"Mr. Delgado!"
Thomas felt the softness in his arms and looked down at the woman's tear-streaked face, her pitiful expression making his grip tighten instinctively.
"What happened?"
"Did he hit you? Where is he?"
Bernice shook her head through her tears. "He's gone. We're done—completely."
The moment Thomas heard this, his expression shifted. His arms loosened without him realizing it.
Bernice led him inside. The wall where her wedding photo had hung was bare—just empty pin holes remained. She'd taken it down deliberately.
Thomas scanned the apartment. Every trace of her boyfriend had been erased.
"Mr. Delgado..." Bernice straddled his lap, her expression coy and inviting. "Do you still want me?"
But Thomas felt nothing.
He frowned slightly. "You're divorced?"
Bernice's eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her pale arms wound around his neck.
"You... didn't want me to leave him?"
Something struck Thomas's chest like a blow. For a disorienting moment, he thought of an eighteen-year-old girl.
He pushed Bernice off. "Sorry. My wife's waiting for me at home."
Bernice froze, staring in disbelief as Thomas straightened his clothes and walked out without a backward glance.
"Thomas Delgado!"
Her furious shriek echoed behind him. He didn't turn around. The elevator doors had just opened when his phone rang.
"Mr. Delgado, we have a problem. Posts about you and Bernice are spreading online—"
Thomas jabbed the elevator button, irritation flaring. "Handle it with Marilyn. Isn't this always her job?"
"Sir, we can't reach Mrs. Delgado. Her phone is off..."
A cold premonition settled in his gut. He hung up and dialed Marilyn's number.
The number you have dialed is no longer in service.
He raced home. But the moment he opened the door, he went still.
The apartment was stripped bare of her presence. Every trace of Marilyn—gone.
Beneath the divorce papers lay a single hospital document. Four words seared into his vision like needles:
TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY
"She... terminated it?"
How could she not want the baby?
