Back to Break my Dearests

The smell of disinfectants hung heavily in the air of the hospital.

I sat next to Ivy on a bench in the hallway.

With her hand resting on her belly, Ivy could not hide her delight while exchanging fake courtesy.

“Oh, I didn’t want to trouble you, Abby. I could’ve come here on my own.”

“Don’t be silly. How could I possibly leave you alone to deal with this alone?”

Squeezing her hand, I sounded rather concerned.

While waiting for the result, she let her walls down and murmured, “The truth is… Professor Rogue is the father.”

Her eyes fixed on my face, eager to see the moment I would shatter in pain.

I went pale, and my voice shook.

“Y-You…”

Fighting back the tears, I voiced my supposed rage and heartbreak.

“Did he use force? How could he? I gave him the world! Don’t be scared, Ivy!”

Sure enough, Ivy took the bait and poured her heart out.

“He said that his love for you has fizzled out. Apparently, you put him up for marriage and trap him in it. He can’t wait to leave you for me once I graduate.”

Unbeknownst to her, my phone in the bag had been recording our conversation from the very start.

As if grief and betrayal broke me, I ran away.

Back home, I slammed the pregnancy test result right in front of Taylor.

“Ivy’s pregnant, and she said that the baby is yours.”

Taylor’s gut instinct wasn’t to deny the fact but to blow up, his veins bulging.

“Did she tell you? That idiot!”

Taylor was quick to ease up on the attitude upon realizing his slip-up.

He dropped to his knees with a thud, clinging to my legs while weeping.

“I made a mistake, Abby! It was a moment of weakness! She threw herself at me, and I was drunk that one time… My heart belongs to you, babe!”

As Taylor protested his innocence, I recalled the log of their weekly rendezvous from the PI. The irony was biting.

Taylor once crouched beside my hospital bed after the miscarriage, fighting to keep our relationship alive.

“Abby, there will be another baby. We can always try again.”

Amid the stalemate, Ivy showed up at the door.

Taylor took shelter in the study.

Ivy stood there, flaunting a barely visible bump. At last, she dropped the act.

“Abby, just back off. Professor Rogue can’t stand you. He dumps every meal you cook for him.”

I chuckled. “Oh, really? Why isn’t he here to say that right to my face?”

With my composure getting to her, Ivy gave me a shove. “You should learn when to give up, old lady!”

I let the motion carry me back, making sure my head would hit the edge of the coffee table.

Blood seeped out, blurring my vision.

Taylor stormed out of the study, and the first thing he did was hold the frightened Ivy steady, his voice tight with worry.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Ivy huddled in his embrace in tears.

“I’m scared, Professor Rogue…”

Taylor turned to me, his eyes barely hiding the aloofness and disdain.

“Oh, save me the drama! Get up, Abby! Don’t embarrass yourself!”

Taking my time, I propped myself up on my elbows.

The blood on my forehead dripped onto the beige carpet, spreading out like a vivid blossom.

I held up my device, showing them that the recording app was still running.

After stopping the recording, I turned to the pale-looking couple and flashed my pearly whites.

“Don’t bother taking the phone from me. Everything, including your admission to cheating and Ivy’s assault, has been uploaded to the cloud.

“The file has been sent to my attorney, your school’s disciplinary committee, and the local news media.”