Chapter 3

I took a cab home and started packing.

Two picture frames stood side by side on the nightstand.

I set the last ultrasound of our unborn baby carefully into the suitcase.

Beside it was our wedding photo, Leslie's and mine.

I brushed my fingers over the smiling woman in the picture, and my hand came away coated in dust.

Dirty. Just like the man himself.

At our wedding he'd held my hand and promised he would never leave me, no matter what happened, not for the rest of his life.

I'd been too naive, clinging to an old promise to numb myself, forgetting that a heart changes in an instant, all the more so when it's turned toward a first love who's dying.

Everything was packed except my documents.

But while I was searching for them, I found an application to establish a foundation.

The applicant was Leslie Gilbert.

The foundation was named the Lois Graves Rare Blood Disease Foundation.

The donation amount was one point six million.

My chest clenched all at once.

Back when we lost our baby to the accident, the heartbeat stopped at exactly sixteen weeks.

We'd cried ourselves out day after day, wrecked by it.

In the end, to remember and to mourn, Leslie had said he wanted to set up a charity foundation named after our child, one that helped orphans, to build up good karma for the baby, hoping he might come back to us someday.

The donation was set at one point six million, for the sixteen weeks.

He'd told me the paperwork kept getting held up. But now, under the application, there was a statement changing the foundation's name, dated on the very day of our child's first memorial.

My chest stung like a needle had gone through it, and cold sweat broke out all over me.

I sat in the living room, clutching the two sheets of paper.

When Leslie came back there was still a faint, contented smile at the corner of his mouth. He tapped out a message on his phone before he came over.

"Honey, I dropped her at the hospital and came straight back. I was just too anxious earlier. Nothing happened to you on the way, did it? I sent the driver to pick you up, but he didn't see you."

I pulled away from his reach and pointed at the table.

My voice came out badly hoarse.

"Explain. Why the change?"

He panicked in an instant.

"How did you find that? You went through my things?"

My eyes were red.

"Are these your things alone?"

He dropped his head, his eyes full of pleading.

"Hear me out. She's dying. She said she's never done anything meaningful in her whole life and now she has to go, that she wants to give something back to society before she dies, wants people to remember her name."

"I only changed it to help her finish her last wish. I'm already working on the foundation for our baby. By his memorial next year, it'll be done. I promise!"

I couldn't hold back. I slapped him across the face.

"Taking your own child's money to build a good name for your ex through charity. Leslie Gilbert, you actually make me sick."

His eyes went red all at once, and he shot to his feet.

"I just don't want to be left with regret. Is that so wrong?"

I looked at him and laughed under my breath.

"Using your wife and your child to spare your ex her regrets. If you can't let her go this much, why did you even marry me?"

The color drained from his face.

"Honey, don't be like this. Hear me out—"

I went back to the bedroom and dragged out the suitcase I'd packed long ago.

He gripped my wrist, disbelieving.

"What are you doing? Where are you going? You're not even better yet, you can't—"

I threw off his hand.

"Do you actually care? Stop pretending. Once the divorce agreement is drafted, I'll send it to you. Until then, I don't want to see you."

He was about to come after me when his phone rang.

The hematology doctor clearly regarded him now as Lois's family, calling him for everything.

"She's not doing well right now. Can her family put in a little effort, actually stay with her? Do you have to lose someone before you learn to regret it?"

Leslie froze for a moment. He looked at my unyielding back and answered that he understood.

He hung up and drew in a deep breath.

"I know this went to your head, but with her it's only about doing right by her, there's no feelings. Let's both cool off for a few days. Once things are better on her end, we'll talk it through properly."

After he hurried out, a message from the lawyer popped up on my phone.

【The agreement is drafted.】