Chapter 3
583 Words
A hush fell over the room for a brief moment. Connor sat up straight and frowned hard as he stared at her. "What do you mean? Leave? Where on earth would you go?"
Ella lowered her gaze. "I have been offered a spot in a professional navigator training program. I will be out of town for a while."
Hearing that, Connor visibly relaxed. He leaned back against his chair again.
When the gathering finally came to an end, Lily walked straight over to where Ella stood.
Ella’s expression shifted instantly into one of shock and horror. Tucked safely in Lily’s arms was her beloved cat.
Lily sauntered closer to the open window. "You know what? This little beast was surprisingly hard to catch. Connor even had to help me chase it down."
Ella’s heart hammered violently against her ribs. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she fixed them fiercely on Lily. "Give him back to me right now."
"Connor said he felt bad for raising his voice at me earlier. He gave this cat to me as a way to make it up," Lily replied calmly.
"No! You cannot do this!" Ella screamed.
Before she could rush forward to stop her, Lily simply opened her hands and let the small creature fall. A sharp, piercing yowl cut through the air, followed by a sickening thud from far below.
Ella lunged toward the window. All she could see was a dark, crumpled patch of fur and blood on the pavement below.
Her whole body began to shake uncontrollably. A loud ringing filled her ears. The next thing she knew, she had grabbed Lily by her hair and slapped her hard across the face. Lily shrieked and tumbled backward onto the floor.
"Ella! Have you lost your mind?" Connor roughly shoved Ella aside and immediately gathered Lily into his arms. His voice shook with a mixture of anger and panic, "Watch yourself. Lily is pregnant with my child."
Staggering backward from the force of his push, Ella knocked over a porcelain vase sitting on the side table. It shattered instantly, and her hands landed hard among the jagged shards. Bright red blood welled up quickly and dripped steadily to the floor. Connor instinctively took a step forward as if to help her.
But before he could reach her, Lily let out a soft, whimpering cry, "Connor, it hurts so much."
In a heartbeat, Connor turned right back around and focused entirely on soothing her.
Hot tears spilled freely from Ella’s eyes, hitting the floor one by one. She could taste the metallic tang of blood in her own mouth.
He had completely forgotten. Once upon a time, they too had conceived a child together. And it was none other than Connor himself who had destroyed that life.
"Ella, you need to end this pregnancy," he had said back then, cold and unyielding. "I do not love you, and I certainly will never love any child of yours. This is the best choice for everyone."
So now she finally understood. He was not incapable of love. He simply refused to give it to her. He could cherish Lily and their unborn baby so tenderly.
Darkness swam across Ella’s vision. Gritting her teeth, she used every last bit of strength left in her body to drag herself to the desk. She pulled the signed divorce papers she had prepared long ago out of the drawer and slammed them right down in front of Connor.
"I want a divorce."
- Writer
