so excited, he let her play along.
The cashier unfolded the slip and read aloud, “What are the two most touching things someone has done for you?”
Barbara’s expression softened as she looked at Phyll.
“The first one,” she said sweetly, “was the night his wife was in labor and things went wrong. I told him I felt so lonely, and within ten minutes, he dropped everything to be with me and even stayed the whole night.”
My chest tightened.
That night, I was lying in the delivery room, terrified, barely able to breathe through the pain, desperately trying to reach Phyll, but he never came.
It was the wife of one of his clients who stayed by my side, holding my hand and encouraging me through the fear.
Barbara went on, her voice brimming with emotion. “The second thing, and this touched me the most, was when I told him I wanted a baby, he forged his wife’s medical report and had our embryo implanted in her womb.”
For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.
The others around us also froze, their faces twisted with shock, all staring at Phyll.
“Phyll… she’s talking about you, right?”
Phyll only shrugged and replied, “So what if she is?”
“Damn, Phyll, that’s… wild. But Barbara can have kids on her own, so why did you make your wife carry your child instead?”
Phyll fell silent for a moment, then sighed and ruffled Barbara’s hair with helpless affection.
“Sabrina nearly lost her life giving birth. And Barbara, despite always acting tough, is terrified of pain, terrified of dying. What kind of man would I be if I let her go through that herself?”
Aside from the cashier, who looked like she wanted to disappear, the others actually applauded him.
A buzzing filled my ears. For a fleeting moment, I wished I had died on that operating table.
At least then, I wouldn’t have to face this humiliating, ridiculous reality.
My brother’s worried face filled my vision. I forced a weak smile, but the tears slipped out anyway.
“Scott,” I choked, “how could he once kneel down and beg me, saying he wanted a child as the symbol of our love?”
The truth was, I never even wanted children. Phyll promised me the same when we married.
But later, he dropped to his knees, saying he didn’t want to disappoint his parents, saying he dreamed of holding the child born from our love.
As such, I gave in. Even when I found out about my infertility, guilt ate at me until I agreed to IVF.
I carried that child for him, vomiting until I was half-dead during pregnancy, nearly dying in childbirth, shedding handfuls of hair afterward from hormone crashes, and losing sleep night after night.
Breastfeeding also felt like my body was being torn apart, like my chest was in a shark’s jaws. The pain it brought made me break out in cold sweats.
And in the end, I was nothing but a tool, a fool who got played over and over again.
Barbara picked out a piece of lingerie, smirking triumphantly. “You know the saying, wives are like clothes, but friends are like your own limbs. Clothes can be replaced anytime, but you can’t cut off your hands and feet. I also didn’t want a stranger raising our baby, so Phyll refused to hire a nanny for Sabrina and just made her do everything herself. Now that’s a true friend.”
She twirled with a laugh, her voice dripping with arrogance. “Look at me now. I’ve got a man supporting me, I get to be a mother without the pain, don’t even have to raise the child myself, and in the future, our baby will look after me. All I have to do is stay beautiful and carefree. Honestly, life doesn’t get any better than this.”
As I felt I couldn’t listen anymore, my stomach suddenly churned until I thought I’d be sick.
