By the time my induced abortion surgery was over, it was already late at night. The huge storm had reduced to a tiny drizzle outside the window.

The news on TV was still reporting on the major rainstorm that just happened earlier today. Its headlines read, "Severe Torrential Rain in Oceanville Leaves 18 Dead on Subway Line, 600 Passengers Evacuated".

Despite the discomfort from the anesthetic, I forced myself to search for my phone and call my husband, Walter Patterson.

Mom was lying next to me, still unconscious.

I thought that it was time for a divorce.

The cold, monotonous dial tone kept ringing in my ears. Just as the call was about to end by itself, Walter finally answered his phone. He sounded angry and impatient.

"What the hell? The storm's already over, so why are you even calling me? I've been busy all day and haven't even had a drink of water!

"Tracy's leg is hurt, and her dog is also severely ill. Dad just put it on a drip. We're still watching over them."

"Thomas, Wally, thank you so much. If it weren't for you both, I don't even know what would have happened to me and Maple. I'm sure we'd have been long dead like the 18 passengers on the subway line."

Tracy's weak voice was immediately heard over the phone, followed by my stepdad's comforting words.

Oh, so, my fierce and stern stepfather actually had a soft and gentle side to him, after all! His behavior proved to me that there was a huge difference between his treatment of people he loved and did not love.

I smiled bitterly and said, "In that case, Walter, let's get divorced. I… I can't do this anymore."

Walter only went silent for two seconds before his fury descended on me.

"Are you done yakking? I know you were trapped during the storm, but wasn't I busy saving people as well? Tracy was also trapped, so what's the big deal if I saved her and her dog on the way?

"You can't possibly want to divorce me just because of this? Don't you have a single ounce of empathy in you? You know that Tracy has it hard being all alone!"

Tracy had it hard? So, did my mom and I have it easy?

Mom had just undergone a major operation while I was nearing the end of my pregnancy. So, did we not even measure up to an outsider or even her damned dog?

Pregnant women were usually emotionally unstable. I wanted to cry, but I looked up and forced my tears back.

Walter was still yelling at me through the phone. "You want a divorce? You're already nine months pregnant, so you dare divorce me? You love the baby too much! Would you want it to grow up without a father?

"Stop thinking so highly of yourself, for god's sake! Tracy still needs us. You should reflect on yourself!"

With that, Walter hung up on me.

I tried calling him again, but I then realized that he blocked my number.

I smiled bitterly as I stared at my tummy. It used to be huge and round earlier today, but now, it was just flat like a deflated balloon. My phone slipped through my fingers and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Walter had been right. If my baby were still around, I would insist on giving it a complete family. I wouldn't want it to grow up fatherless, so I would definitely have chosen to forgive Walter.

But now, I didn't have a baby anymore. The only glue that held me to Walter was gone. So, I might as well divorced him now. What was the point of waiting, anyway? I would only continue disgusting myself if I were to stay.

Also, was saving Tracy really "on the way" as Walter had claimed? She was in the complete opposite direction from where the disaster happened. Even if the fire brigade had dispatched him to help, Walter would never have headed in Tracy's direction.

Had he even thought of me when I called him so many times? Had he thought about the baby in my belly that was about to be born?

He probably just didn't care. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hung up on me 18 times or spoken to me in such an icy-cold tone. Why else would he tell me to wait for someone else to save me?

I was his wife! I was carrying his baby!

And we had been trying for a whole year before this baby finally happened.

I could still remember the excruciating pain I was in. I could also recall the disappointment and helplessness I felt during the induced abortion surgery. My baby was being taken away from me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

While deep in thought, Mom's phone started ringing. It was a call from Thomas Patterson, my stepdad.

Thinking that Mom hadn't woken up from her surgery yet, I decided to answer it for her.

But just as I was about to take her phone, Mom woke up and answered the call by herself.

Instantly, Thomas' frustrated voice boomed in our ears. "Stella Damone! Can't you teach your daughter how to behave? You're such a disappointment for a mother! Is your ex-husband's hooligan genes so strong that she got it all from him?

"Why the hell would she want a divorce over such a trivial matter? Divorce is not something she should joke about so lightly!"

Mom pressed her lips in a thin line.

She took a very long time to calm herself down. That way, it wouldn't sound too obvious that she was on the verge of tears.

"Okay. Let's divorce as well. Tracy is your first love, and of course, she is more important than me. We're only strangers who met halfway through life, after all. Besides, Tracy is someone you've loved since you were young but never had a chance with.

"Now that she's back, you can finally go after her. You should chase after your love."

Thomas started roaring even louder through the phone. He was vastly different from the person I had heard earlier, gently coaxing and comforting Tracy.

"Divorce again? So, you and your daughter think marriages are just a joke? That it means nothing to you both? You told me before that you left your ex-husband because he had a bad character. It's obvious now that you were the problem all along! You get jealous of everything!

"Did you get water in your brain because of the storm just now? Tracy's leg is hurt, so shouldn't we have helped her clean her wounds? Her dog almost died, and since I'm a vet, I shouldn't have come to take a look at it either, right?

"Your jealousy has made you all sorts of delusional. How the hell could you get jealous of a goddamn dog?

"You want a divorce? Sure! Wait till the baby is born. And don't you both even think of taking away the baby with you!"

Mom didn't even get a chance to speak before Thomas cut the call. Similarly, her phone also slid to the ground with a loud thud.

She then looked out the window and said, "Penny, men are unreliable creatures."

I knew then that she was thinking of her past again.

Mom grew up in the country and fell in love with a "bad boy" like most youngsters nowadays. This was the person Thomas had referred to as my birth father.

Mom cut all ties with her family to be with my father and left the country with him.

At first, my father promised her the world. He told her he would work hard to earn a lot of money so that Mom could have it easy. Mom was still in her early 20s then, so she had believed every single word my father had said.

A while after that, she got pregnant with me, and that was when my parents hurriedly got married. Mom told me that the ten months she was pregnant had been the best time of her life. She was spoiled rotten by my father, who made her all sorts of delicious food and fulfilled her every need.

When I was born, however, the tune changed for my father when he realized that I was a girl. His attitude toward Mom changed even before she was discharged from the hospital. And whenever I cried or made a fuss, he would scold her and call her all sorts of derogatory names.

That was how Mom lived her life for the next few years. My father was extremely abusive toward her, either yelling or hitting her every single day.

When I turned six years old, my father came home with another woman, telling Mom that he wanted a divorce. His reasoning was simple. His new "love" would be able to birth him a son.

My father then chased me and my mother out of the house. We were penniless and owned nothing but the clothes on our backs.

We lived like nomads for years. Mom would carry me on her back while she did hard, laborious work. She then sent me to school with what little she earned. Eventually, I graduated from college.

The day I brought my boyfriend home was also the day she told me she had found someone new.

It wasn't until we each brought our partners to see each other that we realized we'd fallen in love with the father-and-son duo from the Patterson family.

A month later, the both of us got married on the same day. I was married to firefighter Walter Patterson, the son, while Mom was married to Thomas Patterson, the dean of a veterinary hospital.

Walter's mother had died from cancer a few years ago. On our wedding day, Mom had held Walter's hand in hers, saying, "Wally, I'll be your mother from today onward."

Meanwhile, Thomas also held my hand and said, "Penny, I'll be your father from today onward."

It was such a touching scene. Looking back, I could still feel the warmth from then.

However, both Mom and I had been so caught up in our happiness that we never realized that some other things were also starting to take root—our wedding day was set on the same day as Tracy Addams' birthday.

It was obvious what this meant to them both.

Also, both Walter and Thomas had called her, asking her to be there for our weddings.

I vividly remember Walter saying, "Tracy, it would mean the world to me if you were here."

I hadn't thought much about it back then. But now that I looked back at it, these had all been warning signs from the start. Tracy was someone special to the Pattersons.

Still, there was something I couldn't understand. Walter had his own mother. So, why did he like Tracy so much? He would even think that no one else could ever measure up to her.

Perhaps if Mom, Tracy, Maple, and I all died on the same day today, I bet that both Mom's and my funeral would come after the dog's.

I sat with Mom on the bed as we scrolled on our phones.

Tracy happened to post something on her Twitter just then.

Tracy had posted a photo of herself, her dog, and both Walter and Thomas.

She was in a wheelchair, with her foot wrapped up in bandages. Maple was sitting in her lap, while the Pattersons stood behind her. They all looked happy. Even the dog seemed to be smiling.

Her caption read, "Thank you, Thomas and Wally. My chaotic life is now peaceful because of you both."

Both Walter and Thomas weren't wearing their wedding rings in the photo. However, they usually never wore it while working since their job scope was out of the ordinary.

Nonetheless, the lack of the wedding bands on both their fingers in the photo now served as a proclamation to the world that they were still single and available.

People were starting to leave comments under the post.

"Oh, my God! You're so lucky! Anyone can tell that they're both father and son!"

"Is this a family photo?"

"No way! I don't believe it! Sorry. I'm just going to insert my wildest imagination here."

"Don't worry. I'm already imagining it. Isn't this kind of love a little crowded, though? Which one does she actually like?"

"I know! It's definitely both of them! She's dating them both at the same time!"

I passed the phone over to Mom. "Mom, I'm definitely getting a divorce."

Mom took the phone from me and enlarged the photo, her face dark and solemn.

A few seconds later, she replied calmly, "It's okay, Penny. I'll do it with you. I've done it before anyway, so I've got the experience. Call up a lawyer and get them to draft a divorce agreement."

…

On the third day, the lawyer was done with the divorce agreement. Mom and I sent the papers over to the Patterson household in the morning.

During the three days that we waited, neither Walter nor Thomas called any of us.

Mom and I remained at the hospital to recuperate. We were recovering quite well. However, since I had an induced abortion in the late stages of my pregnancy, my body was still very weak. I could only spend most of my time in bed. Sometimes, I would just stare at my flat belly and fall into a daze.

My baby was gone.

I had already thought of what he would look like growing up, which college he might attend, and what course he might major in. I also wanted to bring him traveling to see the mountains and the sea, the sunrise and sunset, and the desert and the plains.

Of course, most importantly, I wanted him to be happy. It would be a bonus if he could get rich as well.

My eyes turned red and watery. I wanted to suppress the tears, but it was impossible.

My baby was gone! And it was all because his father refused to come and save us!

I gripped the blanket tightly.

How would Walter react if he knew his baby was gone?

Suddenly, my phone started ringing loudly. It was Walter.

He'd removed me from his blocked contacts and finally called me. He never even bothered asking me why I disappeared for three days or felt concerned about my health. Instead, the first thing he did was shout at me at the top of his lungs.

"Penelope Rosewood! What the hell is going on in that brain-dead head of yours? I never came home for three days and didn't look for you because I wanted you to reflect on all the wrongs you've done!

"How dare you send me a divorce agreement? Do you really insist on getting a divorce?

"I did nothing wrong when I went to save Tracy and her dog. But I guess there's nothing I can do if you want to kick up such a ridiculously big fuss over it!

"Also, where the hell have you been for the past three days? Why weren't you home? Which bastard are you cheating on me with right now?"

Thomas had also called Mom and was similarly yelling at her in the call.

"You're turning 50 real soon, so what kind of nonsense are you and that daughter of yours up to this time? What? Have you both formed a divorce alliance now to go against us? Don't you feel ashamed of yourselves?

"Tracy is my friend. Am I not allowed to help her? I'm a vet! My responsibility is to save animals' lives! And yet, you think this is wrong?

"Fine! You think I'm in the wrong? Then, I'll be as wrong as you want, you goddamn woman! Can you stop all this nonsense, for heaven's sake?"

Mom's voice was calm. She looked calm, too, as she replied, "Thomas, you just want to know where I am, don't you? I'm on the third floor of Dayson Hospital, Ward 319."

"The hell are you doing there?"

"You'll find out when you're here."

Mom then hung up and stared out of the window.

I didn't say anything, either. It was particularly quiet in the ward.

20 minutes later, Thomas and Walter arrived, breaking the peace and silence.

I turned to look at the door. They weren't the only ones there. Tracy and her dog were also present.

This was pathetically ridiculous.

Mom was getting me a cup of hot water from the dispenser when they barged in. As soon as Thomas caught sight of her, he stormed toward her and gave her a huge slap in the face.

The cup fell to the ground and shattered. The hot water spilled onto Mom's hands, which immediately turned red and swollen.

Mom just hissed in pain. However, she didn't shed a single tear.

Meanwhile, Thomas was the one who looked like he was about to implode. "Go on, keep faking everything. I can't believe you actually checked yourself into the hospital to prove your goddamn point.

"You're as healthy as a goddamn horse! What the hell could have ever happened to you?"

Mom didn't answer him. Instead, she just said, "You can sign the divorce agreement whenever you're free."

Tracy then spoke up in her cutesy and nasal voice, "Stella, there's really nothing going on between me and Thomas. Even if we did, it still has nothing to do with you."

"Shut the hell up!"

As soon as she spoke, I couldn't stop myself from jumping out of bed and slapping her right on the cheek.

"You're already turning 40, so can't you be a little less shameless like now? You're not happy just seducing the dad, so you have to go and seduce the son, too? Why don't you just put in a little more effort and open a brothel instead?"

Tracy was stunned by my slap.

Also, because of the slap, Walter was now enraged. He pushed me harshly, his face as dark as thunder.

My body was still weak after the surgery, and he had pushed me with all of his strength. I stumbled backward and bumped into the table, where pieces of the broken glass fell to the ground and stabbed me in the foot. Blood started trickling out.

Walter didn't seem like he was done. He stomped over to me, wanting to continue beating me up.

"That's not the way to talk to Tracy!" He grabbed the collar of my shirt and glared into my eyes. Then, his gaze slowly went downward.

It was only then that he finally noticed my flat tummy. His face turned black at once. "Penelope Rosewood, where the hell is our baby?"

I pushed his hand away and stared into his cold eyes like a deranged killer, spelling it out clearly for him, "Oh, the baby? I killed him. He was a boy, by the way."