Two Frozen Embryos, One Divorce

Chapter 2

The next afternoon, I went to my pre-pregnancy consultation as planned.

The appointment had been scheduled 30 days earlier.

Before I left that morning, Julian had tightened my scarf for me and gently brushed his lips against my forehead.

"5:30 p.m. I'll come pick you up."

"Don't be late again."

I glanced at him.

He raised his hand with a smile.

"Mrs. Hawthorne, I promise I won't be 1 minute late."

At 5:30 p.m., I sat outside the consultation room waiting for him.

He didn't show up.

At 5:40 p.m., he still hadn't replied to my messages.

At 6 p.m., the doctor came out and asked if I still wanted to continue with the appointment.

Just as I was about to get up, my phone finally rang.

The sound of a coffee machine working came from the other end.

Julian lowered his voice.

"Annie, something came up unexpectedly. Go in first. Afterward, send me what the doctor says."

I held the examination form in my hand.

"What happened?"

There was a 2-second silence on the other end.

"Madeline wants to talk to me about the embryos."

I closed my eyes.

"Didn't she already sign the paperwork?"

"That's exactly why we need to talk."

"Talk about what?"

"She's getting married next month and wants to end the storage this week."

"So?"

Julian seemed slightly irritated by my tone.

"So I need to make sure she isn't making this decision on impulse."

I leaned against the wall and let out a laugh.

"You asked me to go into my pre-pregnancy consultation alone. But when she wants to end the storage of the embryos you have with her, you're worried she's acting impulsively."

"Are those two things really the same?"

"What's different about them?"

He didn't answer immediately.

After a moment, his voice softened.

"Annie, don't make things harder on yourself. You'll have plenty of chances to get checked in the future. She only has this one thing."

I hung up.

The results of my consultation showed nothing wrong.

The doctor only reminded me that if we already had a clear plan to have children, we shouldn't postpone it indefinitely. A couple needed to discuss and arrange their timeline in advance.

She handed me the planning sheet.

The section for the spouse's opinion was blank.

Nearby, a couple was discussing whose last name their future child would take.

The woman complained that the man's handwriting looked terrible and simply snatched the pen from him.

The two of them laughed together.

I lowered my head and looked at my own form.

In the end, I only filled in my name.

When I walked out of the consultation room, Julian was already waiting at the door.

He was holding a box of pecan cake.

"Still not answering my calls?"

He held the bag out to me.

"An apology gift."

I didn't take it.

"Did you finish talking?"

"Yeah."

"Did you sign it?"

He paused.

Only for a moment.

"I asked her to think about it again."

My chest felt like something was pressing down on it.

"Why?"

"She's getting married now. A lot of decisions are made under the influence of emotions. What if she regrets it later?"

I looked at him.

"That's her life."

"But it's not something that belongs only to her."

The moment the words left his mouth, Julian stopped himself.

"Then whose is it?"

He frowned.

"Do you really have to put it that way? I'm just trying to be careful. Once the embryos are destroyed, they're gone. Waiting a few more months won't make any difference."

He reached out to take my hand.

"Let's go. We'll get dinner first. Didn't you barely eat anything all day?"

I avoided his hand.

His hand stopped in midair, and the patience on his face finally showed a c***k.

"Anna, I haven't cheated on you. I'm not still tangled up with her, and I haven't neglected any of my responsibilities to this family. I even agreed to have children with you. What more do you want me to do?"

My phone vibrated in my palm.

It was an unfamiliar number.

Unfamiliar Number: Mrs. Hawthorne, I'm Madeline. I'm sorry for taking up your time today.

Another message followed immediately.

Unfamiliar Number: There's something you may not know. When we divorced 7 years ago, I was the one who first suggested ending the storage.

Unfamiliar Number: He refused.

I looked up.

The pecan cake in Julian's hand was still warm.

He even remembered which shop I liked and what time their cakes came out of the oven.

He was still waiting for me to take it.

But I didn't reach out.

He followed me two steps, his voice becoming gentle again.

"I'll pick you up tonight."

I pressed the elevator button.

"No need."

"Annie."

"You already picked up something more important today."

His expression froze slightly.

The elevator doors slowly closed, separating him and the cake from me.