He Killed Our Baby

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Our seventh wedding anniversary. The hospital called, pulling me in for an emergency C-section.

The Chief of Staff, Mr. Hill, his face grim, personally warned me: The patient was someone very importants beloved. The surgery had to be flawless, or the entire hospital would face the consequences.

I frowned, reviewing her chart. Id always thought power players in this town, like my husband Asher, were devoted to their wives. A beloved who wasnt his wife? That stung.

The surgery was a success. The incision, neat and clean, was a testament to my skill.

Just as I was letting out a relieved breath, a swarm of men in dark suits burst in. They shoved me roughly to my knees, right outside the patient's room.

Then, a voice, hauntingly familiar, pierced the air, sending a chill straight to my bones.

My wife says you hurt her during surgery. Youll stay on your knees all night to atone.

Through the window, I saw him. My husband, Asher Hill, cradling a newborn, his eyes red-rimmed with tender concern.

He was my husband, Asher Hill. And the woman in the hospital bed? The one he claimed hed cut ties with three years ago.

Six hours of surgery had already drained every ounce of my energy. The cold seeping into my knees was nothing compared to the icy stab in my heart. My lips parted, but no words came out. All I could do was stare blankly into the room.

Ashers eyes were bloodshot as he leaned over, pressing a kiss to the girls forehead.

Sweetheart, our daughter is beautiful.

Thank you for this precious gift on our three-year anniversary.

Tears splattered onto the pristine hospital floor. So, Asher had never truly ended things with her. All those late nights he supposedly spent at the office, were they spent with her instead?

The girl on the bed, her voice sickly sweet, grated on my nerves. It was just like Ashers birthday, years ago. Id swapped shifts with a colleague, rushing home early to surprise him. But when I pushed open our door, Asher was tangled naked with a stranger.

Id gone wild, flinging the birthday cake at them. Asher had dragged the girl to her knees, his eyes wild with a desperate, bloodshot plea.

Aurora, Im so sorry. My friends got me wasted and brought her to my bed.

I was drunk, I didnt know who she was

The girl, trembling, reached for my hand, trying to excuse Asher. Mrs. Hill, it was my fault. I needed money, I seduced him, I even drugged his drink.

That night, Asher whisked the girl away at lightning speed, then tore into his buddies whod allegedly set him up. He wrote a ten-page apology by hand, then knelt outside my bedroom door for an entire month. It even reached Ashers mother. With tears in her eyes, she begged me to give him another chance.

Aurora, he cant live without you. Hell fall apart.

I locked myself in our room for three days and three nights, convinced I couldnt sever the deep, searing love I felt for him. I forgave Asher. But I also warned him: if there was ever a next time, I would vanish from his life forever.

Daylight broke, and the bodyguards finally let me go. Chief Hill, shaking his head, told me to pack my things and leave the hospital. I drifted home like a ghost, every muscle aching, my spirit a fragile thread.

The candles on the dining table had burned down, the steak was cold. A tight, sickening ache filled my chest. I collapsed onto the floor, my eyes drawn to the enormous wedding photo on the wall. Asher in that picture, his gaze brimming with devotion, was the exact same man Id seen doting on Felicity in the hospital room last night.

Felicity pouted, asking for water. He carefully checked the temperature, then brought the glass to her lips.

Felicity murmured her legs ached. He immediately searched online for how to massage a new mother.

My eyes were vacant, tears streaming down my face, my heart spasming uncontrollably. Seven years of shared love, now reduced to ashes.

Asher, I dont want you anymore.

I packed a small bag, then sat alone until darkness fell. During that time, I called Asher over a dozen times. A part of me still couldn't let it go. I wanted to ask him, face-to-face, how he could love two people at once. How could he lull me to sleep, then still have the energy to sneak off to Felicity?

But the only response was a cold, dismissive text: "Don't be silly. I'll be home tonight to be with you."

Close to midnight, the lock clicked. Asher, seeing my red eyes, stiffened. He rushed to me, pulling me into his arms, feeling my ice-cold hands and feet.

Didnt I tell you not to wait up for me anymore?

You always make me worry, sweetheart.

Asher tucked me into bed, holding me tight, trying to warm me with his body heat. Years ago, before he made it big, we lived in a drafty, leaky apartment. Nights were brutally cold. Asher would hold me just like this, piling every warm piece of clothing onto me, his voice choked with promises.

Aurora, Ill never let you suffer like this again.

Now, we had more money than we knew what to do with, our house warm year-round. But why was my heart growing colder by the day?

My throat was raw and dry, and I couldn't stop the tears. I was about to demand when hed changed, when the strong scent of baby formula on him hit me. My stomach churned, and I pushed Asher away, rushing to the bathroom. In the mirror, my face was ghostly pale, a strange unease settling in my gut.

Asher followed, gently patting my back, pulling out his phone to call our family doctor. My wife isnt feeling well. Be here in five minutes.

My hand instinctively went to my slightly swollen belly. I prayed there wasnt a baby to complicate my plans. The doctor arrived quickly. After a brief check-up, he handed me a pregnancy test.

Mrs. Hill, have you been losing your appetite, feeling nauseous lately?

It might be early pregnancy

Ashers eyes lit up, shining with a sudden, fierce hope. He practically dragged me into the bathroom. Aurora, are we going to have a baby?

My fingers trembled, my heart threatening to burst from my chest.

About three minutes later, two distinct lines appeared on the pregnancy test. Ashers eyes shimmered with unshed tears, his lips quivering uncontrollably.

Aurora, were having a baby.

He immediately instructed the family doctor to fill our house with supplements and delved into thick stacks of pregnancy guides. I gave a bitter smile, unable to grasp why this child had arrived at such an utterly wrong time.

Years ago, while helping Asher with deliveries, wed been in a terrible car accident. Id instinctively shielded him with my body, suffering severe injuries that landed me in the ER. Thats when we lost our first child. The doctors said my uterine lining was thin, and it would be very difficult to conceive again after the miscarriage.

Later, as Ashers career took off, I started regulating my body, trying to get pregnant. Five years passed with no luck. And now, just when Id caught him cheating, just when I was planning to leave, a tiny life was growing inside me.

But what could I do? Let this child grow up without a father? Be ostracized in a single-parent family? I looked at Asher, a last sliver of hope in my voice. If he just confessed, I could convince myself to forgive him one more time.

Asher, is there anything you want to

The insistent ringing of his phone cut me off. Asher glanced at me guiltily, his fingers flying across the screen. He came over, hugged me, his voice muffled.

Something urgent came up at the office. I need to go make money to support you and the baby.

I grabbed Ashers hand, my throat tight. Can you give me three minutes?

His phone continued to ring. He gave a helpless smile. We can talk about it when I get back. Tomorrow, Ill spend the whole day with you.

Half an hour after I watched Asher leave, a text message from an unknown number arrived. The photo showed the man who supposedly went to the office, kissing the girls lips, while the baby in their arms smiled at the camera.

Some questions, I realized, didn't need answers.

Thankfully, Asher had been good to me over the years. The zeros in my bank account were almost uncountable C enough for me to raise a child alone, comfortably. I stroked my belly, tears splashing onto my hand. Baby, from now on, its just you and me.

Tonights flights were sold out. I only managed to book one for tomorrow night to Los Angeles. All night, my phone pinged with a new photo every ten minutes. Asher had bought the girl a villa, right in our own neighborhood. The photos showed Asher holding the girls hand, helping her write calligraphy. Amidst the blurred ink, I zoomed in, making out the words on the red banner:

A Happy Family of Three.

A dull ache started in my lower abdomen, and my hand slipped, losing its grip. The phone crashed to the floor, its screen fracturing into a spiderweb of cracks. It lit up, displaying a picture of Asher and me, our first kiss, the moment we fell in love.

I went insane, smashing the phone to bits, then tearing down the photo wall opposite our bed. Over a thousand pictures, Asher always saying "I love you" each time the camera clicked. But he lied to me how can you love someone and still seek out another? How could he bear to break my heart?

I shredded every photo of us, tossed out the ceramic mugs wed made together. As the sun rose, I slipped off my wedding ring, selling every piece of jewelry Asher had ever given me. Our once warm room became hollow. Just as I finished tidying the last remnants, Asher finally came home.

He carried countless elegant gift bags, then noticed the empty space on the wall. Aurora, wheres our wedding photo?

I looked at him with cold eyes, my voice soft. The frame broke. I sent it to be repaired.

Ashers tensed shoulders relaxed. He came to my side, tentatively speaking. Have you been short on cash lately? A friend said they received some jewelry engraved with our names. He opened a box, revealing everything Id just sold. The pink diamond earrings, the first luxury item hed bought me with his first big paycheck. To commemorate it, Asher had even hired a professional engraver to carve our names into them.

I glanced at them indifferently, my voice flat. Must have accidentally packed them with some other things I was getting rid of.

Asher rummaged through the glittering array of jewelry and pulled out a simple diamond ring. The diamond was tiny, almost unnoticeable. But it was the best Asher could afford back then, a symbol of his deepest love for me. Asher gently stroked my head, his tone indulgent.

My little scatterbrain, how could you lose your wedding ring? He leaned down, kissing my ring finger, then slipped the ring back on. Afterwards, he transferred fifty million into my bank account. If you need money, just tell your husband. Dont try to handle everything alone.

Aurora, try to rely on me more.

I didn't say a word, feeling like a hollow shell from which the soul had been sucked out. These gifts were things hed bought while out with Felicity. Not because he genuinely wanted to give them to me, but because someone had reminded him.

Asher, how much genuine affection do you still hold for me?

The entire day, Asher turned off his phone and stayed with me, almost like we were back in our dating days. He cooked my favorite century egg and lean pork congee, and meticulously followed a blogger's recipes for my pregnancy meals. Time ticked by, and my app reminded me it was time to leave. I watched the busy Asher, unable to find an excuse to get rid of him.

Just then, the doorbell rang.