Chapter 2

I took a taxi to Jake's place.

I hadn't been living with Jake for long, so I didn't have many of my belongings there.

The servant Jake hired, Paula, followed me closely as I packed my things. After she learned that I was moving out after breaking up with Jake, she was obviously joyful. She threw my clothes out and said, "Jake is too kind-hearted to bring you into the house. It's always felt like a mess in here after you moved in. Now that your stuff is gone, the place is much cleaner. Hey, don't touch those perfumes. They were left by Janet. Jake can't bear to throw them away."

I knew those perfumes belonged to Janet, and there were many of her dolls and clothes in Jake's home.

Even though she had left him and gone abroad, Jake still kept her things.

When I first moved in, I wasn't officially his girlfriend.

Seeing so many of Janet's belongings in his place, I was very sad, but I didn't have the right to say anything.

As our relationship grew closer and we started living together, he still kept Janet's items.

Even now, after we broke up, they were still there.

Looking at the perfumes and dolls, I felt more ridiculous about our relationship.

Meanwhile, Paula continued her sarcastic chatter. Suddenly, I felt nauseous and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

Paula reluctantly came over. She covered her nose and said with disdain, "Ugh, that is very unlucky. You are not well-educated without your mother. So you can't even learn proper etiquette. You leave such a mess on the floor before moving out. Are you doing so to disgust me on purpose? Clean the mess yourself."

Initially, I intended to clean up. But seeing Paula's disgust, I simply stood up and left the bathroom. I walked to the perfume cabinet, glanced at Paula, and then pushed all the perfume bottles onto the floor.

Amidst her frantic screams, I picked up my suitcase from the living room and left the place I had barely moved into.

My phone vibrated. It was a message from my doctor. "Your latest test results show you are pregnant. Your current condition isn't suitable for continuing the pregnancy. It is too risky. Please discuss with your family and consider termination of it."

Each word felt like a dagger, piercing my heart deeply.

After my parents passed away, I spent twelve years living in others' homes. My greatest wish was to build a family with Jake.

Now, I'd finally become pregnant, but it was at that moment.

My fingers instinctively, almost greedily, touched my still-flat abdomen.

My hand hovered over the chat page with the doctor, but I couldn't type a single word. Why did the baby come now?

At night, I dreamt again of the car accident that took my parents' lives.

I screamed for my parents, heartbroken, but they lay on the ground and didn't respond. Then, a kid stood up in the snow and cried and called for me as its mother.

In the dream, I cried for help, hoping someone would save them, but no one showed up.

I woke up sobbing, only to find my phone ringing.

The heavy dream left me feeling unusually suffocated.

The phone kept ringing. I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes, walked to the balcony, and answered the call.

On the other end, a low, drunken voice complained. "Why did you take so long to answer my call? Why aren't you home? Are you staying in the dorm tonight?"

I didn't respond.

"Paula said you threw up today. Did you catch a cold?"