You're going to have a baby! Congratulations!"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Chloe gazed at the plush rug under her bare feet. Her thoughts were still focused on what the doctor had said at the clinic. She had assumed she had a bug or something, but she hadn't gone in for anything major. Now, however, everything was different.

She was expecting a child.

It had finally happened after three years of silently crying, hoping, and waiting.

She heard someone unbuttoming a shirt behind her.

"What are you thinking about?" As he passed her on his way to the loo, Ethan asked.

Before he vanished behind the door, Chloe glanced over in time to see his bare chest. She flushed. She was still anxious about certain things regardless of how long they had been married.

The shower started up. Slowly, steam coiled around the door's edges and filled the room. Her fingers trembling a little, she opened the drawer on the nightstand and carefully lifted the folded test report.

expecting a child.

Grinning, she held the paper to her chest.

At last, a reason to believe once more.

Nathan was still in the dark. He was unaware that their long-held dream had finally materialised. She assumed he would be content. Back when they still had dreams together, he would talk about having a large family.

She turned to face the loo. Perhaps she ought to say it out loud.

"Hey, you know what?"

"It's no big deal, but we're going to have kids."

She laughed uneasily.

She muttered, "Chloe, you've got this." "Just let him know."

With one towel wrapped around his waist and another running through his hair, Ethan stepped outside.

Chloe stood up and said, "Hey," in a light voice. "I want to share something with you."

"Yes?" He asked, still drying off and not really glancing at her.

Like a surprise birthday card, she carried the test behind her back. "Today, I visited the doctor and—"

On the dresser, his phone buzzed loudly. Squinting at the screen, Ethan picked it up.

Her heart began to race as she asked, "Can it wait?"

He answered the phone and walked out to the balcony, saying, "Just a sec."

Clinging to the report like a lifeline, she watched him from inside.

His tone became more solemn and quiet.

Then she heard him say, "I'm coming right now."

He returned inside and began redressing.

"What took place?" With furrowed brows, Chloe enquired.

"Something urgent," he blurted out.

She muttered, "It's almost midnight." "Won't it wait until morning?"

"No. It's crucial.

"More significant than what I must say?"

He hesitated, gave her a brief glance as if he might answer, then turned away and picked up his keys.

Then he was gone.

In the silent apartment, Chloe stood by herself. She still held the wrinkled baby report in her hand.

She returned to her seat on the bed and gazed at the door that was closed.

He went out. Once more.

He did.

Something else always came up when she needed him most. A job. A friend. A stranger.

Dropping the report onto the bed, she curled up next to it and tried to fall asleep.

Hours went by. She continued to look at the time. Nothing has changed.

Her phone then buzzed.

Ellie Shaw was the one.

"Hi, Clo! I was just wondering if you are currently using a wheelchair," Ellie asked in a bewildered tone.

"What? No, why?

I swear I just saw Ethan pushing a woman in a wheelchair while I was outside Azure Bay Grill. It resembled him exactly.

Chloe's heart fell. "Are you certain?"

"I don't know; maybe it wasn't him. The woman resembled that designer chick in certain ways. Clarke, Sienna?

Chloe felt nauseous.

Clarke, Sienna.

The name was a powerful blow. Even though she hadn't heard it in a long time, she felt uneasy.

Chloe was already looking through her phone when Ellie hung up.

She was following a gossip blog when a new article appeared.

"With a mystery man, renowned designer Sienna Clarke returns to Jasper Bay."

She gripped the phone tightly.

The image was sufficiently clear despite being blurry. A smiling woman in a wheelchair. A man pushed behind her.

She squinted.

Ethan was the one.

According to the article:

The well-known jewellery designer Sienna Clarke, who disappeared from the public eye two years ago, has made a comeback to Jasper Bay. According to locals, she was spotted tonight at Azure Bay Grill with a tall, dark-haired man who may have been her ex-fiance or long-time friend.

Even worse was the comment section.

Even in a wheelchair, she exudes style. Admire her!

That's probably her ex with her. Together, they look good.

"They ought to start dating once more. They resemble a couple from a movie.

After dropping her phone, Chloe sat there feeling numb.

Due to an emergency, Ethan stayed behind. He went to get her.

Her chest grew constricted.

Whispering to herself, she got up and started to pace the room.

"Obviously. He did, of course. I will disappear as soon as she returns.

She paused and gazed at her image in the mirror on the other side of the room.

She asked her reflection, "What am I even doing?" "I believed that we would at last begin a genuine life together."

She picked up the pregnancy report once more and walked to the bed.

She muttered, "He doesn't even know. He doesn't care at all."

She started crying, but not loudly or dramatically. Only gentle tears trickled down her cheeks. The kind that made you want to give up.

Then she halted.

She held the report in her hand, hovering over the trash can.

She paused.

No. This was not the end of it. It wouldn't end like this.

Gently folding the paper, she slid it back into the drawer.

She had no intention of giving up on herself.

She was determined not to give up on herself just yet.