When they saw it was only a stray cat, everyone let out a breath of relief.
But Ryan’s expression didn’t change.
He stared at the cat, lost in thought, and Emily’s morning reminder echoed in his mind, leaving him uneasy.
Maybe Emily had really been there just now.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, the baby was already in her womb, and the due date was only months away. Even if Emily knew, there was nothing she could do.
One man even dared to ask boldly, “Ryan, if that was Emily outside just now, what would you do?”
Ryan paused, then glanced coolly at the man.
His tone was casual, as though he were talking about something trivial.
“So what if she knows? I’ve already made her resign without severance. And she’s still pregnant—she can’t run far.”
“Haha, Ryan, you’re ruthless!”
I had barely gathered myself when the knocking on the door grew louder.
I quickly called out, “Ryan, don’t open it yet. I just woke up—I’m changing.”
“Alright.”
Hearing my voice, Ryan stopped knocking, but I didn’t hear him walk away.
…
I sighed. I knew I couldn’t avoid this forever. I stuffed a pillow against my stomach to pretend the baby was still there.
Facing Ryan, I forced a loving smile, as if our marriage were still full of tenderness.
“Ryan, I went for a checkup today. I can’t wait to meet our baby.”
Ryan rested his chin on my lap, gazing at me with those soulful eyes, his voice gentle.
“Emily, we will. When the time comes, we can deliver early by C-section, and the baby can go straight into the incubator.”
“Emily, I’ve seen the suffering you’ve endured during pregnancy. If only we hadn’t decided to keep this child… but once he’s born, I’ll raise him right.”
Ryan valued this child deeply. At first, I had naively believed we would be happy forever.
But I never expected to become nothing more than a vessel for him and Lily to have a child.
Love can be performed too. Looking at Ryan’s face, I said calmly, “There’s no chance anymore.”
Ryan froze.
“Emily, what do you mean, no chance?”
I smiled lightly, pretending it was nothing.
“Nothing. Ryan, I was just thinking about our baby. You’ll meet him soon.”
Just then, there was another knock, followed by a lively, playful voice—Lily’s.
“Sis? Brother-in-law? Are you inside?”
I noticed Ryan’s expression flicker unnaturally.
Then Lily bounded toward me, her eyes locked on my stomach.
“Sis, how’s the baby? You’ve got to take care of my little nephew! I can’t wait to play with him.”
She giggled, reaching out to touch my belly.
But I remembered the words I’d overheard at the reunion and felt a wave of disgust. Instinctively, I stepped back.
Still, I forced myself to act the part of a caring sister.
“Of course. My son will be in your care, Lily. I believe you’ll make a great aunt.”
