The next morning, I dressed and stepped out of the bedroom.
The smell of ginger tea drifted in from the kitchen.
Jason came out carrying two bowls. When he saw me, his expression turned a little awkward.
"Janice, Kayla's having really bad cramps today, so I made her some ginger tea."
He set the bowls down, walked over, and straightened my collar for me.
"There's a sudden emergency meeting for the executives at the company, and I can't get out of it. Would it be okay if you took a cab to your ultrasound today?"
I looked into his apologetic eyes and gently brushed his hand away.
"Fine."
Jason let out a breath, reminded me to be careful, grabbed the car keys, and hurried out.
I took a cab to the obstetrics ward alone.
In the hallway, every other pregnant woman had a husband beside her, hovering with care.
I was the only one sitting on the bench by myself, staring at the number ticket in my hand.
After the exam, I knocked on the head physician's door.
When the doctor held out the consent form for the labor-induction procedure, I paused for a few seconds, then reached out and took it.
Walking out of the hospital, I took out my phone and sent the agent a message.
"I've decided to sell the wedding home. List it at market price as soon as you can."
It was the place we'd made the down payment on together, half and half.
At noon, I stood at the mall waiting for my Uber.
I turned my head, and through the glass display window, I saw Jason, the one supposedly "in an executive meeting."
He was with Kayla at a luxury counter, helping her try out bags.
Kayla held a pink bag up to the mirror, and Jason smiled as he handed over his card.
I remembered how, early in the pregnancy, my pelvis ached so much I could barely walk, and he'd drive me down and back just to buy groceries, terrified I'd tire myself out.
Now he could tell me to my face, without a shred of guilt, to carry this belly and suffer through the checkup alone, all so he could go shopping with someone else.
I didn't storm inside to make a scene. I turned and got into the Uber.
In the car, I opened my banking app, unlinked Jason's shared family debit card, and closed every account we held together.
Not long after I got home, Jason pushed the door open.
Almost at the same moment, my phone buzzed.
A transfer had come in. A hundred thousand dollars.
"Today was just insane. I couldn't come see the baby with you."
Jason changed out of his shoes, walked over, and kissed my forehead tenderly.
"Take this money. Book yourself the best postpartum care package. Consider it my way of making it up to you."
I looked at the transfer on the screen, my voice level.
"Your meeting. Was it held at a luxury counter?"
Jason froze.
Panic flickered in his eyes, but he steadied himself quickly.
"You saw that? Janice, don't misunderstand. Kayla has a blind date next week and needs a nice bag to hold her own. You're pregnant now, it's hard for you to get out anyway."
Fobbing me off with a hundred thousand, while all his time and attention went to Kayla.
I tossed my phone onto the couch.
Jason clearly hadn't expected me to be this cold.
He sat down beside me.
"How did the checkup go today? Any photos?"
"It went fine."
Kayla suddenly came out of the bedroom, holding her phone up to my face.
"Cousin, don't you think this bag is gorgeous? Jason had to pull so many strings to snag it for me."
On the screen was a limited-edition bag, nearly impossible to get with the required purchase history.
Her post caption read: 【The ones who are loved get to be fearless!】
Jason smiled and offered a compliment: "That bag really suits you."
Then he turned to me, his eyes soft.
"Once the baby's here, I'll take you to the counter in Paris. Pick out as many as you want, to make up for today."
I looked into his eyes and nodded.
"Fine."
That night, I lay in bed.
Soft footsteps came from outside the door.
Jason stood out there for half an hour, seeming to waver over whether to knock, and in the end he left.
I closed my eyes and turned over.
And sank into a deep sleep.
