He Chose Them, Not Us

Tony glanced at Pauline, then handed Luca over, eyes never meeting mine—or his.

"Luca's young. He'll bounce back. But if Pauline's leg's broken, she won't be able to care for Ryan. If there's anything left, I'll take Luca in."

***

Watching Tony ride off with Pauline and Ryan felt like someone punched a hole straight through my chest.

In the end, I had to borrow money from my boss, Mr. Baxter, just to get Luca treated.

We passed Tony in the hospital hallway—he didn't even look at us.

It wasn't until the doctor finished patching Luca up that I finally exhaled.

Sitting in that hallway, watching nurses rush past, my mind drifted back to when I first met Tony.

It was at a cousin's wedding—he was a groomsman, I was a bridesmaid.

After that, he somehow kept "bumping into me" after work, like clockwork.

He said he was worried about me walking home alone after late shifts, so he'd follow from a distance, just to make sure I was safe.

When word got out I was on the factory's layoff list, he slipped my team leader a whole year's salary to keep me on.

I didn't find out any of it until after we got married—through gossiping relatives.

They said Tony, with his job at the research institute, was a total catch. Every woman wanted him.

And me? I was just the lucky one who landed him.

At first, he really was good to me. Never spent a dime on himself, but made sure I had nice clothes and our baby had the best formula money could buy.

Then Pauline moved in next door.

He said she was just a friend. Then it turned into how tragic her life was—widowed, raising a kid alone. He just wanted to help.

I didn't think much of it. I said okay.

But then he started spending more and more time over there—sometimes forgetting to cook for Luca. That's when it started to hurt.

I asked him to pull back. He lost it.

Called me selfish. Disgusting.

After that, he stopped helping around the house and started going to Pauline's in broad daylight.

He even went behind my back to my company, took an advance on my salary—six months' worth—and handed it over to some agency to find Pauline a job.

If Mr. Baxter hadn't believed in me, I would've been out.

When I confronted Tony, he just scoffed. "You're seriously making a scene over this? No wonder Luca's so messed up—he gets it from you."

I wiped my tears. That was the moment I decided—no more. I wasn't letting this man drag me or Luca down any further.

Right then, Tony showed up, voice like ice.

"I talked to the doctor. He said you already paid. Zoe Zander, you're disgusting. If you had the money, why'd you ask for Pauline's treatment funds? She nearly broke her leg!"

I stood up and locked eyes with him. "And what—Luca's not your kid? You don't think it's your job to cover his treatment? 'Nearly broke her leg'? Did you even hear the doctor say Luca has a fracture?"