He had never once stopped for my child. But for Serafina and her child, he was willing to give up the lifelong dream he had once valued above everything.
So what were my child and I?
A joke.
A cruel, humiliating joke.
And the child now in my womb only made that joke even more unbearable.
After scheduling the procedure, I walked out of the hospital and got into my car. The driver Theo Marlowe had assigned me was off duty. I was alone. But before I could pull away, I saw Luca and Serafina in the parking lot.
Their voices drifted over clearly.
"Luca," Serafina said, "if you really want to marry me, you have two choices."
"Either cancel your engagement, or make Bianca my ceremonial attendant."
My hand froze on the steering wheel.
Luca's voice came after a short pause. His thumb dragged once along the scar at his jaw.
"Canceling the arrangement isn't appropriate. I don't want people talking about you. The families would lose face."
Serafina immediately said, "Then make Bianca my attendant."
I slowly eased my foot off the accelerator.
A strange curiosity rose in me. I wanted to know whether Luca, the man who had always claimed to be upright, honorable, a man of his word, would agree to such a ridiculous demand.
The next second, he laughed.
"Alright, you little troublemaker. Now you can rest easy and marry me, right?"
My heart sank completely.
Serafina was still not satisfied.
"But you have to tell her on the wedding day. If she runs away, I won't have an attendant."
Luca's tone was calm, even indulgent.
"Don't worry. She owes me her life."
"She has been under my protection for ten years. Now that I've finally found someone I want to protect for the rest of my life, asking her for this small favor will preserve her dignity. She'll agree."
She owes me her life.
A small favor.
Preserve her dignity.
Every word struck me like a slap.
So in his eyes, ten years of my waiting, my love, my devotion, and my sacrifices were nothing more than a debt I owed him. A blood debt, the kind this world never let you forget. He thought I should stand at his alliance ceremony as Serafina's attendant. He thought I should watch him marry the woman he truly loved and still smile as if I were grateful.
They leaned against the pillar and kissed, lost in each other as if the entire world had disappeared.
And with that kiss, the last fragile piece of my heart was torn apart.
I pulled the key from the ignition and sat there in silence.
For a long time, I could not move. My body felt hollow, as if all strength had been drained from me. The parking garage was cold and smelled of concrete and exhaust. Somewhere deeper in the structure a car door closed, the sound echoing off stone walls like a gunshot in a chapel.
They kissed all the way to their car. Then they drove away.
Only after their car disappeared did I finally force myself to breathe.
With trembling hands, I called my uncle.
The moment the call connected, I said, "Marlowe, does your company still hire useless people?"
My voice was hoarse.
"I need you to take me in."
Theo Marlowe was surprised at first, then delighted.
"You finally don't want to keep waiting for that man anymore?"
I lowered my eyes and looked at the pile of herbal prescriptions beside me. For months, I had taken those bitter medicines to prepare my body for pregnancy. Every bowl had been hard to swallow. But I had endured it because I thought I was preparing for our future.
Now, every prescription looked like a mockery.
My chest tightened with grief.
"Marriage and children aren't everything," I said softly. "Building a career and staying with family are what truly matter."
My uncle had witnessed my ten-year marathon of love. He knew better than anyone how stubbornly I had waited. So he teased me, but his voice carried warmth.
"Then I'll arrange for you to go abroad. Once you arrive, I'll keep you so busy with the front operations you won't even have time to think about him."
