The time on my phone read nine o’clock the next morning.
The ward was deathly quiet, interrupted only by the soft, intermittent buzzing of the monitor.
I reached down and touched my lower abdomen. It was silent—empty. I could no longer feel the faint flutter of life that had once been there.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, uncontrollable and endless.
This baby had been my wedding gift to Rudy.
When I first discovered I was pregnant, I was overwhelmed with joy. I’d imagined countless times how ecstatic Rudy would be when I told him.
In the quiet hours of the night, I had often wondered whether the baby would resemble me or Rudy more.
…
I don’t know how long I cried.
When my tears finally dried, I wiped my face, picked up my phone, and made a call.
“What? Finally made up your mind?” A casual, almost amused male voice came through the receiver.
“Yes,” I said, my tone calm and emotionless. “I’ve made up my mind. I accept your proposal to go to New York City.”
On the other end, Gerald Holt chuckled, as if my answer had been exactly what he expected.
Ignoring his smugness, I added firmly, “But I have one condition. You must ensure that all my identity information from the past three years is completely hidden. I don’t want Rudy to ever find me.”
With Rudy’s financial resources and influence, disappearing without a trace wouldn’t be easy. But I knew that if anyone could make it happen, it was Gerald.
“No problem,” Gerald replied confidently. But before ending the call, he asked, “Are you really willing to leave Rudy?”
His question hit me like a punch to the chest, making my heart falter.
Am I willing to let go?
I silently asked myself the same thing.
Seven years of love… how could I let go so easily?
But I also knew that one day, I would have to let go completely. The first step was to distance myself.
Ten minutes later, a notification buzzed on my phone. It was Gerald, sending me flight details.
The flight was scheduled seven days later. What a coincidence—it was the same day as my birthday.
After ending the call, I accidentally opened the home monitoring app on my phone. My thumb hesitated over the lock screen button as the video feed played.
Rudy had just returned to Lanting Garden, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.
I watched as his face clouded with impatience and irritation while the servant informed him I hadn’t come home all night.
I could guess exactly what he was thinking.
He must believe I’m throwing another tantrum.
“Boss Ritter, should I call Miss May?” the assistant asked cautiously, stealing a glance at Rudy’s expression.
“There’s no need,” Rudy replied, his voice cold and detached.
“It’s not the first time she’s caused a scene. I told her from the beginning—if she wants to be with me, she has to unconditionally accept Kelsey, my sister in all but blood.”
He leaned back slightly, his tone laced with disdain. “If she wants to throw a tantrum, let her. She always comes crawling back once she’s done making a fool of herself. She has no one else—where could she possibly go if not back to me?”
Rudy’s words carried not a shred of guilt for abandoning me at the altar. Instead, the subtle curl of his lips betrayed his mockery.
Hearing this, it felt like my heart had been ripped open, raw and bleeding, the pain unbearable.
This was the man I had devoted myself to for seven years.
Seven years of love, patience, and sacrifice—reduced to nothing but waste.
