Goodbye, Lover

Charles and I had been together for six years. After we found out I was pregnant, marriage became a priority and we decided to go to the Town Hall today to get our marriage certificate.

But just before we were about to leave, he got a call from his so-called sister, Jenna Shepard.

He told me, "Take a taxi. I'll meet you at the Town Hall entrance after I deal with Jenna," and then rushed out.

On my way there, I got into a taxi accident. Panicked, I tried calling him, knowing his college friend was the hospital director and could pull some strings.

But he hung up on me three times. Then, I got a voice message from him, "What’s going on now? I told you Jenna is upset. Can’t you just wait a bit?"

I was holding my aching stomach and sent a voice note back, "Charles, I had a car accident. My stomach hurts and I’m scared the baby might not be okay."

But my message wasn’t delivered. I stared at the red exclamation mark on the screen and realized I had been blocked.

Four hours later, I was out of surgery, having narrowly survived. The doctor told me the baby didn’t make it.

I laid there, staring at the ceiling, hands on my empty stomach, tears quietly falling. I didn’t even realize how much time had passed.

It wasn’t until I smelled food from the bed next to mine that I remembered I hadn’t eaten all day.

I picked up my phone to order some takeout and when I unlocked it, I saw my TikTok was still open. The first video that popped up was from Jenna.

In it, she and Charles were having a candlelight dinner and he kissed her on the forehead. The caption said, [As long as he is there, I will always be brave to start over again.]

Seeing their happiness felt like a punch in the gut. I couldn't hold back and dropped a comment, [You scumbags deserve each other.]

——

The next day, I checked out of the hospital. The doctor told me I had only been there for a short time but still needed a week to recover, so I took some time off work and stayed home.

Walking back into my apartment, everything felt different, like I was in a whole new world. The past couple of days had made things crystal clear.

Looking back on everything with Charles, I finally realized that the only reason we lasted six years was because I was the one always compromising. I loved him, so I kept letting things slide.

But after losing the baby, that was it. I didn’t want him anymore. I started planning to move out and officially break things off.

It was about 10 p.m. when Charles walked in, all smiles, looking like he was in a great mood. But as soon as he saw me, his face dropped. He asked, "Sydney, what are you doing?"

I looked up, totally confused and met his angry gaze. I had no idea what I had done wrong this time.

He walked over to the bed, grabbed my phone and tried to unlock it, only to realize I had changed the password.

He tossed my phone aside with a frustrated look. "Delete that comment about Jenna! She just broke up with her boyfriend and is feeling down. What's wrong with me being there for her as a brother?"

He shook his head. "You're a woman too, so why would you do that to Jenna? She's my mom's goddaughter. If anything was going on between us, it would've happened a long time ago. I wouldn’t be with you!"