Three months into my pregnancy, I had an intense craving for blueberries. I texted Ethan, who worked at the hospital, asking him to grab some on his way home from his shift. It was eleven at night when Ethan finally walked through the door. His hands were completely empty. He saw the look on my face, realized his mistake, and gave me a guilt-ridden apology. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I was in surgery all day and completely forgot about the blueberries." "I'll buy them for you first thing tomorrow, okay? Please don't be mad." I didn't think too much of it. Instead, I tried to comfort him. But as I was hanging up his coat, a trendy designer hair claw slid out of his pocket. Ethan's face went stiff. He quickly offered an awkward explanation. "Oh, Hailey really wanted that brand. She kept begging me to grab one for her if I passed by the boutique, so I just bought it to get her off my back." I remembered it clearly. Right next to that boutique was the organic market that sold my favorite blueberries. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. I looked at him, my voice eerily calm. "Ethan, let's get a divorce."
Ethan froze. His expression darkened instantly. "On what grounds?" My hand tightened around the hair claw, the plastic teeth biting into my palm. "You forgot my blueberries." "Just because of that?" His face fell completely, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, looking utterly drained. "Chloe, you're about to be a mother. How are you still this childish and petty?" "Pregnant women are always so unreasonable. Fine, throw your tantrum. I'm not going to argue with you." With that, he snatched the hair claw from my hand, grabbed his pillow, and headed straight for the study. As I watched his retreating back, a sharp, dull ache spread through my chest. That night, following a trail of digital breadcrumbs, I finally found Hailey's Instagram account. I opened it, and it was filled with posts about her and Ethan. "Ethan looks so cold, but he's actually the sweetest. He complains about me every day, but he never misses a lunch date with me." The photo showed Ethan with a reluctant face, eating the onions she had picked out of her plate. Ethan hated wasting food. If I ever left my onions behind, he would lecture me for hours. But with Hailey, his rules didn't seem to apply. "So much stress lately that my chest was aching. Luckily, Ethan was there to do a private exam for me." The photo was a mirror selfie of Ethan adjusting his stethoscope in an examination room, with her smiling in the background. The latest update was from just a minute ago. It was a screenshot of a FaceTime call. She was wearing a skimpy bunny girl outfit, posing suggestively. "Ethan got annoyed by a certain pregnant lady tonight, but don't worry, I've already cheered him up." My heart sank into a cold, dark abyss. Behind my back, Ethan and Hailey had already crossed every line. The next morning. It was Ethan's day off. He woke up early and bought a carton of the plumpest, freshest blueberries. He washed them, put them on a plate, and even fed one to my mouth. "I didn't forget the blueberries on purpose last night, Chloe. I was just exhausted." "I know pregnant women are sensitive and prone to overthinking. That's why I went out first thing this morning to get these. They're super sweet. You'll love them." Looking at the perfect blueberries, I only felt a wave of nausea. Just then, Ethan's phone buzzed. The caller ID read: "The World's Biggest Idiot." It sounded like a tease, but it was dripping with affection. I didn't know what Hailey said on the other end, but the color drained from Ethan's face. He turned to me, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Hailey's being harassed by a patient. She's just a young resident; she can't handle this alone. I have to go." I grabbed his arm. "Is she the only doctor in that entire hospital? She can call security, or she can call the cops. Why does she have to call another woman's husband?" "And you forgot? Today is my prenatal checkup. You promised you'd come with me." Ethan stared at me as if I were a stranger, his eyes cold and distant. "Chloe, how can you be so heartless? Hailey is my junior. It's my job to look out for her." He shook off my grip and walked out without looking back. Staring at the closed door, I suddenly remembered the day we found out I was pregnant. He had cried tears of joy. He told me that I and the baby were his entire world. Now, we couldn't even compete with another woman. Ten minutes later, Hailey's Instagram updated. The location tag was Ethan's office. She was wearing a crop top, kneeling under his desk, her hand on his belt. The caption read: "Lied to Ethan about being harassed just so I could give him his 'reward.' lol." I let out a dry laugh. I pulled out my phone and called my best friend, Jessica. "Jessica, draw up a divorce agreement. I'm leaving Ethan." I met Jessica at a local coffee shop. When she heard what Ethan had done, her face went red with rage, and she cursed him out for ten minutes straight. After I calmed her down, she quickly drafted the paperwork. "Get him to sign this as soon as possible. Also, I'm moving to London in two weeks for a new firm. Come with me." On my way home, a black sedan suddenly veered into my lane. To avoid a head-on collision, my Uber driver swerved violently, crashing straight into an oncoming SUV. The impact slammed me against the door. A sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my abdomen, and I felt a warm rush of fluid between my legs. Before I could even scream, my vision started to fade. Right before I blacked out, I saw a familiar man and woman rush out of the black sedan. Ethan ran toward me, looking completely frantic. The hickey on his collarbone stood out like a fresh brand, burning my eyes. He held me, his voice trembling. "Chloe! Stay with me! I'm getting you to the ER right now!" I couldn't speak. Darkness swallowed me whole. When I regained consciousness, I was on an operating table. Ethan, in his surgical scrubs, was prep-ping for surgery with a panicked look on his face. "Don't worry, baby. I won't let anything happen to you or the baby. You're going to be fine." Beside him, Hailey's eyes were red, her voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. It's my fault... I distracted Ethan while he was driving. I'm so sorry." "But don't worry, Ethan is the best surgeon here. You and the baby will make it." The memory of them in the car flashed through my mind, filling me with rage, but the anesthesia kept me paralyzed and mute. Thanks to Ethan's skills, the initial surgery went well. The baby was temporarily out of danger. But during the final closure, Hailey, who was assisting with the sutures, made a fatal error with the surgical tool. She accidentally sliced deep into my uterine wall. Blood surged instantly, turning the sterile field into a crimson nightmare.
"Damn it!" Ethan's voice cracked. He immediately began emergency resuscitation. But it was too late. The baby was gone. I nearly died too, slipping back into a deep coma on the table. When I woke up again, Ethan was sitting by my bedside. He had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept in days. I parted my dry lips. "The baby is gone?" Guilt flashed in Ethan's eyes. He squeezed my hand tightly. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I couldn't save him. But please, don't be too sad. We can have another baby. The important thing is that you're okay." Hailey, standing nearby, nodded quickly in agreement. "Exactly, Chloe. At least we saved your life. You have to stay strong." I let out a cold, hollow laugh. "What right do you two have to say that? You killed my baby. I saw what you were doing in that car. I'm going to report both of you to the medical board. You're going to lose your licenses." Their faces turned pale instantly. Hailey fell to her knees by my bed, sobbing. "I'm sorry, Chloe! I know I messed up! Please don't report me. They'll expel me from the residency program!" "I worked so hard to get into this hospital. Being a doctor is my dream. If I lose this, my life is over!" Ethan's face softened with pity. He turned to me, frowning. "Chloe, I told you, it was an accident. We didn't mean to hit your car. Do you really have to ruin her entire life?" "We can always have another baby. Are you seriously going to destroy a living person's future over a child you haven't even met yet?" When he said those words, did he remember how he had cried tears of joy when we first saw the positive pregnancy test? I didn't want to look at him. I turned my back to them. It didn't matter. Soon, I would be gone anyway. Seeing my silence, Hailey cried harder until she fake-fainted. Ethan, looking utterly heartbroken, scooped her up in his arms and rushed out of the room. That very night, Ethan had me secretly discharged and brought me back to our house. He confiscated my phone, laptop, and passport, locking me inside the master bedroom. I knew why. He was terrified I would report Hailey and ruin her career. He told me: "I was the one driving. If you want to sue someone, sue me. Hailey is innocent. She comes from a poor family and worked her butt off to get out of her small town. I won't let our marital issues ruin her." But with his family's connections, even if I sent ten thousand reports, I couldn't touch his position at the hospital. To keep me quiet, he forced me to take sleeping pills, keeping me in a constant, drug-induced sleep. Until one day, I was awakened by a sharp, stinging pain. I opened my eyes and saw Hailey holding my right hand. She was repeatedly sticking an IV needle into my skin, over and over again. Seeing me open my eyes, she gave me an innocent smile. "Oh, you're awake, Chloe. I have a clinical exam in a few days, so I wanted to practice finding veins on your hand. Sorry if it hurt." Looking at my blood-spattered hand, I summoned all my strength, raised my left arm, and slapped her hard across the face. The commotion brought Ethan running in. Seeing the red mark on Hailey's cheek, he glared at me. "Chloe! Hailey came all the way here to check on you, and you slapped her?!" I pointed at the bleeding needle marks on my wrist. "She used my hand as a pincushion. Why shouldn't I slap her?" A flicker of guilt crossed Ethan's eyes, but before he could speak, Hailey burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Chloe! I didn't mean to hurt you! I just wanted to pass my exam... I really didn't mean it..." Ethan couldn't stand her tears. He quickly wiped her face and comforted her. "It's not your fault, Hailey. Don't blame yourself." I wanted to laugh. I was the one bleeding, yet he was pardoning her on my behalf. I grabbed the ceramic vase from the nightstand and hurled it at them. "Get out! Both of you, get the hell out of my house!"
Ethan easily pulled Hailey out of the way of the shattering vase. He ushered her out of the room and ordered the guard at the door: "The Mrs. is agitated. Have the private doctor come up and bandage her hand." Ethan didn't come back to the room that night. I didn't care. I quietly began packing my things. Ethan and I were high school sweethearts. We had been together from age eighteen to twenty-eight. The photos we took and the gifts we exchanged over ten years were countless. That night, I threw them all into the fireplace and watched them burn to ash. Four days later, Ethan finally returned. He was completely drunk, and Hailey was supporting his weight. Seeing me sitting on the living room sofa, Hailey gave me a smug, provocative smile. "Ethan drank a bit too much celebrating my successful exam. Don't be mad, Chloe." "Who's drunk?" Ethan mumbled, pinning Hailey against the wall with a goofy grin. "I can drink ten more of you under the table." Hailey smiled at me. "Don't mind him, Chloe. He's always like this when he's drunk..." "I don't mind," I interrupted her before she could finish. I stood up and went upstairs, completely ignoring them. That night, muffled, disgusting sounds drifted up from the living room. I blocked them out. At 3:00 AM, Hailey sent me a selfie. Her neck was covered in dark hickeys. "Don't get the wrong idea, Chloe. Ethan thought I was you last night. He was so rough. These are going to take days to fade." I let out a cold snort and didn't reply. The next afternoon, Jessica texted me. "Are you packed? I booked our flight for 3:00 PM. I'm coming to pick you up in an hour." I replied with a single word: "Yes." Then, I walked over to the safe to grab the pink diamond locket my parents had left me. But when I opened it, the safe was completely empty. A terrible feeling seized me. I rushed downstairs. In the kitchen, Ethan was wearing an apron, cooking lunch for Hailey. Hailey was lounging on the sofa, watching TV, and around her neck was my pink diamond locket. I marched over to her, my voice cold as ice. "Give me my necklace back." Hailey frowned, covering the locket with her hand. "Ethan gave this to me. It's an expensive gift. I'm not giving it back." I sneered. "That was left to me by my deceased parents. What right does he have to give it to you?" Hearing the noise, Ethan walked out of the kitchen. Seeing us fighting over the necklace, a flash of guilt crossed his face, but he quickly tried to placate me. "Chloe, Hailey is going to a prestigious training seminar out of state next month. I was worried about her going alone, so I lent her the locket for good luck. Don't worry, she'll return it when she gets back." Fury flared in my chest. I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. "Ethan! You know how much this locket means to me! I don't even wear it myself! How dare you give it to her?!" Ethan's face darkened. "It's just a piece of jewelry, Chloe! Why are you being so stingy? She said she'd return it!" Before I could speak, Hailey choked out a sob. "Fine, if you're going to be like this, I don't want it. Take it back!" She unclasped the necklace and held it out to me. But just as I reached for it, she purposely let go. The delicate locket fell, slamming hard against the marble floor. The pink diamond popped out, the gold frame bent, and the glass protecting my parents' picture shattered into tiny pieces. Hailey gasped, fake-covering her mouth. "Oh my god! Why didn't you catch it? The locket is ruined. You can't blame me for that." Her smug, mocking face made me sick. I didn't hesitate. I grabbed the heavy glass vase from the coffee table and slammed it right over her head. Hailey screamed as blood began to gush from her forehead. Ethan panicked, instantly grabbing clean towels to stop the bleeding. I didn't even look at them. I knelt, picked up the broken pieces of my locket, and went upstairs to grab my suitcase. As I walked back down, Ethan yelled after me. "Chloe! Where do you think you're going?!" I looked at him with an expressionless face and threw the signed divorce papers right at his face. "Away from you." "Ethan, we are done. I don't want you anymore."
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