Beneath his seemingly selfless love, he had buried the corpses of my parents, my entire life and now, perhaps even the life of the child growing inside me. As that thought struck me, my trembling hands instinctively rested on my abdomen. Inside me, lay the child I had yearned for over three long years, yet it was also the child of my enemy.
I was so lost in the sea of despair that I did not take notice the moment Blake entered the room and saw me crumpled on the cold floor.
"Julie, the floor is cold. What happened to you? Are you feeling unwell?” he asked urgently. The overflowing concern in his eyes was so visible, just like they had been doing for the past five years.
Over the past five years, Blake had shown me nothing but devotion. Every cough, every slight discomfort and he would spend sleepless nights by my side.
I lowered my gaze, unwilling to meet his affectionate eyes as I said, “It’s nothing. Maybe because I was pregnant and felt uncomfortable, I did not stand properly just now."
He let out a sigh of relief and gently helped me up from the floor.
"Baby, you're a troublemaker," he said to my belly. "You're so naughty. You dare to make things difficult for your mother. Wait until we meet, Daddy will teach you a lesson."
“Don’t worry, Julie," he soothed me. "Tomorrow, we’ll go to the hospital for a check-up. We’ve waited so long for this little one and nothing can go wrong.”
As he said that, his gaze fell to my still-flat stomach and his face was glowing with tenderness. If I hadn’t overheard his conversation with his secretary last night, I would have believed he meant every word that he had just said.
Now, all I wanted to ask his was this, will we truly have the chance to meet this child? Are you truly waiting for this child for a long time?
I swallowed my grief and as I nodded weakly, I said, "Let's go to bed, Blake. I'm tired."
Blake believed me. He assumed that it was normal for me to feel sleepy in the early stages of the pregnancy.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before his murmurs pierced the quiet of the night, "Tracy … Tracy …."
The tears I had been holding back finally spilled over and slipped from the corner of my eyes to soak my pillow then disappeared without a trace.
Reaching beneath the pillow, I retrieved my phone and typed a message to my brother, who stayed abroad. [Brother, help me. Please help me. I’ll come to you in the next few days. Please, wait for me.]
Early the next morning, Blake took me to the Maxwell Corporation's private hospital for a checkup. We had just arrived at the doctor's office, when Tracy walked out from the office. Her slightly protruding belly could be clearly seen.
Noticing that she was alone, Blake's brows knitted with concern. He then asked, "You’re four months along. Where’s Devon Maxwell? Why didn’t he come with you?” The worry in his voice could be clearly heard.
I laughed a self-deprecating laugh in my heart. I felt bitter. How had I not noticed this before? Was it because Blake’s act was too convincing, or was I simply too naive?
Tracy smiled faintly. It seemed she was very happy Blake concern about her. She said sweetly, "Recently, the corporation has a lot of things going on and there was a situation at the branch, so Devon had to fly over there yesterday.”
She glanced at me. “Why are you here, Julie? Are you feeling unwell?”
As soon as the question fell, Blake looked embarrassed and it seemed he was unsure how to respond.
“I’m pregnant. Blake was worried I might feel unwell or that there could be a problem with the baby, so he insisted on bringing me in for a check-up," I told her.
Though I knew I’d lost miserably in this relationship. However, for just a fleeting moment, I wanted to reclaim a sliver of dignity for myself.
As expected, Tracy's face turned pale when she heard my answer. "For real? You're pregnant?" she asked.
Realizing her reaction was too revealing, she quickly forced a smile, though it was anything but natural.
