1 That night, at a friend’s gathering, I sat quietly on the sofa. Suddenly, my husband, Professor Alistair Berini, dropped to his knees before me with a thud. His face was contorted in a pained expression as he spoke. He said Celeste and I were a match for a heart transplant, and the surgery had to happen immediately. I froze, though deep down, I felt no surprise. I softly reminded him that everyone only has one heart. He instantly promised he’d arrange for the best surgeons in New York to install an artificial heart for me. I touched my belly, telling him I was three months away from giving birth. But he told me to give up this child first, saying there would be others later. As I sat there in a daze, Celeste’s clear, bright laughter reached my ears. She told my husband, "Happy April Fool's Day!" and that the successful match was just a prank, never expecting he’d actually come to beg me. The friends around us erupted in cheerful chatter, teasing her about how awkward her joke was. Someone even quipped that if Celeste had claimed to be a match for them, Asher would have probably already dragged them to the operating table. Everyone was laughing. I alone sat in silence. After the party ended, I quietly took out my phone and booked an abortion for the next day. … Alistair had never truly been angry with Celeste. For his delicate, sickly student, he had always treated her with kid gloves, afraid to even raise his voice. But this time, after he rose from his knees, his face was uncharacteristically grim. The boisterous crowd grew quiet, sensing the shift. The air thickened. Someone quietly nudged Celeste. “You crossed a line with this prank, hitting a nerve with Professor Berini.” “He’s infamous for being devoted to his wife. The year he started teaching, a colleague made an offhand joke about Aurora, and Alistair beat him so badly he ended up in the hospital.” Celeste froze, then tears welled in her eyes. She carefully tugged at Alistair’s sleeve. “I’m so sorry, Professor Berini, it’s April Fool’s, I was just trying to play a joke.” When he didn’t speak, she turned to me, sniffling. “Mrs. Berini, I didn’t mean it. If you’re angry, scold me, I deserve it.” Friends quickly intervened, trying to smooth things over. “This girl is just a bit thoughtless, didn’t think before she joked. You two shouldn’t take it to heart.” “Exactly, Alistair. She’s been your star student for three years, even got a mention in your thesis acknowledgements recently. You can’t let an April Fool’s joke ruin everything.” Alistair’s expression finally softened a little. He reached up, gently wiping away the tears at the corner of her eye. “Don’t make jokes like that again.” Celeste nodded profusely. He then looked at me, a hint of apology in his voice. “I’m sorry, Aurora, I came to you for help before I even verified the information.” Such a massive thing as a heart transplant, casually wrapped up in "a little help." It wasn’t the first time. Whenever something involved Celeste, Professor Berini, usually so clear-headed and rational, became remarkably emotional and vague. He would, in the dead of winter night, drive eight hundred miles to coastal cities because she mentioned menstrual cramps. When asked about it, he'd offer a helpless shrug: "The girl isn't well, I worry about her." But I was at home, five months pregnant, waiting through a cold, lonely night. He didn't worry about me. I was in agony, speechless from constant fetal movements. He didn't worry about me. My morning sickness, contractions, swelling, hair loss – none of it seemed to concern him. Facing me, he was always as rational as a machine: “Aurora, carrying a life is naturally difficult. It’ll be better once the baby’s born.” I became irritable, prone to outbursts, but he dismissed it as pregnancy hormones, offering a few casual words of comfort before retreating to his study. Each time, I’d force myself to suppress the urge to disturb his work. But that research paper, the one he’d poured five years of his life into, actually mentioned Celeste in the first line of the acknowledgements. A mere undergraduate student with, arguably, no professional competence. I only found out when the news broke. In the interview video, Alistair spoke with casual indifference. “In my five years of teaching, Celeste isn’t the most talented student I’ve seen. But she is certainly the most resilient.” “I’m grateful she appeared in my life. She gave me the courage to continue my research.” 2 That day, I accidentally shattered my favorite vase. When Alistair saw it, he simply calmly instructed the housekeeper to clean up the mess. But that vase, he and I had crafted it together in a small ceramics studio during the year we were most deeply in love. He’d even earnestly declared it would be a family heirloom. “Maybe… maybe I can put it back together.” I knelt on the floor, trembling, trying to piece together the tiny fragments. He frowned, pulling me up. “It’s just a cheap vase, Aurora, it’s nothing.” My eyes welled up, but his gaze fell to my belly. “Is the baby bothering you again?” I tried to reassure myself, telling myself he was a logical man, and it was perfectly normal for him not to care about such sentimental keepsakes. But that evening, when I went to his study to bring him fruit, I saw a locked, transparent display case. Inside, carefully preserved, was a twenty-dollar fountain pen Celeste had given him, the kind you buy at a stationery store. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head. I yelled at him, and even smashed open the cabinet, throwing the pen fiercely into the trash. But in the next second, he retrieved it as if it were a precious treasure. When he looked back at me, Alistair’s eyes were full of impatience. “Aurora, look in the mirror. See how much you resemble a shrew right now!” “You broke the vase yourself today. What exactly are you blaming me for?” I made him swear to God that he hadn't fallen for Celeste. If he had, then neither of us would find peace. Alistair, the staunch materialist, hesitated. After a long moment, he finally spoke. “Yes, I have fallen for her.” “But we haven’t crossed a line, and we won’t. You don’t need to act like you’ve suffered some terrible injustice.” Tears streamed down my face. He sighed, reaching up to smooth my disheveled hair. “Aurora, we’ve been together for eleven years. There’s no novelty left.” “To be frank, when I kiss you, it feels like I’m just pressing my own lips together.” “Sometimes I even regret marrying you abroad right after college, but back then, I never imagined I’d fall for someone else a decade later.” He was the one who once lit up the entire city with fireworks to woo me. Now, he was the one looking down, coldly discussing his change of heart. “Celeste has a vibrant, lively personality, unlike your subdued nature.” “She loves to play pranks, she loves watching silly romance movies, she loves feeding stray kittens by the roadside.” “Even though these are all boring things you used to enjoy, when she does them, I find them incredibly endearing. I can’t help but be drawn to her.” Finally, he lit a cigarette, his voice gentle yet cruel. “As long as you’re willing, the position of Mrs. Berini will always be yours. But you must accept that my heart belongs only to her.” After that night, I plunged into a continuous spiral of breakdown and emotional turmoil, crying every day until my eyes were swollen and red. I tried to detach myself, deliberately ignoring his late nights, his repeated absences from my prenatal appointments, his taking Celeste on vacation to Hawaii. But it was always just me lying to myself. Until today, when he knelt before me in front of everyone, begging me to give my heart to Celeste, even willing to sacrifice our six-month-old child. I suddenly felt this marriage was utterly pointless. 3 “Mrs. Berini, I know I was wrong, please forgive me.” Celeste’s voice was much more confident now than before, a subtle, hard-to-miss smirk hidden in her eyes. Someone chimed in, “Aurora, Celeste didn’t mean any harm. She’s always been a bit wild with her jokes. She even said something about wanting to marry Professor Berini when she was drunk once.” At that remark, the atmosphere instantly went silent. The person slapped a hand over their mouth in chagrin. “I didn’t mean it like that! I meant she just doesn’t think before she speaks. Who doesn’t know you and Asher have been together for years, solid as a rock? There’s no room for anyone else!” I gave a silent, wry smile, then looked at Celeste. “It’s fine. I don’t blame you.” Everyone visibly relaxed. The next second, I continued. “Alistair and I are getting divorced soon. Consider this an early congratulations on getting what you wanted.” “Aurora!” Alistair’s face darkened. “Don’t talk nonsense in front of all these people.” I found it ironic. “You can beg me in front of all these people to give my heart to Celeste, but I can’t even mention divorce?” He frowned. “It was just an April Fool’s joke. What’s the big deal?” “Celeste has already apologized, and I’ve spoken to her. If you keep making a scene, it’s just going to make things awkward for everyone!” Our friends also started to advise me. “Calm down, Aurora. You’re pregnant, don’t let this trivial matter hurt your marriage.” “Exactly. We all saw how much Asher cared about you earlier. He never speaks to Celeste that harshly.” At their words, I slowly looked at Alistair, my voice surprisingly calm. “You weren’t angry because of me just now. You were angry because Celeste joked about her match, and you were disappointed when you heard the truth.” He faltered slightly. A moment later, a flicker of irritation crossed his brow. “Please, I’m begging you, can we not talk about this here?” “You might be shameless, but Celeste isn’t.” A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I closed my eyes briefly, then whispered, “Fine. See you at the courthouse next Monday.” As I stood to leave, Celeste suddenly knelt before me. “Mrs. Berini, please don’t be angry with Professor Berini, okay? He just wants me to have a healthy body.” I stared coldly at the girl, whose face was streaked with tears, and scoffed. “You went to all this trouble to make that joke, proving your place in Alistair’s heart. You must be quite pleased now.” She suddenly looked deeply humiliated, her face turning ashen. I averted my gaze, walking around her to leave. The next second, I heard a cold, biting voice. “Aurora, don’t forget that Mom is still at Berini Memorial Hospital.” My steps halted abruptly. Never in my life did I imagine Alistair would use my mother to threaten me. After a long silence, I forced a smile, helping Celeste to her feet. “Everything I said just now was a joke. I don’t blame you.” Her voice was choked. “That’s good. I was so scared I’d cause trouble for Professor Berini.” The charade ended there. Alistair drove me home. On the way, he uncharacteristically offered an explanation. “I was just forced to scare you back there; I wouldn’t actually do anything to Mom.” “I really put you through a lot today. As compensation, I’ll accompany you to your prenatal checkup tomorrow.” “Aurora, we’ve been together for over a decade. I’m not completely devoid of feelings for you. If possible, I hope you and Celeste can get along.” I leaned against the car window, perfectly calm. “What I said today was serious.” “Alistair, let’s get a divorce. From now on, your business with her has nothing to do with me.” 4 The air hung silent for two seconds. He suddenly let out a low chuckle. “This is the seventh time you’ve brought up divorce since you got pregnant. Next time you throw a tantrum, try some new tactics.” As he finished speaking, his phone rang sharply in the car. He answered the call, then slammed on the brakes. “You get out here. Celeste is having an episode; I need to get back to her.” I looked at the pouring rain outside the window, paused, and opened the car door. His urgent voice came from behind me. “Find somewhere to shelter from the rain and wait. I’ll take her to the hospital and come back for you!” Late at night, in a downpour, finding a taxi was impossible. I waited in a convenience store until three in the morning before finally getting a ride home. Three hours of waiting – enough time for Alistair to take Celeste to the hospital and back ten times over. Not enough time for him to take his six-month pregnant wife home. … In the morning, I went to the hospital. The doctor looked gravely at the test results in her hand. “Miss Berini, given your current physical condition, undergoing an induced abortion would likely mean you won’t be able to conceive again in the future.” “If you confirm, please sign here.” I was naturally prone to difficulty conceiving. At twenty-three, I’d had a child once before. Alistair was just starting to make a name for himself in the research world back then. During his busiest period, I traveled with him through three different countries in a single week, eventually collapsing from exhaustion. I woke up in the hospital to learn I was a month pregnant, but the prolonged travel had caused a miscarriage. That was the first time I saw Alistair cry. He held me, heartbroken, apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry, Aurora, it’s all my fault for not taking care of you, I’m so sorry…” “We’ll have another one someday, we will.” Six years. Six years of praying at temples, monthly hospital check-ups, all to finally welcome this child. But everything had changed. I signed the papers in silence, following the nurse to the ward, only to unexpectedly run into Celeste. Her face was flushed with health, showing no signs of the “episode” Alistair had mentioned. “Mrs. Berini, are you here for a prenatal checkup alone? Why isn’t Professor Berini with you?” The next second, her lips curved into a smile. “Oh, I almost forgot. He’s helping me get my period pain medication.” “He’s really making too much of a fuss. It’s just normal menstrual cramps, but he insists on bringing me to the hospital for a check-up.” “Last night, too, I just casually mentioned we were a match, and I never expected he’d actually want you to give me your heart.” Seeing no reaction from me, she looked a little annoyed. “I’m sorry, I seem to have upset you again.” Alistair, who had just arrived, overheard her. He frowned, stepping in front of her protectively. “Aurora, can’t you just leave Celeste alone? She’s very weak right now!” I didn’t speak, simply walked around them. Alistair watched my retreating back, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat. He stopped the nurse. “Where are you going?” The nurse politely replied, “Sir, we cannot disclose patient privacy.” He wanted to press further, but Celeste stopped him. “Where else would she go? For a prenatal checkup, obviously.” “Professor Berini, you promised to go see a movie with me today. Let’s go.” … During the two days I was hospitalized, I received eighteen missed calls from Alistair. In his texts, he sounded frustrated and angry. “Why aren’t you home and why aren’t you answering your phone? There’s a limit to throwing tantrums; this just makes me more annoyed.” “I’m going on a business trip to Europe soon. Let me know if there’s anything you want.” “How were your prenatal checkup results? Everything alright?” I texted back. “Don’t forget, courthouse tomorrow.” His reply was instant. “Are you serious?” “Fine. Just don’t regret it later and come up with some excuse about not feeling well.” The next day at nine, I waited outside the courthouse. Half an hour later, Alistair finally arrived. He slowly got out of his car, but the moment his eyes landed on me, he froze, staring blankly at my flat stomach. “…Aurora, where’s the baby?”
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