My Perfect Second Life

[Primrose]

I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand, one minute to go. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, but it didn't calm my racing heart. I paced back and forth near the bed.

I waited three days before taking the test because I wanted the results to be accurate. That long wait might finally be over. I had high hopes that the symptoms I was experiencing were a sign of good news.

I glanced at the digital clock. It was time to see the results. I rushed to the bathroom. A pregnancy test was sitting by the sink. That little stick would determine whether my prayers had been answered or if I needed to try harder.

I stood facing the stick, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes and glanced at that crucial object. "Oh!"

There was a single horizontal line in the middle of the stick. I blinked, but the line didn't add another. I closed my eyes as I felt them grow warm. My chest felt tight with surging emotions.

I sobbed, unable to hold back my tears any longer. We'd been trying to become parents for five years. For those years, I'd been disappointed by the pregnancy test results and visits to the OB-GYN.

Hearing the vibration on the nightstand, my chest tightened even more. I knew who was calling, but I couldn't speak in that state. Since the sound wouldn't stop, I forced myself to get up and walk over to the small table. I picked up the phone and answered the call.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Thorne greeted me.

I could only sob, unable to tell him the result of the pregnancy test. I knew my husband would be just as disappointed as I was. Unfortunately, he was out of town. I couldn't hug him when I needed him most.

Thorne sighed. "It's okay, sweetheart. I'll be home tomorrow night. We'll face this together. You mustn't lose hope. We'll try again."

"Okay." That was all I could say.

"I love you. This situation won't diminish my love for you. I hope you don't give up on our love either," he pleaded.

"I won't," I promised.

Thorne ended our call after offering those comforting words. I didn't feel any better because I'd heard those words for five years. All my hopes of having a child had crumbled because we'd done everything, but there were no results.

I changed my mind on the way to work. I turned around and headed to the hospital. In a state of despair, I went there to find new strength. I saw the sign above the room: Intensive Care Unit.

A nurse greeted me warmly. She helped me put on protective gear before entering the room. After putting on a mask, I walked toward an isolation room. A man lay weakly there.

"Hi, Brother," I greeted him. "Sorry to bother you again, but I'm really sad today."

I bowed my head as tears welled up. I sobbed, unable to say anything. I held Briar's hand, hoping that touch would give me the strength I needed. If he could see me crying, he'd tease me mercilessly.

"You know? I miss you. I don't blame you for my situation, but I wish you'd stop teasing me and wake up. I need my brother. I've lost my anchor since you've been lying here for two years. Two years, Briar."

My brother was in an accident on his way to his apartment. The police concluded that the driver who ran the red light was at fault. The judge sentenced him to five years in prison, but it wasn't enough for me.

That man would be free and living his life in three years. He might even be released sooner because I heard he was behaving well. Meanwhile, my brother was in a coma with no guarantee he'd wake up. My life had completely changed without him.

"Prim?" Someone entered the room and closed the door behind her. "What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

I placed my brother's hand by his side and covered him with a blanket. I sighed. Two years passed, and he still hadn't woken from the coma. I believed in miracles, but I began to wonder whether he still wanted to live or would rather rest forever.

"I don't know why I wanted to visit him this morning," I muttered.

"You never visit except on Mondays. Is something troubling you?" Violet asked.

I smiled. "I know I can't hide anything from you."

We stepped out of the room. I didn't want to disturb my brother with our conversation. I took the pregnancy test out of my bag and handed it to my best friend. Violet took it, glanced at the result, and let out a sigh. She handed the test back to me.

"I don't have the words to comfort you." Violet glanced toward the ICU. "Maybe God hasn't given you a child, so that someone can take care of your brother."

I nodded. "That's why I came here. I'm asking Briar to wake up soon. He's been asleep for too long."

"He's been in a coma for two years now," my best friend murmured.

"Please take care of him." I held the woman's hand. "I have to go to the office. See you later."

"Don't you want to stop by my clinic for a pregnancy check?" she asked in surprise.

I shook my head. "The pregnancy test was enough."

I walked away from the ICU with heavy steps. I'd hoped for two miracles, but neither happened. Briar hadn't woken up, and I wasn't pregnant. I wasn't a good person, but I wasn't a bad one either. Why did my life feel like a curse?

I turned at the end of the corridor. A familiar figure made me stop in my tracks. My husband was hugging a woman holding a baby. My mother-in-law was walking on the woman's other side, flanking her and the baby between them.

I blinked. Yes, I wasn't seeing things. Those two were indeed Thorne and his mother. However, the woman wasn't a stranger. I knew her well. Why was she with my husband and mother-in-law? Whose child was in her arms?

"Excuse me." I stopped a nurse passing by. "What are Mr. Watson and his mother doing in this hospital? Is his mother sick?"

"No. Mrs. Watson Sr. is fine. It's Mr. Watson's son who's sick. His wife is very lucky. It's rare to find a husband and mother-in-law as attentive as they are," she replied sympathetically.

Thorne had a child? But I wasn't mistaken. The two people with the woman holding the baby were my husband and my mother-in-law. How could I not know my husband had a baby?

The nurse said that the woman was his wife. Was that what they had listed in his records? Thorne's wife was me, not that woman. Thorne only loved me. Oh, God. It couldn't be. He couldn't have cheated on me with another woman.

I held onto the wall as my legs suddenly went weak. My vision blurred, making everything around me spin. The nurse quickly approached and took my hand. She helped me sit down on the nearest empty bench.

"Are you okay? You look pale. Do you need me to get you something?" she asked worriedly.

I shook my head while trying to smile. "No. Thank you. I'm fine," I replied quickly. "Um, thank you for your help. Once I feel a little better, I'll go home and rest."

"Okay. I hope you stay healthy." She gently rubbed my shoulder.

I waited anxiously in the car. Seeing Thorne's vehicle not far from where I was, I decided to find out the truth behind the nurse's words. I couldn't believe my husband would betray me. Thorne wouldn't do that.

After an hour, Thorne's driver approached the car. He drove it toward the lobby just as my husband emerged with his mother and that woman. Thorne helped the woman into the car, wrapping his arm around her waist and keeping her head from bumping against the car's roof.

My hands clenched, gripping the steering wheel tightly. My whole body trembled as I saw that my husband not only had a child with another woman, but he seemed to care for her. The hands that always touched me with such tenderness were now on another woman's body.

I laughed in shock at their destination: my mother-in-law's house. So, that woman and the child had been living there all the time, close to me, but I hadn't realized it. I'd been there several times, but I'd never seen them. Since when had they been living there?