My hands wouldn't stop shaking. Numbly, I pulled out my phone. I scheduled an abortion. Booked a one-way plane ticket for three days later.
If he wanted the past so badly, I would give it to him.
I would disappear.
1.
"Since you want a child so badly, why not just let Charlotte have one?" someone asked.
At the mention of Charlotte Matthews, Walter's voice softened. A rare tenderness crept into his tone—one I had never heard directed at me. "Charlotte's health is fragile. How could I let her suffer through childbirth? Once the baby is born, I'll compensate Jessica properly."
His voice dropped, turning sharp and commanding. "Not a word of this reaches Jessica. If she finds out, don't blame me for what happens next."
An invisible vise crushed my chest. Air wouldn't come.
*Compensate?*
His casual dismissal wiped away years of my suffering. I was allergic to the fertility medication; every injection left my skin burning and itching for days. Yet, every time I saw the hope in his eyes, I gritted my teeth and endured it.
I thought we were building a family.
I didn't realize I was just a pawn in his twisted game of love with another woman.
Tears blurred my vision, streaming down my face unchecked.