Charlotte was pregnant?
She was actually carrying Abraham's child?!
A terrible thought rose up inside me.
I stared at her, my voice trembling.
Charlotte spread her hands, smiling radiantly.
My chest heaved violently, the pain so sharp it felt like it might split me open.
The pathetic part was, I couldn't argue with a single word she said.
Abraham's neglect of May, his coldness toward her, I had always been able to see it.
When May was three, I'd been in a car accident.
Afraid the nanny wouldn't take proper care of her, I'd written out a long, detailed list and begged Abraham again and again to watch over our daughter.
Instead, he used work as an excuse, said he was too busy to cook, and fed May nothing but instant ramen.
By the time I was discharged, May was skin and bones, and she'd developed a severe stomach condition.
I was so furious I had a screaming fight with Abraham, and for the first time, I brought up divorce.
He groveled, apologizing over and over.
He kept insisting the child was too young to grow up without a father.
For the sake of giving her a whole family.
For the sake of letting May grow up in a stable, healthy home.
Angry as I was, I forgave him.
But that peace lasted only five years.
And now, for the sake of a woman like this one, Abraham had put his own child in the hospital with his own hands.
The ache in my chest swelled past anything I could bear.
I leaned against the wall, gasping for breath in great heaving gulps.
Charlotte let out a long, satisfied sigh.
Then, with the air of a victor, she slid on her sunglasses.
When? I couldn't remember.
The memories ran too deep, the years too tangled.
The slightest thought of it drove a spike straight through my heart.
I sank down onto the bench in the hallway.
The pain left half my body numb, frozen, unable to move.
Until a small hand tugged at my sleeve.
She gently wiped the tears from my face, her voice soft and certain.
Her thin little body gave off a warm breath of heat.
In that moment, I finally let my guard down.
And I couldn't hold it back. I broke down sobbing.
For my daughter's sake, I pulled myself back together.
Once I had my emotions under control, I marched straight to Abraham's company, alone.
He was in the middle of a meeting with his staff.
When he saw me come in, he looked displeased.
I slapped the folder in his hands shut with a sharp snap.
I didn't bother protecting his image in front of others the way I had before.
I went straight to the point.
For once, a flicker of panic crossed Abraham's face.
But he composed himself almost at once.
