4: 4
I forced a calm smile.
"I've thought about it. Let's all go get sushi together after all."
For a second the air went quiet.
Percival and Lottie traded a look.
Percival smiled at me. "What made you change your mind? Weren't you just saying you were tired?"
I only murmured, "Mm."
Lottie cleared her throat. "Then… then you two go. I'm always the third wheel between you. Celeste's obviously upset. I'll just head home."
Percival clicked his tongue, glanced at Lottie, then turned back to me.
"Fine, then we'll eat here. Lottie and I will go pick up some groceries and cook. You rest, Celeste."
Listen to him.
As if the two of them were the loving married couple,
and I was just some distant relative who needed to be entertained.
That was when Percival's phone rang.
"Good afternoon, sir. This is Pinewood Sushi."
"The cake you custom-ordered for Miss Barnes just arrived at the restaurant. Would you like us to keep it chilled in the fridge for now?"
I heard every word of it.
Percival scrambled to hang up, his eyes darting away.
I looked at him calmly and asked, my voice soft, "What was that?"
"What cake for Miss Barnes?"
Percival cleared his throat and explained, "Celeste, don't get the wrong idea. Lottie just bought a new dress, and she kept insisting we throw the dress a birthday party…"
I let out a short laugh. "A birthday party for a dress?"
"You know how she is, she's got a kid's temper, never grows up. As her friends, we just play along."
I looked at him.
So now he could be understanding.
Back when we were newlyweds, on my birthday, I saw a cup with little bunny ears I wanted to buy. What had he said then?
He'd laughed, half-joking, that a grown woman trying to act cute was embarrassing,
that the older you got the more shameless it was to still make a fuss over a birthday.
And when it was Lottie, suddenly it was a kid's temper that deserved company.
Percival tried to smooth the whole thing over. "Enough. I'll call my mom over to make you some pregnancy meals. You stay home and behave, all right?"
"I'm doing this for your own good. Sushi's all cold and raw. It'll only upset your stomach."
I stayed where I was and didn't back down. "I can order the cooked things. Sushi places have tempura. They have sukiyaki."
Percival heard that and his brow shot up. "Celeste, can you not be so backwoods?"
"Ordering cooked food at a sushi place? Cooked salmon, are you serious? You'd only be wasting the food."
"I'm going today." I stared at him and said it word by word.
Percival froze.
In seven years, I had never once spoken to him in that tone.
Lottie saw it and hurried to her feet, catching Percival's arm.
"Percy, don't be angry with Celeste. You two go eat. It's all my fault, I shouldn't have brought up the birthday thing…"
Her stepping back only enraged him completely.
He swept her behind him, and the look in his eyes when he turned to me was pure disgust.
He said over his shoulder to Lottie, "Don't mind her. This stupid bitch is all over the place with her pregnancy hormones, acting like a lunatic every day, paranoid about everything. I've spoiled her rotten!"
The word went through me. I stared at him, unable to believe it.
Stupid bitch.
This was the man who had stood in the snow holding roses, saying he wanted to spend his whole life with me.
Then he fixed me with an ice-cold stare.
"Celeste, such a small thing, and you just have to make a scene, don't you?"
"Let me tell you, I'm not taking you today, and that's final!"
He grabbed the car keys and pulled Lottie with him toward the door.
"Percy, this isn't right, doing this to Celeste…" Lottie's voice came from outside.
"Who cares. I've let her get away with too much."
The security door slammed shut.
I was the only one left in the living room.
Percival texted me. *You made me lose face in front of Lottie. There's nothing I could do.*
*I bought sukiyaki broth and beef. I'll have my mom cook it for you. Be good.*
I didn't reply.
I just packed a few clothes and booked myself a very expensive sushi restaurant.
Ordered a whole table of sashimi, took a photo, and posted it to my feed.
The next morning, the time for my scheduled procedure arrived.
I was standing in the hospital when Percival called, beside himself.
"What is wrong with you?"
"I told you not to eat raw food and you ate it anyway. You take care of yourself this badly, what's going to happen to the baby?"
I glanced at the exam room and answered calmly, "There is no baby anymore."
