Seeing that I didn’t look well, Benedict furrowed his brow slightly. “Are you feeling unwell? Drink this milk quickly and I’ll take you to the hospital.”
At this time, he was still pretending to care. I suppressed my nausea and my eyes fell on the dishes on the table. Dorothy sat at the table, a smile on her face, yet her eyes held apparent provocation.
“Eugenia, my brother cooked all my favorite dishes today. It might not suit your taste, but I hope you don’t mind?”
My gaze fell on her flat belly. My tone, devoid of warmth, said, “You’re already carrying his child. What significance would it have for me to mind such a trifle?”
Dorothy instinctively clutched her belly, feigning panic. “I’m sorry, Eugenia. Due to my family background, I’m afraid to get married, but I always wanted a child. That’s why I asked Benedict as my brother for help. Rest assured, I have no other intentions toward him.”
Benedict’s brow furrowed slightly. “No need to apologize to her. You saved me back then. All this is my way of repaying you.”
I sneered. “Benedict, doesn’t that sound disgusting come from you?”
Benedict was stunned for a moment. Then he grew even more impatient and said, “Dorothy and I used IVF. We never had a physical relationship. Why must you be so relentlessly aggressive?”
“Yes, I am relentlessly aggressive.”
The tension grew thicker. Suddenly, Dorothy knelt down with a thud. Her voice choked with emotion and she said, “Benedict, Eugenia, please don’t fight because of me. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let my selfishness ruin your relationship.”
“Eugenia, I’m kneeling down for you. Please don’t argue with Benedict about this. I don’t want the baby either. I’ll get rid of it. Is that enough for you?”
At the mention of terminating the pregnancy, Benedict’s expression darkened instantly. He hurried forward to help her up.
“No need for that trouble. I’ll take care of it for you.”
But I grabbed Dorothy’s chin first, forcing the milk down her throat. A piercing scream filled the dining room. Benedict, enraged, shoved me to the ground. The cup smashed into shards on the floor.
“Eugenia Joubert, are you insane? Dorothy is pregnant. Giving her this will cause a miscarriage!”
I lay pinned on the shards, fragments piercing my skin as blood instantly stained the floor red.
Yet I still smiled and retorted to him, “I can drink it while pregnant, so why can’t she? Or is there something in this milk that only I can drink?”
Benedict paused, his expression darkening. Just as he was about to speak, Dorothy’s cries grew louder and a large pool of blood spread between her legs.
“Benedict, I’m bleeding.”
Benedict no longer paid attention to me. He turned to pick her up and rushed away. Watching his frantic back, I laughed, a laugh that made tears spill from my eyes. After briefly treating my wounds, I took our marriage certificate to the Office of Vital Records to file for divorce.
The staff member told me, “Sorry, Miss. You’re already divorced. There’s no need to file.”
I was stunned, thinking I’d misheard. Unsure, I asked again, “Is there some kind of misunderstanding? I’ve been married for five years. My husband’s name is Benedict Romancon.”
The staff member lowered his head and quickly tapped the keyboard. When he looked up again, his expression was even more embarrassing.
“I’m sorry, Miss. Mr. Romancon is indeed married, but his wife is named Dorothy Lentini.”
My blood seemed to freeze instantly. My voice trembled slightly as I spoke, “Could you please check when they registered their marriage?”
“They registered six months ago.”
My whole body shuddered, my breath catching in my throat. Six months ago, was precisely when Benedict first proposed donating sperm to Dorothy. So, he had already changed his heart back then and repaying a debt was just a pretext to deceive me.
My chest heaved violently as I stumbled out of the Office of Vital Records. I pulled out my phone and dialed my mother’s number again.
“Mom, there’s no need to wait a month. Benedict divorced me behind my back half a year ago. Come pick me up tomorrow!”
