"Blake, don't be so nervous," Maya said softly. "The doctor said I'm fine."
"I just hate seeing you go through this," Blake murmured, his brow furrowed in distress.
Maya’s soft reply was like a knife to my gut. "It's all my fault. If I had just come back sooner, we wouldn't have all these problems."
My chest tightened, and it felt hard to breathe.
Just then, Blake spotted me. His frown deepened. "Are you following me?"
I didn't answer. But Maya, ever the peacemaker, feigned understanding. "Blake, Charlotte will understand. After all we've been through... Why would she follow us?"
Ha. Did she really think I was still that meek and submissive Mrs. Ross?
I let out a cold laugh. "You two are a match made in heaven, aren't you? After all, you're already planning to have a child together."
Blake's face turned ashen. "What the hell are you talking about? Maya and I are just friends!"
My body, still weak from the procedure, couldn't bear standing for long. A dull ache spread through my abdomen. I had no energy to argue, so I turned to leave.
But Maya suddenly took a step forward, blocking my path.
"Charlotte, wait." Before she could finish her sentence, she feigned a dizzy spell, collapsing dramatically against Blake.
Panic flashed in Blake's eyes. He shoved me hard and roared, "Are you crazy? Can't you see she's not well? Are you trying to give her a heart attack?"
Without another word, he shielded her with his body, helped her into the car, and sped away.
Watching them disappear, I felt no regret. She needed protection, but what about me?
The day Maya returned to New York, I should have known our marriage was over.
Back at the hotel Julian had arranged for me, I saw Maya's new Instagram post. It was a photo of a hand resting on an abdomen.
The caption read: "The bliss of being protected."
The post was flooded with comments.
"OMG, is that Blake from the Ross Group? Look at how gentle he is!"
"Of course, a childhood sweetheart gets special treatment."
"So you're finally having a child together? Congratulations!"
A short while later, Blake himself commented: "Don't spread rumors. I don't want Charlotte to get the wrong idea. We're just friends."
Someone immediately replied: "Give me a break. Everyone knows how you feel about Maya. If someone hadn't gotten in the way, you two would have been together years ago."
In the eyes of his friends in the financial world, I was the one who was in the way.
The truth was, five years ago, it was Maya who dumped him to try her luck in Los Angeles. It was me who stood by him during his lowest point.
I typed a reply: "Don't worry, that day will come soon."
Then, I posted a picture of my discharge papers from the clinic. The caption: "Saying goodbye to a future that should have never begun."
Instantly, my post set New York high society ablaze.
Likes and comments poured in, all from my family's old friends. Blake's circle was dead silent.
A moment later, my brother Grayson called. Then my father. Then Blake, over and over. I didn't answer a single one.
Grayson finally sent a text. "Julian told me everything. You just had surgery. He's on his way to get you. You need someone to take care of you right now."
I quickly zipped up my suitcase and headed for the door.
However, before I could take a single step, the hotel room door was swiped open. Blake burst in, his face a mask of fury.
