Chapter 9

Steven replied with a hint of helplessness, "Because we have a child." "That's why you had Jessica secretly contact Zachary, right?" someone asked excitedly. "As long as Zachary accepts Jessica as his mom, you can reunite with her and raise Zachary together." Steven's friends tease him, "You really are smart for planning this out!" So Steven had orchestrated for Jessica to approach Zachary? No wonder when he sent Zachary to Chloe's place, she immediately took him to Jessica's house to build that connection. No wonder the kindergarten teachers called Jessica Zachary's mom. And here I was, foolishly trying to convince myself to forgive him. I was shaking all over, desperately trying to calm myself down, but everything felt hopeless. Before Steven could reply, his phone rang. He answered immediately, "Yes, Jessica? "What? Zachary cut his wrist? Hold on. I'll be right there!" Upon hearing that, I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. Zachary chose Jessica right there at the school. Logically, he should've been happy after going home with Jessica. So why did he suddenly fall into despair? I couldn't figure it out. The blows kept coming, sapping all my strength. I leaned against the wall to stay upright, but my body threatened to collapse. "Zachary..." Steven rushed into the office. When he saw me, he froze at once. I wanted to show some strength in front of his friends, but my tears kept flowing. His friends were stunned as well. They exchanged glances with each other, unsure of what to say. Seeing how distraught I was, Steven quickly came over and lifted me into his arms. "Zachary's going to be okay, honey. You don't need to worry too much." I covered my face with my hands, as I didn't want to feel more embarrassed in front of everyone. He practically sprinted to the elevator, leaving his friends behind. "Is that Annalise?" one of them asked. "She's hotter than I expected." "No wonder Steven doesn't want to divorce her. If I had such a beautiful wife who loves me, I'd definitely treat her well." "I envy Steven now." … Steven opened the car door and helped me into the passenger seat. At this point, I had no strength to resist. I just sat there, letting him fasten my seatbelt. "Honey." He stood beside me and gently wiped away my tears, but it felt like he couldn't clean them away. He wanted to explain, but I didn't want to hear it. "Let's just go to the hospital and see what's going on with Zachary." Worried about Zachary's safety, Steven quickly shut the door, started the car, and sped off toward the hospital. He focused on the road. His left hand gripped the wheel while his right reached out to hold mine. Yet, I flinched away and turned to look out the window. "Just drive." Steven seemed afraid I'd misunderstand him. "Please let me explain, honey." I leaned against the seat and closed my eyes. "I admit that the person I loved at first wasn't you," he said as he watched my reflection in the rearview mirror. When he saw my frown, he quickly added, "But after all these years together and raising a child together—" At this point, I opened my eyes and looked at him. "But when Jessica came back, you realized you still loved her." As soon as I said that, I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. All those years together and my silent sacrifices all felt so futile. But I decided to speak up anyway. "You don't want a divorce just because you're worried Zachary wouldn't want to come with you. So you've made time for Jessica to bond with Zachary." "Steven," I cried, "Zachary has already accepted Jessica as his mom. And what about you? When do you plan on asking me for a divorce?" Each word felt heavier than the last. Steven seemed taken aback by my anger. His voice revealed a hint of panic. "No, honey. Just calm down." He didn't even dare to pause. "When Jessica first came back, I did spend some time with her. I thought that would rekindle our old feelings, but it just didn't happen." Just then, the car stopped in front of the hospital. I didn't want to hear his nonsense anymore. I opened the passenger door and tried to get out. But Steven stepped in front of me. "When I was with her, all I could think about was that I couldn't betray this marriage." I tried to sidestep him. He moved with me, blocking my path again. "I couldn't betray you." At those words, I looked up at him. With a resigned sigh, he said, "Come on. You're too grown up to be sulking like this before letting me finish." After saying that, he pushed me back against the car and cupped my face, trying to kiss me. But all I could think about was Zachary, who had just cut his wrist. I wondered if he was safe now. How could I be in the mood to be intimate with Steven now? I pushed him away. "Check on Zachary first." Steven seemed to snap out of it. "Right." … In the ward, Zachary sat quietly with his head down, not saying a word. His left arm was wrapped in thick bandages. His usually rosy cheeks were devoid of color. The moment I saw him, my heart sank again. I rushed to his side and gently grasped his wrist. "What made you want to hurt yourself like this?" That was when I noticed Jessica standing nearby. This was the woman who tried to destroy my family and stir up trouble between Zachary and me. I could hardly contain my anger as I shot at her, "Is this how you care for him when you take him away?" Before Jessica could respond, Zachary suddenly erupted. "Don't shout at Ms. Jessie like that! I hurt myself because of you! It's because you won't divorce Daddy!" I stared at him in shock. Zachary looked at me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Mommy, I know it'll hurt you if I hurt myself. But the more you hurt, the more I want to injure myself." His little mouth opened and closed, seemingly unaware of the cruelty in his words. "Unless you agree to divorce Daddy." His words hit me like a hammer, leaving me dazed. I felt like the world was spinning around me. My heart ached so much that breathing became difficult. I gasped for air. How could he take advantage of my love for him to hurt me like this? Before I could even ask for an explanation, everything went dark, and I collapsed to the ground. "Honey!" In my blurry state, I heard Steven's panicked voice. "Doctor!" … When I woke up, it was already the next morning. Steven sat beside my bed with a beaming smile, eagerly saying, "Honey, I have good news." Everything that had happened recently felt like a series of blows, leaving me dizzy. I could hardly think of any good news right now, so I responded half-heartedly, "What is it?" "You're pregnant!"