On New Year's Eve, my water suddenly broke. My husband was so frantic he didn't even put on shoes before rushing me to the hospital. His feet were scraped raw and bleeding. I was moved to tears, until I found an opened condom wrapper in the back seat. "What is this?" I struggled to regulate my breathing as I picked up the wrapper. My husband glanced at it briefly and explained without missing a beat: "Norris borrowed my car last week to go to a party. Probably one of her friends accidentally dropped it." "Clark, don't overthink this. The most important thing right now is delivering the baby safely." Looking at the residue on the condom, I froze for a long moment. Yes, the most important thing right now was delivering the baby. Poor child, about to be born without a father. The ER on New Year's was still packed with people. "Honey, you're going to be fine." "Honey, I'll be right outside waiting for you. You can do this." "Honey..." Beside the moving gurney, Murphy kept pace with a tense expression, gripping my hand tightly. The fine sweat on his forehead constantly proved his love for me and the baby. Everyone cast admiring, envious glances our way. Only I was breaking out in cold sweat from pain. That cold sweat was for Murphy. He performed his devoted husband act flawlessly. I'd been fooled by that face for five whole years. Now, just thinking about that condom wrapper I'd seen made my stomach churn. At the operating room entrance, the medical staff stopped him and ordered him to wait outside. "Doctor, nurse, my wife is afraid of pain. Please take good care of her..." The man's voice trembled uncontrollably. His anxious, heartbroken appearance was truly moving. Inside the operating room, the midwife chatted with me while preparing equipment to ease my nerves. "You and your husband must have a great relationship, right? We don't often see men who care about their wives this much." "Yeah, your husband looked like he was about to cry." "Right? Before we closed the door, he even told the doctor that if something went wrong, to save the mother first, haha..." If not for tonight's accident, I definitely would have thought Murphy was the person who loved me most in this world. But hearing these words now, I didn't even have the mood to play along. Love or not, none of it mattered anymore. The pain of childbirth intertwined with the pain in my heart. I gritted my teeth as sweat poured down. After I dilated to three centimeters, a sharp, long needle pierced into my spine, and my pain gradually went numb. I forced myself to focus all my attention on giving birth, but I couldn't control my wandering thoughts. The sadness in my heart spread bit by bit. "Waaah!" A loud cry rang out. My baby was born. "Seven pounds, a boy. Congratulations." The midwife placed the baby beside my bed. I traced every feature of that little face with my eyes, my heart melting completely. Baby, I hope when you grow up you won't blame mommy for the decision I'm making now. If I could, I would have wanted to give you a complete, perfect family too. But your father can't give that to us. Tears slid from the corners of my eyes. I turned my head, holding back the stinging in my nose, forcing myself not to cry out loud. "Clark!" Murphy rushed forward excitedly and grabbed my hand. Seeing my reddened eyes, he couldn't help but lower his head. "Does it hurt a lot? It's all my fault for not booking a spot for me to be in the delivery room..." I calmly pulled my hand away. "Where's the baby?" "The nurses are doing checkups! Don't worry, I already watched every step, took photos for records, and memorized the wristband information."
"Are you still in pain? You worked so hard." Murphy's eyes were full of me. He ran around the whole time, handled all the paperwork for me, and then booked the best postpartum care center. Early in the morning, before I even opened my eyes, I heard the nurse push open the door. "By the way, if you've decided on a name, you can go to the first-floor lobby to process the birth certificate and medical records." "If you haven't decided yet, you can go to city hall after discharge." Murphy nodded with a smile and listened as the nurse explained some things about caring for me. Through the thin curtain, I watched him record everything on his phone, word for word. He looked so focused and patient. In just one day and night, he'd become the perfect husband in everyone's eyes. But I alone had a cold, unfeeling heart. "Honey, you're awake?" "We need to stay in the hospital for observation for a couple days. The day after tomorrow we'll move to the postpartum center I booked." Murphy wiped the table clean with a disinfectant wipe, then placed the prepared postpartum meal in front of me. "Oh right, the nurse just came to ask about the baby's name. Should we use the one we talked about before—Phillips?" I leaned against the pillow and adjusted my sitting position, then lowered my head to sip some soup. "Don't use that one." "I want the baby to take my last name. Let's call him Angel Smith." The bowl in Murphy's hands slipped and crashed to the floor. Food scraps and oil splattered everywhere. He choked out, "Why?" "Just because of that glove wrapper on the way here that looked like a condom?" "I already explained—it was Norris's friend who dropped it. If you don't believe me, I can call her over to clarify." Murphy sounded righteous, without a trace of guilt. His tone carried dissatisfaction with me for nitpicking. Seeing that I still said nothing, Murphy picked up his phone, ready to make the call. The next second, a phone rang outside the door. Norris walked in carrying flowers and gifts. "Mr. Murphy, Clark." The moment she entered, Norris raised her eyebrows in surprise, glancing at the mess on the floor. "What happened?" "Mr. Murphy, are you hurt?" As his secretary, Norris immediately set down her things and stood beside Murphy, checking to see if he was injured anywhere. Her movements were skilled and natural, with an innate intimacy. I watched the movements of her hands, my gaze icy. Murphy stepped back guiltily and pulled Norris over: "Norris, perfect timing. Yesterday, didn't your friend drop a condom in my car? Clark has misunderstood. Explain it to her clearly, right now, in front of me." Norris was smart. She clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh my! It's all my fault!" "My friend had her birthday yesterday. She got drunk and a bunch of stuff from her purse fell out in the car. I helped clean it up, but I guess I still missed something." "Clark, I used to be your intern. You gave me this job opportunity. How could I possibly hook up with Mr. Murphy?" Norris laughed awkwardly and came forward to hold my hand. "Clark, I'm your eyes and ears in the company, your most loyal subordinate." I looked at her calmly without speaking for a long while. Perhaps she really was before, but now I was certain she wasn't. Norris had just graduated from college when she joined our company. Back then it was the startup phase, and I trained her personally. Finance, management, HR, sales—I taught her everything I knew without reservation. Only because I felt she was a lot like me—born in the countryside, no father or mother, making it this far entirely on her own. So I cared about her more than anyone else. Of course, she was smart and knew how to show gratitude. Earlier this year, after I got pregnant, I had severe bleeding due to a low-lying placenta. Murphy happened to be away on business, and she was the one who saved me.
"I'll remember this kindness for the rest of my life." I truly saw her as a sister, frequently buying her gifts, clothes, and giving her bonuses. The house she lived in now was mine. Later, when I was on bed rest at home, I gave her the position of Executive Assistant to the CEO and granted her significant authority. Men change when they have money, so she offered to help me keep an eye on Murphy. But I never expected that this "keeping an eye" would lead to them in bed together. Looking at these two people I once trusted so deeply, my heart felt like it was being fried in oil. Norris smiled and handed me the flowers, then pulled a necklace from her bag. "This is a gift for you, just a little something. Don't think it's too cheap." Seeing I was still unhappy, Norris added another line. "Clark, don't be so paranoid. I know—your pregnancy hormones must have dropped now, so you're having mood swings, right? Everyone in this world might betray you, but I definitely won't." Norris made her solemn promise, but I was lost in thought staring at those two gold bracelets. I'd once seen the receipt for that necklace in Murphy's jacket pocket. I thought it was a gift he'd prepared for me. Only now did I realize it was for Norris. "That's enough. I've been putting up with you for days." "For you and the baby, I've canceled so many work commitments. I've been here with you constantly, but I can't even get a pleasant look from you. And now you're going to keep making a scene?" "It's just having a baby. Are you the only one allowed to be dramatic?" Murphy frowned, his expression carrying a hint of impatience. "Mr. Murphy, don't be like this." "Clark is vulnerable right now. She needs understanding..." Murphy didn't even let her finish before pulling Norris away. "Understanding, understanding. Who's going to understand me?" "Who are you pulling that face for! Norris, let's head back to the office!" Bang! The door slammed shut. My body jolted involuntarily, and I instinctively looked toward the baby in the crib. In that instant, tears fell like broken pearls. "Hello?" "List that small two-bedroom in the downtown area for sale. Quick sale." "Come by this afternoon. I'll send you the address." The person on the other end kept agreeing, then asked tentatively, "Did something happen to you?" "Nothing major. Don't worry." On the other end of the line was a struggling student I'd been sponsoring, a recent college graduate. I'd arranged for him to work at Murphy's and my company. No one knew about this except me. Now, he was the only card I had left to play. At the postpartum care center, there was a New Year's atmosphere. In the room next door, a family of three was happily taking newborn photos. Only my room was cold and empty. The company had already gone on holiday. It was obvious where Murphy had gone after leaving the hospital. I couldn't help but open Murphy's Instagram. It was completely empty. Not a single photo about the baby. Unwilling to give up, I opened Norris's Instagram. A photo in the snow, location tagged as her hometown. When I zoomed in, I could see Murphy holding his phone reflected in her eyes. [Finally not alone this New Year.] My eyes immediately burned with heat. The hand holding my phone kept shaking. A fire seemed ready to burst from my chest. It hurt terribly. Murphy and I had been together for ten years. Throughout those ten years, we supported each other. From being so poor we could only squeeze into a 100-square-foot rental to owning our own company—I thought we'd weathered all storms and would never part.
But reality dealt me the heaviest blow. Throughout the entire New Year holiday, Norris kept updating her Instagram. [Bringing him to see my mom and dad.] [Gifts for grandpa and grandma.] The photos showed health supplements, fruits, cigarettes, alcohol, and cash—I roughly estimated about three hundred thousand dollars. The comment section was full of colleagues asking if she was engaged. Norris replied with a playful emoji. [The diamond ring he bought.] The photo showed two hands tightly clasped together. I read through eight full days of Instagram posts, not missing a single word. Those eight days felt as long as eight years, and my sadness spread everywhere. Murphy had vanished without a trace, playing the perfect boyfriend in someone else's world. Even after work resumed, Murphy didn't come to see me but went to the company to hand out bonuses to everyone. [Super, super huge bonuses!] Norris's bonus was a full one hundred and eighty-eight thousand dollars. I froze, then called Murphy. "Are you sick, giving Norris such a huge work bonus?" "What are the other employees supposed to think? Murphy, if you don't want to continue this marriage, just say so. I, Clark, don't need you that badly." Murphy said nothing. After a long while, Norris's timid voice came through. "Clark..." "This is my bonus for landing that Southern District project..." I didn't believe that. "Let Murphy take the call. I need to talk to him." I sharply cut off her words, demanding she give the phone to Murphy. "Mr. Murphy, he's... not available right now..." Before she could finish, the call abruptly ended. Soon after, I received a message and learned they were hosting a reception that evening. I asked someone for the address and took a cab over. By the time I arrived, the reception had already started. Murphy was on stage talking about the company's achievements from last year, then drinking and celebrating with colleagues. When he got to Norris's table, someone started making trouble. "Mr. Murphy, this year Norris helped the company land such a huge deal. Aren't you going to show some appreciation?" "Oh my! Why bring that up!" Norris coquettishly pushed the person beside her, then smiled and lowered her head. "Mr. Murphy already gave me a bonus!" "Then how about a toast, to liven things up." Quite a few people had drunk too much and were getting rowdy. More and more joined in the teasing. Murphy held his wine glass and laughed heartily. He pulled Norris over, and they crossed arms to exchange glasses. Amid the commotion, they swapped glasses and drank them in one gulp. The atmosphere was like newlyweds toasting their guests. I sat among the crowd, feeling like a voyeur. Tears fell into the glass in front of me. I secretly wiped them away, forcing myself to accept reality. When I looked up, my gaze met that of a man in the far corner. I smiled bitterly and shook my head, the pain in my heart spreading bit by bit. My nose stung until it felt blocked. I stumbled to the restroom. Looking at my haggard self in the mirror, my emotions completely collapsed in that moment. Ten years had become a huge joke. I don't know how much time passed before I finally collected my emotions and started to leave. But hearing the commotion outside, I stopped in my tracks. "Didn't you say you'd ask for a divorce once she had the baby? Why are you still dragging it out?" "Are you having second thoughts about divorcing her because she gave birth to a son?"
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