The day Leo brought his childhood sweetheart to our home to ask for a divorce, I had just returned from the hospital. The pregnancy report in my purse read, Fetus developing normally. “If she hadn’t tried to save me, Liesl never would have been assaulted by those thugs, never would have gotten pregnant,” he said, his voice heavy with a sense of noble sacrifice. “I have to give her my name. It’s the only way she can move on.” He looked at me, his eyes pleading for understanding. “As soon as Liesl and the baby are settled, I’ll remarry you.” He didn’t know. The thugs, the assault… Liesl had orchestrated the entire thing. I glanced at Liesl’s swelling belly and nodded. “Okay.” Then I went and got an abortion, and I never saw him again. 1. Marrying Leo had always been a step up for me. His father was an executive at Atherton Engineering, the company that was the lifeblood of our town. Leo had followed in his footsteps, becoming one of their top engineers. I was just an orphan. To close the distance between us, I studied relentlessly until I earned a place at the same university. But even then, I ended up in a low-level admin job at the plant, barely even crossing his path. I still remember those early days, how I’d turn beet red and speechless whenever I saw him in the company cafeteria. It was always him who spoke first. “Stella, right? I remember you.” My crush on Leo was an open secret at the plant. He knew it, too. From the day he’d first shown me kindness, there had been no one else for me. When I was ten, my parents died in an accident. It was Leo who found me crying by the side of the road, who comforted me. He introduced me to the couple who would become my adoptive parents, a warm, loving pair who had wanted a child for years. He gave me a home. Three years ago, I was offered a spot in a specialized technical fellowship, a chance to move to another city and build a real career. The opportunity was huge, but it meant leaving, maybe for good. I finally worked up the courage to tell Leo how I felt. The confession hung in the air between us, but the awkwardness I’d feared never came. “Don’t go,” he said simply. “Let’s get married.” With those five words, he brought an end to a decade of my own quiet turmoil. I gave up the fellowship and dedicated myself to taking care of him and our home. His father often reminded me of my place. “You’re lucky to have married into our family,” he’d say. “Leo was supposed to marry the CEO’s daughter.” His words only added to the pressure. I threw myself into being the perfect wife, terrified of making the smallest mistake, of disappointing his father, of making Leo regret choosing me. In three years of marriage, I thought I had done everything right. I’d even cared for my adoptive parents through their final illnesses, burying them with the love and dignity they deserved. My only failing was that Leo and I were still childless. Today was our third anniversary. It was also the day I found out I was two months pregnant. The pure, unadulterated joy of knowing we were finally starting our family was impossible to hide. I carefully tucked the report away and splurged on two pounds of prime steak. But I never got the chance to celebrate. He came home with Liesl. “Stella, we need to get a divorce, just for a while.” He laid it all out. Five months ago, on a work trip to a remote site, he’d been cornered by muggers. Liesl had appeared out of nowhere, creating a diversion that drew them away, saving him. “If she hadn’t done that for me,” he explained, his voice strained, “she wouldn’t have been… assaulted. By the time she realized she was pregnant, it was too late to do anything about it. I have to marry her, give the child a name. Her reputation would be ruined otherwise.” In a small company town like ours, an unwed pregnancy was a scandal, especially for the daughter of a prominent family like Liesl’s. If the truth came out, the gossip would be merciless. And they had grown up together. Childhood sweethearts, a perfect match. Leo was a good, responsible man. It was a tragic love story, and he was playing the hero. I looked at the perfect couple standing before me and replied calmly, “Okay.” 2. My reaction seemed to throw him. His eyes were a mixture of confusion and surprise. “You… you agree to the divorce?” I nodded. “Yes.” “I thought you would fight for me.” I managed a small, tired smile. “What would be the point? You’d already made your decision before you even walked in that door, hadn’t you?” He flinched. “Did you want me to scream and cry? No. I wish you both the best.” Hearing that, Leo seemed to let out a breath he’d been holding. Liesl murmured from the side, “Stella, it’s just a temporary marriage. Please don’t hate us. As soon as the baby is born, I’ll give him back to you.” Leo saw her shivering and immediately shrugged off his coat, draping it over her shoulders. Then he came to my side, his large, warm hand settling on my shoulder. “Stella,” he whispered, his voice close to my ear. “You don’t have to move out. Just take care of yourself. Liesl’s right, this is just for show. Don’t overthink it. Just wait for me to come back.” Once, being held by him felt like holding the entire world. Now, the heat from his palm felt like ice. I took half a step back, slipping out of his embrace. “When do we sign the papers?” “They’re already drawn up. You just need to sign.” I laughed, a hollow sound. He wasn’t here to discuss it; he was here to inform me. I signed my name quickly. He snatched the paper and tucked it into his breast pocket with a swift, careful motion, more precious to him than my pregnancy report had ever been to me. Liesl’s voice cut through the silence. “Leo, my mom’s waiting for us with dinner. Can we hurry up?” Without another glance at me, he rushed to her side. “Right. Let’s go.” I watched them leave, her hands already linked through his arm, holding on tight. If he had cared, even a little, he would have noticed the expensive steak I was still holding. He would have asked what we were celebrating. I would have told him I was carrying his child. But he didn’t care about me. And maybe he wouldn’t have cared about our baby either. Perhaps I had lost the moment Liesl came back to town. Three years ago, I thought my devotion had finally won him over, that he had finally noticed the girl who had adored him from the shadows. The truth was, he had proposed to Liesl first, and she had turned him down. She’d been angling for that fellowship, pulling strings to get the position. But the program supervisors in the other city cared about talent, not connections. I was the other top candidate. By marrying me, Leo ensured I would give up my spot. That was why he’d insisted I quit my job, saying he didn’t want me to struggle in the workplace, that it was too tiring. He broke my wings so his true love could fly. I remember the day Liesl was transferred back to Atherton. Leo spent the whole night in his study, reading a romantic novel, the kind he never touched. It must have been one of her favorites. I cooked the steak for myself, eating what I could. I stored the rest away. I’d need it to recover after the abortion. I was getting ready for bed when the phone rang. It was Leo’s father, summoning me to the main house. I figured Leo had already told him about the divorce. When I arrived, Leo was kneeling in the center of the living room, a fresh bruise blooming on his cheek. Liesl was crouched beside him, sobbing. His father sat on the sofa, his face a mask of thunderous rage, muttering about the disgrace of it all. I knew that while he’d never been fond of me, in his world, divorce was a serious, shameful affair. Especially a divorce in the morning followed by a new marriage in the afternoon. When he saw me, his expression softened slightly. “You’re here. Come into my study.” 3. Leo’s father, for all his bluster, would always side with his son. “Stella, I know Leo was unfaithful, but you bear some of the responsibility,” he began, his tone severe. “Married all this time and not a single child. The Atherton line can’t end with him.” I opened my mouth, but no words came out. It was clear he had no idea the child wasn’t Leo’s. To protect Liesl’s reputation, Leo had shouldered all the blame. What good would it do to tell him now that I was carrying his grandchild? I gave a bitter smile. “It’s all right, sir. I have no complaints. Please don’t be too hard on him.” “That boy… to do something like this, it’s a disgrace to the family. I used to be fond of Liesl, but he’s married to you now! How could he…” He sighed, his anger deflating. “Still, you married into this family, so you’re one of us. Even though you’re divorced now, if you need anything, you can come to me. I’ll arrange a better job for you at the plant.” My heart was a tangle of emotions. In his own way, he was trying to be fair. I forced a smile. “Thank you, sir. But I’ll be fine. As for work, I’d like to rely on myself.” He nodded. “Alright. You should head home. But if you run into any trouble, you know where to find me. In the end, it’s our family that has wronged you.” As I left their house, snow had begun to fall. “Stella!” Leo called out from where he still knelt. “The roads are slick. Let me walk you home.” But just then, Liesl clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. Leo looked at me, his face a canvas of guilt. “I’m sorry, Stella. I have to get Liesl to the hospital. Please be careful on your way home.” “Okay.” I was used to it. Liesl’s needs always came first. Besides, we had no connection anymore. That night, I stayed up late, digging out my old textbooks and study materials. The dreams and the career I had given up—I was going to reclaim them. I also scheduled an appointment for an abortion for the following day. Three years. The memories were a constant, piercing pain. I had wondered, of course, what would happen if Liesl ever decided she wanted him back. But I’d always dismissed it as needless worry. We were married. Marriage was supposed to be unbreakable. Reality had slapped me hard in the face. The procedure went smoothly, but it hurt more than I ever could have imagined. Lying on that cold operating table, I bit back every sound, but silent tears streamed down my face, pooling in my ears, cold and ticklish. By the time it was over, I was drenched in sweat, a bloody crescent moon dug into my palm where I’d clenched my fist. I clung to the wall, trembling, as I stumbled out of the operating room. And ran straight into Leo and Liesl. He was holding her arm gently as she beamed, holding up an ultrasound picture. “Look,” I heard her say. “You can see the baby’s foot. Isn’t it cute?”
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