When I was suffering from severe morning sickness and incontinence, Arthur was at a party playing a cherry-stem-tying kissing game with his female assistant. Even as I vomited until my stomach bled, he remained tangled up with her, deeply entwined and refusing to separate. On my way home, I was in a car accident. Just as I was lifted onto a stretcher, Arthur coldly dragged me off: "You're tough. Stop wasting medical resources." With that, he carried his crying female assistant onto the stretcher instead. When we arrived at the hospital, everyone rushed the assistant to the emergency room. I was the only one who walked quietly to the gynecology desk: "Hello. I'd like to schedule an abortion." "I don't want the baby in my stomach anymore." ... A second after I changed into the hospital gown, Arthur stormed into the room, furious. He threw a red string right at my face: "Chloe, who gave you permission to force this unlucky junk on me?!" Arthur didn't believe in gods or spirits. Even the peace amulet I had acquired by climbing a thousand steps and bowing with each one was sneered at and tossed into the fire. I picked up the "marriage thread" that had fallen on me and said calmly: "I didn't give this to you." Hearing this, Arthur immediately snatched the red string back, hastily tying it around his wrist. I knew the red string was a gift from his assistant, Mia. It was a plea for a lifetime of monogamous love with Arthur. Thinking of this, I grabbed his hand. Ignoring his disgusted, defensive glare, I took the loose knot and pulled it tight. The icy chill of my fingertips made Arthur momentarily zone out. He asked me why I was wearing a hospital gown. I answered lightly: "I'm having a minor procedure later." Arthur's brow furrowed. He was just about to accuse me of faking an illness for attention. But the next second, a nurse walked in to draw my blood. Arthur opened his mouth, about to ask the nurse what was wrong with me, but his phone rang at the exact right moment. It was a video call from Mia. The girl whined coquettishly, complaining about how scary the hospital was at night. Hearing her, Arthur didn't even spare me a glance as he strode out of the room. He bumped into the nurse on his way out, causing the needle to slip and blood to well up. He didn't turn back when he heard my groan of pain. At that moment, the doctor walked in with the surgical consent form. Ignoring all the risk warnings, I signed my name without blinking. Half an hour later, the surgery was a success. As soon as I got off the operating table, I received a text from Arthur: [Wait for me at the hospital entrance.] It was snowing heavily outside. Dressed in thin clothes, I sat on a plastic chair and waited for two whole hours. He never showed up. Two nurses walked past me, laughing and gossiping about what they saw in the ER: "I've been working here for years, and I've never seen a man dote on his wife like that." "Right? He held her and coaxed her through the entire examination. She just had a red mark on her leg, and he immediately mobilized a helicopter to transfer her to a top-tier hospital." Hearing this, I opened our chat window and noticed Arthur had changed his profile picture. It was Nick Wilde from Zootopia wearing sunglasses. A perfect matching pair with Mia's Judy Hopps. I exited WeChat and opened a ticketing app. Due to the weather, the earliest flight back to my hometown wasn't for two days. I placed the order, paid, and confirmed the ticket. I walked out of the hospital and went home alone. At 3:00 AM, Arthur returned late, pushed open the bedroom door, and lay down beside me. In the pitch black, he reached out, wanting to touch my pregnant belly. I simply rolled over, giving him my back. Arthur clicked his tongue impatiently, got up, walked into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut with a loud BANG. In our nine years together, whenever he showed even the slightest hint of displeasure... I would be consumed with anxiety, chasing after him, lowering my head, and begging for peace. But tonight, when Arthur came out of the shower, he found me still lying in bed, completely unmoving. "Stop faking it." Dropping those words, Arthur left the master bedroom with a cold face and didn't return. The next morning, I found a wine glass stained with lipstick on the living room coffee table. I didn't wake Arthur up and hysterically interrogate him about everything and nothing, like I would have in the past. I leisurely finished frying some egg rolls and sat down at the dining table just as Arthur woke up and said: "Don't wait for me for dinner tonight. I have a business dinner." He opened the fridge, chugged two mouthfuls of ice water, and... Suddenly found it strange that I neither nagged him about cold water hurting his stomach nor asked who was attending the dinner. Through the glass kitchen door, Arthur frowned at me: "Chloe, are you even listening to me?" Swallowing my food cleanly, I gave a noncommittal "Mhm" and continued eating. Seeing this, he tossed his black overcoat at me. "Your birthday present." The coat, reeking of sweet, cloying perfume, perfectly covered my now-flat stomach. Under his gaze, I fished a gift box out of the coat pocket. I opened the box. Inside was a diamond ring. Before I could say a word, Arthur's face darkened, and he snatched the ring back. He said: "You grabbed the wrong one. Yours is in the other pocket." The other pocket held an emerald brooch. I just took one look at it before pushing it back toward him. Then I said politely: "The brooch is beautiful, but it's a pity I don't have any clothes that match it. Besides, my birthday was three months ago. You might as well give this to Mia, too." He was speechless for a good while. Arthur said reluctantly: "There's a jewelry auction in a couple of days. You can come with me." This was the first time he had asked me to be his plus-one in a long while. For the past six months, Mia had been the one accompanying him to all his social gatherings. Even during yacht vacations with his childhood friends, the two of them appeared arm-in-arm in the group photos. Recalling this, I felt utterly bored with it all. "No need. I don't need anything." "Are you sure?" I nodded: "It's best if you have Mia accompany you." My genuine words were met with an instantly blackened expression from Arthur: "Chloe, go to the bathroom and look in the mirror right now. Take a good look at how pathetic your jealous, bitter face is." In the past, if he said that, I would definitely have gotten into a massive fight with him. But now, I couldn't be bothered to argue a single syllable. Just as I was about to get up and go back to my room, Arthur's phone rang. It was a custom ringtone for Mia. The girl was crying hysterically, saying she forgot her keys when she took out the trash. What should I do, Arthur? "You little dummy. Be a good girl, stay right there, and don't run around. I'm coming over to bring you the spare key now." Hanging up, Arthur immediately turned to leave. But I called out to stop him. "That scarf you asked me to knit last week is finished and hanging on the coat rack. Don't forget to take it to her." Arthur's expression shifted slightly. His mouth moved as if he were about to say something. But then Mia sent another voice message. She meowed like a little cat, begging her "master" to bring her a bubble tea on his way. Because of this, Arthur emptied the shopping bag hanging on the rack, stuffed the scarf inside, and left with a smirk on his face. I glanced at the baby clothes discarded on the floor, stood up, and walked into the study. Ignoring the framed photo of Arthur and Mia on the mahogany desk. I moved with clear purpose toward the safe. I tried Arthur's birthday, then mine. Incorrect. I tried our anniversary. Still incorrect. It wasn't until I entered Mia's birthday... The lock finally clicked open. As I took out my ID and passport, two movie tickets were dragged out with them. They were the ticket stubs from my very first date with Arthur. I tore the memories to shreds and tossed them in the trash. I returned to the bedroom and started packing my personal belongings. Towards evening, Arthur called and told me to hire a courier to deliver a document for him. A blizzard was raging outside. I wrapped myself in a mink coat and went out to deliver it personally. Pushing open the restaurant door, I walked right in as Arthur and Mia were drinking cross-armed, like a newlywed couple. Because of my sudden appearance, the cheering and jeering in the restaurant abruptly stopped. Arthur glared at me, his face full of annoyance. The others watched with amusement, waiting for me to scream and throw a fit. But to everyone's surprise, I wasn't angry at all. I handed the document to Arthur and simply said: "Can I borrow your car keys for a second? I left something in your car." Hearing this, Mia pulled a set of Porsche keys out of her bag, stuck her tongue out at me, and said: "I'm so sorry, Sis~ Because I love sleeping in, I'm always late for work. So Arthur just gave me his car to drive." "Who's your 'Sis'? Don't call people that, you little dummy." Arthur's eyes were full of indulgence as he wiped a drop of wine from the corner of Mia's mouth. I played along with his words and said: "Mr. Sterling and I are not married. Please don't misunderstand, Ms. Mia." With that, I took the keys, turned to leave, but Arthur suddenly grabbed me, his expression bizarre: "Chloe, ever since you got pregnant, you've wanted to throw up at the mere smell of alcohol. Why are you..." I was just about to respond when Mia suddenly lost all color in her face and hugged Arthur's arm: "Arthur, is Chloe trying to find that pearl necklace in the car? "Um... but that necklace was lost by this clumsy little me! What should we do?" The necklace Mia was talking about was an heirloom left to me by my grandmother. I heard Arthur softly comfort Mia, saying it was just a cheap necklace, lost is lost, she shouldn't worry about it. I set the car keys down and looked at Mia without joy or anger: "He's right. It's just a cheap necklace I've worn for nine years. Since you like it so much, consider it a gift." Walking out of the restaurant, I was about to hail a cab when Arthur chased after me. He shoved a takeout container of nourishing fish porridge into my hands, speaking with a tone of charity: "Your prenatal checkup is tomorrow. I'll go with you." I lied casually: "You remembered the date wrong. The checkup is the day after tomorrow." Arthur wanted to argue, but then he saw Mia standing at the restaurant entrance. He immediately turned back, took her hands, and blew on them to keep her warm. I watched them go back inside. I, who never ate fish, fed the porridge to a stray cat and went home. That night, Arthur never came home. And I didn't call him even once. At 5:00 PM the next day, I had just put on my coat when Arthur suddenly came home and dragged me into his car. Inside the Sterling family estate, Arthur pulled me in front of his parents: "Mom, Dad, this is Chloe." After years of a long-distance, drawn-out relationship, Arthur was finally bringing me to meet his parents. But my reaction left him sorely disappointed. "Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, something urgent has come up. Please excuse me, I must leave." As soon as the words left my mouth, Arthur clamped his hand around my wrist, applying silent, crushing pressure. "Mom, Dad, she's just joking with you. You go prepare dinner; I'll show her around and get her familiar with the place first." I was forcefully dragged to a top-floor bedroom to begin the so-called "tour." My constant checking of the time on my phone quickly drew Arthur's ire: "Chloe, you've always begged to see the room I grew up in. Now that you're here, why are you suddenly acting mute?" "Hmm? It's very nice." My evasive answer made Arthur's brow furrow deeply. "You keep looking at your phone. Is there something interesting on it?" "No." Even with my denial, his face remained tight. He snatched my phone and held it up to his face. The screen repeatedly showed "Face ID Failed." Arthur asked in surprise why it couldn't recognize him. I was just about to answer when a crisp sound echoed from the window sill behind me. The tall Arthur saw something, dropped my phone without a word, and simply vanished. Ten minutes later, following a string of silvery, girlish giggles, I found Mia in the estate's back garden, wearing fresh flowers in her hair. She was being carefully supported by Arthur, playing a childish game of walking on tiptoes across a wooden plank. "Arthur, you have to hold me steady... Ah! Arthur, save me!" While playing, Mia's foot slipped, and with a flushed face, she fell right into Arthur's chest. They both froze for a second, then exchanged a flawlessly synchronized, knowing smile. The smile in Arthur's eyes vanished completely the moment he noticed me. "Huh? Chloe, why are you here?" Mia looked at me with pure innocence, blinked a few times, and then began weakly pounding Arthur's chest with her delicate fists: "Oh, I know! You bad boy, you finally decided to bring your ugly duckling wife home to meet the parents!" "Congratulations, Chloe!" While her mouth offered congratulations, her voice was tinged with a sob, eliciting Arthur's pained sympathy: "It's just one dinner, what's there to congratulate, you silly little fool." After comforting Mia, the look Arthur gave me was absolute ice: "Is dinner ready?" Before I could speak, dozens of long snakes suddenly dropped from the tree branches above us. As I fell to the ground in terror, Mia let out an ear-piercing scream. Seeing this, Arthur didn't even spare me a glance; he grabbed Mia tight and fled frantically. It wasn't until animal control arrived to catch the snakes that Arthur finally remembered me. He returned to the tree, searching high and low, only to be finally told by the front gate security guard that I had left long ago. Late at night, in the airport departure lounge. Waiting to board, my phone vibrated non-stop. It wasn't until the very last minute before takeoff that I finally answered the call. As soon as the call connected, Arthur frantically demanded to know where I was. He had clearly gone home and found it empty. I didn't answer him directly, only saying: "None of your business." He froze for a second, his voice tinged with anger: "A pregnant woman throwing a tantrum is bad for the baby. Stop being so willful. Give me your address, I'm coming to pick you up right now..." Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a wet, sticky kiss on a cheek came through the phone. Followed by Mia's soft giggle. Arthur cleared his throat. His tone abruptly shifted, stating coldly: "Something came up at the company. Take a cab home yourself." After saying that, he couldn't help but add: "Text me when you get home." After he hung up. I opened our chat and, exactly as he requested, sent a message: [Arthur, let's break up. I sincerely wish you and Mia a long, happy life together.] The moment the message showed as "Read," I blocked all his contact info and turned off my phone... "Auntie Chloe, here! Over here!" As soon as I got off the plane, I spotted my little niece enthusiastically waving her hand in the crowd. I scooped her up with a beaming smile and said to my sister: "It's the middle of the night. I told you guys you didn't need to pick me up." "You think I wanted to? It's this precious niece of yours who wouldn't stop crying to see her silly auntie." My sister reached out and hugged me. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of my flat stomach, her eyes filling with heartache. Just as I was about to comfort her, she preemptively pinched my cheek, fiercely complaining that I was as skinny as a rail. "Starting tomorrow, a bowl of fish maw and pork trotter soup every single day. Even if you hate it, you have to drink it. Non-negotiable." "Okay, okay, whatever you say. You are my one and only sister, after all." I sniffled, holding my niece, got into my sister's car, and the three of us drove home, laughing and chatting. Even though it was 4:00 AM, my parents were still waiting in the living room. Only after confirming my sister and I were safely home, and watching me drink my favorite childhood honey iced tea, did they finally smile and go back to their room to sleep. After washing up, I lay in bed. Despite my usual insomnia, I fell asleep deeply within minutes. No pain, no more hesitation. Because I had finally returned to my true home. On my third day back, my parents booked a private room at a restaurant and invited all our relatives to welcome me home. Just as my welcome-home dinner was in full swing, filled with laughter and joy, a delivery driver arrived at the door and called out my name. My niece, who often fetches takeout for her mom, trotted over, grabbed the package, and skipped back to me. Having already learned how to read, she said in her sweet, babyish voice: "Auntie, it's from a Mr. Sterling..." After thinking for a long while, I finally opened the box. Inside was a brand new smartphone. Just as I was thoroughly confused by this, the phone suddenly rang. Faced with the concerned looks from my family, I instinctively picked up the phone and walked to a quiet corner. I hesitated for a good while before pressing answer. Arthur's voice was as cold as ever: "Chloe, why didn't you tell me you went back to your parents' house?" I asked him back: "Why should I tell you?" After a moment of silence, Arthur deliberately softened his tone and said: "I tried calling you from several different numbers, but your phone was always off... I was worried about you." Having specifically set my phone to reject all unknown numbers, I blinked: "Just because of that, you used illegal methods to track me down, and even had a cheap phone delivered right in front of my family?" I couldn't help but ask: "Arthur, are you mentally ill?" In all our years together, he had never received a single word of criticism or insult from me. Even through the phone, I could imagine just how ugly his expression must be right now. But despite that, he didn't hang up. "Chloe, you know my personality. My patience is limited. You'd better know when to quit while you're ahead..." Interrupting his nonsense, I asked impatiently what exactly he wanted to say. Taking a deep breath, Arthur said in a low voice: "For the sake of the baby, I won't hold this little runaway stunt against you. I've already bought you a ticket back for next week. Mia and I will pick you up at the airport." Hearing this, I almost burst out laughing: "What baby? The baby in my stomach has been gone for a long time." I heard the sound of something shattering on the floor from Arthur's end: "Chloe! How dare you joke about our child like that?!" Lowering my eyes, I pulled at the corner of my mouth and said: "I'm not joking. The baby is really gone. And I truly want to break up with you..." Before I could finish, Arthur sneered with utter disdain: "What do you mean the baby is gone? What do you mean you 'truly' want to break up? You just want to force me to admit I was wrong, don't you? Fine, I was wrong. I was wrong to let you take a cab home alone just because something came up at work. Ms. Vance, I apologize to you. Are you satisfied now?" Faced with his passive-aggressive sarcasm, I felt absolutely nothing inside, only a profound sense of boredom: "I don't need your apology. You just need to understand one thing: we are broken up." With that, I hung up immediately, popped out the SIM card, and threw both the phone and the card into the trash. It was already 11:00 PM by the time the dinner ended. A close high school friend I hadn't seen in years texted me, inviting me out for a late-night drink. I immediately went home, changed into a very form-fitting long dress, and happily went to meet her.
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