My baby was gone. My womb was destroyed… while their child lived happily.
And now, he was out buying cakes for Jackson and Nora—not for me.
I gripped the phone tightly, my breathing heavy.
With trembling fingers, I tapped the gallery icon. I knew this would hurt, but I had to see it.
The screen opened. Dozens of photos of Ethan, Nora, and Jackson.
An amusement park. A dinner. They even spent time traveling abroad together.
Not only that, last year—
Ethan was carrying Jackson in his arms, looking at him with pride, on his third birthday.
My heart sank.
It wasn’t me by his side.
It wasn’t me in those memories.
I was just a shadow.
I was the one considered his wife, yet I was the third person between them.
I placed Ethan’s phone back on the table. My hand fumbled to the other side, searching for my own phone. The moment I found it, my fingers quickly dialed a number I had saved for a long time—the contact of a lawyer I had met at a charity event before.
The call connected.
"Zoey?" The man’s voice on the other end sounded professional, but there was a hint of surprise.
"I need your help," I whispered, trying to suppress the tremor in my voice.
"I want to divorce Ethan."
Silence.
"Zoey, are you really sure? I just heard that you were hospitalized. I was actually planning to visit you later. So—"
"No need to worry, I’ve recovered. It was just a minor accident, Mr. Gerald," I cut him off before the conversation dragged on. More precisely, I lied.
"Please, just help me with what I asked for."
I sensed his hesitation, but finally, he said, "Alright. We can start by gathering your marriage documents and any evidence supporting your decision to file for divorce."
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. "Do it quietly. I don’t want Ethan to know until the right time."
"I understand."
Before I could end the call, Ethan suddenly walked into my room, making me hurriedly hang up in panic.
"Darling, who were you just calling?" he asked.
"Oh, it was just my friend, Lily. She keeps insisting on visiting me. I already told her there’s no need. I’ll be leaving soon anyway, right? I’m bored."
Ethan shook his head firmly.
"No! You’re not fully recovered yet," he said sternly.
"But... Didn’t you say you wanted to adopt a child? I want to do it as soon as possible. You know, I miss my baby. I want someone to fill that void."
Ethan fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.
"Alright, I’ll talk to the doctor now.”
I successfully persuaded Ethan to take me home from the hospital sooner. But one thing still bothered me—my request to adopt a child had yet to be fulfilled.
"Why aren't we heading straight to the orphanage?" I asked, staring at him sharply while he focused on driving.
Ethan glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the road. "We'll postpone it for a few days."
My forehead creased. "Why? Didn’t we already agree on this?"
He was silent for a moment as if searching for the right words.
"Zoey, you're still recovering. Your hand is bandaged, and your body hasn't fully healed. How can you take care of a child in this condition?"
I stared at him blankly. "I'm fine, Ethan."
"But I don't want you to push yourself," he said gently, his tone almost convincing.
I let out a quiet sigh, pretending to give in. "Alright."
I leaned back against the car seat, turning my face toward the window.
Recovery?
That wasn’t the real reason. Ethan was hiding something.
****
When we arrived home, Mrs. Sophia greeted me with a cold stare.
Ethan helped me out of the car, his hands supporting my body as if I would collapse at any moment.
"This is what happens when you can’t stay home, Zoey," Mrs. Sophia’s voice was sharp.
"Not only is your hand broken, but now you can’t even be a perfect woman for Ethan."
Her words cut like a knife.
I looked at Ethan, then back at my mother-in-law. "I was just worried about him, Mom. I never expected this to happen. And I don’t know who sent that message—who set me up."
"You were careless," Mrs. Sophia scoffed.
"Look at the result, Ethan is perfectly fine. You’re the only one who ended up as the victim. You should have called before acting recklessly."
I opened my mouth, but Ethan spoke first.
"Mom, stop." His voice was firm but exhausted.
"Zoey only wanted to make sure I was safe. She got into that accident because she was worried about me."
Mrs. Sophia didn’t look impressed.
"Then what about the heir to the Anderson family?"
