chapter 1
"Mrs. Hayden, is anything wrong?" Sharon Davis looked at me with a gentle smile, her voice soft and warm.
She had a very kind face, with round cheeks that curved into a sweet dimple every time she smiled.
At the beginning of my pregnancy, it was this face that led me to choose her as my doctor. Pregnancy is inherently uncomfortable, and I didn't want to face a stern face on top of it all.
But at that time, I never imagined that one day, I would smell her perfume on my husband.
"I'm fine." I forced a smile onto my face.
But the familiar scent at the tip of my nose made my body go cold.
Discovering the perfume on Rodney had been a week ago.
Since getting pregnant, my sense of smell had become exceptionally sensitive, and I had put away all perfumes and similar items.
But even if I still used them, the perfume on Rodney was clearly not the scent I was accustomed to.
The sweet floral scent almost made me vomit on the spot.
But I didn't immediately ask him about it.
Rodney often had to meet clients, so it was normal for him to have perfume on.
It wasn't until today, when I entered Dr. Davis's office and smelled the same scent, that a ridiculous thought appeared in my mind.
One that I could no longer ignore.
Dr. Davis looked at me with concern and asked softly, "Are you really okay? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine, Dr. Davis, but..."
I hesitated for a moment but wanted to ask clearly.
Rodney and I had been together for twelve years.
So many days and nights, if he was going to betray me, I would never believe it.
But just as I was about to speak, I saw the necklace around Dr. Davis's neck.
The necklace was thin, but the design was very special.
The pink diamond on the pendant was particularly dazzling under the light, clearly expensive.
I had seen this necklace in Rodney's shopping cart.
He had left it there for a long time, never purchasing it.
When I first saw it, I was overjoyed, thinking it was a gift he wanted to give me after I gave birth.
Now, it was adorning another woman's neck.
"Mrs. Hayden, what's the matter?"
I don't know if it was my imagination, but I felt that her voice carried a hint of provocation when she spoke again.
My hands clenched into fists on my knees.
A dull pain spread through my abdomen.
"The necklace around your neck..."
"Do you also think it's very beautiful? It's a gift from my boyfriend."
Dr. Davis smiled, pulling the necklace out from her clothes.
Her eyes did not hide her admiration for the person who gave the necklace, and every word was filled with joy.
"My boyfriend is busy with work and doesn't have much time to accompany me, so he gave me this necklace to comfort me."
She placed the necklace in her palm.
She stared straight at me, her eyes full of showing off.
Before I could speak, the office door was opened.
Rodney, panting and with sweat on his forehead, had obviously rushed over.
"Sorry, something came up at the company, I'm late. Joan, how was the check-up?"
Rodney strode to my side and carefully took my hand.
He was so concerned about me that after entering the office, his gaze never wavered from me.
I never doubted that Rodney loved me.
But now, I have to doubt something else.
I smiled and stood up.
"No major issues. Honey, I'm going to the restroom, wait for me here."
"Let me accompany you, I..."
"No need."
I didn't give Rodney another chance to entangle and immediately walked out of the office.
However, my steps stopped after the office door closed.
Soon, the voices of the two conversing inside could be heard.
"Sharon, are you done here? I told you! Don't bring it to her! She's pregnant!"
At this moment, my ears were like thousands of bees, all flapping their wings at once...
My fingernails dug deeply into my palm.
At this moment, I seemed to have lost all ability to think.
"What's the big deal about having a child? If you like, I can have a child for you too."
Sharon's voice was exceptionally soft and gentle, a tone I had never heard before.
But Rodney seemed quite accustomed to her in this state.
"Don't make a scene, you know I can't divorce."
"How come? You clearly said that your Joan is as lifeless as a dead fish in bed. How come you deny it now?"
Listening to Sharon's words, my stomach churned.
Covering my mouth, I rushed to the restroom and vomited over the sink.
But I couldn't vomit anything out.
Looking up, all I could see was my haggard and pale face in the mirror.