Chapter 8
That was me. That was my price for attending the engagement party from hell. Two Rolls–Royces. I was terrified of being poor again, and the two months of Julian’s cold shoulder had given me a harsh taste of it. When he slapped me, my first instinct was to scream. My second was to think of the cars. So I swallowed my pride.
Now, hearing the nurses‘ chatter, Julian actually let out a short, bitter laugh.
It died in his throat as the other nurse spoke.
“You know, I just remembered. I’d seen her before that day. I was delivering some files to the other wing and saw her coming out of
an OB–GYN appointment.”
I can’t fully describe the look on Julian’s face. His lips parted slightly, his shoulders slumped, and a look of profound, helpless conf-
usion washed over him.
Just then, Lily’s small voice called from the room. “Daddy Julian.”
He went inside. He stood by her bed, looking down at the feverish child, and his voice was strangely quiet when he spoke.
“Lily. That day.. did the pretty lady really push you?”
Copter
She was just a little girl, sick and miserable. She stammered for a moment, trying to hold on to the lie, but it crumbled. Her lower
lip trembled.
“I fell by myself,” she whispered.
That night, Julian stood outside the hospital room, staring across the courtyard at the softly lit windows of the maternity ward. He
stood there all night.
Watching his silhouette against the dawn, I remembered..
When I died, I was pregnant.
That was the other reason I’d agreed to leave so quickly. It wasn’t just the money. I wanted to have the baby. And I knew if Julian found out, he would never allow it. It wasn’t about love, not anymore. It was simpler than that. He had good genes. I had his money I could raise a child, a beautiful child, and we would have a wonderful life.
As the first rays of sun touched the city, he called the hospital director. By the time he hung up, his face was ashen. He knew. He sagged against the wall, covering his face with his hand. A choked, strangled sound escaped his lips–half laugh, half sob.
“Chloe,” he whispered to the empty hallway, “You really did a number on me.”
