Chapter 24
That night, whenever William tried to get close to me, I came up with all kinds of excuses to reject him.
But I couldn't keep this up forever.
I claimed I had a stomachache and hid in the bathroom, my mind racing.
Maybe I should force myself to bear with it; close my eyes, grit my teeth, and it would be over.
I kept giving myself pep talks, deciding to just let William have his way once, then make an excuse to buy emergency contraception first thing in the morning.
No matter what, even if it killed me, I would never have his child!
I took a deep breath, gathered all my courage, and walked out of the bathroom.
I thought I could just close my eyes, grit my teeth, and get through it.
But when William's sticky breath hit my neck, and every inch of skin his hands touched felt like being cut with a knife, I still couldn't help feeling physically sick.
My stomach churned violently, and I suddenly started dry heaving.
I quickly pushed William off me and rushed into the bathroom, hugging the toilet as I threw up.
"Layla, are you pregnant?" William handed me a wet tissue, looking at my stomach with a complicated expression.
My heart jumped. I calculated when we last had sex, and my heart immediately sank.
Two months ago, we went to a friend's birthday party. We had a great time that day, and both drank alcohol. When we got back, we got in the mood and had sex.
That day happened to be during my ovulation period!
I instinctively touched my lower abdomen, my heart going cold.
Could I really be pregnant?
"You must be pregnant! Layla, we're having a baby!" William seemed to remember that night too. He excitedly picked me up and spun me around.
But soon, he stopped, carefully placed me on the bed, squatted down halfway, and pressed his ear against my belly.
He smiled like a silly kid, with some of the innocent simplicity from our school days.
If all these things hadn't happened, I might have been happy with him, even looking forward to the little life in my belly.
Unfortunately, what was done was done between us.
"Layla, I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow. If you're really pregnant, I need to start preparing the nursery."
"I'm tired."
"Okay, go to sleep. I'll hold you and the baby."
Like a dutiful good husband, William tucked me in and gently wrapped his arms around me from behind, as if I were some precious treasure.
That night, he slept soundly while I couldn't sleep at all.
I kept touching my belly, afraid there really was a child in there.
I used to be afraid of pain and never dared to have children, but I wasn't against getting pregnant. If I got pregnant, I would definitely have the baby.
But all of this was based on the premise that William and I could still be like before.
Or that I hadn't discovered this sinister side of him.
I hoped it was all a false alarm, that I was just physically repulsed by William, not pregnant.
The next morning, William was like he'd been given a shot of adrenaline, eagerly taking me to the hospital for tests.
He did all the queuing and booking himself, not letting me lift a finger.
His burning, intense gaze made me panic and feel uncomfortable all over.
"Layla, come get your test results!"
In the hallway, when I heard the nurse call my name, William immediately stood up and jogged over.
But after he read the test results, his joyful expression instantly turned dark.
I thought I didn't need to see the results anymore. My anxious heart finally settled.
Thank goodness, I wasn't pregnant.
The corners of my mouth involuntarily lifted slightly. William instantly turned into a madman.
He angrily rushed over, his hands gripping my arms like iron clamps, roaring, "Layla! You're lying to me! You're not pregnant at all!"
"Layla, if I hadn't brought you for this checkup today, were you planning to fake a pregnancy and then find a chance to run away?"
The hallway was full of patients, and everyone stopped to watch.
I pushed William away in embarrassment, anger rising in my heart too. "William, do you hear what you're saying! If I were faking it, why would I come to the hospital with you?"
"If you weren't faking it, then why were you throwing up yesterday!"
William seemed to think of something and grabbed my arm again. "Layla, you just didn't want me to touch you yesterday, so you pretended to be pregnant, didn't you?"
"Are you crazy! When did I ever say I was pregnant? I'm just disgusted by you. When you touch me, I want to throw up!"
"Layla!"
I broke free from William's grip and strode outside, wanting to escape from here.
William's thoughts were now truly impossible to understand.
He actually thought I was deliberately pretending to be pregnant!
Did he think everyone in the world was like him, enjoying putting on an act?
"Layla! Don't go! You need to explain this to me!" William caught up again, forcibly pulling me back.
We stood at the hospital entrance, gradually surrounded by onlookers.
He seemed oblivious to them, still shouting loudly: "Layla, you can't leave! You'd even fake a pregnancy to leave me, and you say I'm disgusting. I think you're the most shameless one!"
"I'm really fed up with you! Layla, you only focus on me finding women outside, but what about your own problems! We've been married for three years, my parents ask about grandchildren every day, and just because you said you're afraid of pain, I've been taking all the pressure for you, not making you have a baby!"
"But have you thought about my feelings? I'm a man! I need to carry on the family line! Otherwise, why did I marry you? If you'd gotten pregnant earlier, the company would already be mine! Why would I still need to humble myself and please those shareholders?"
"Layla, admit it; you never loved me! You just wanted my family's money!"
I trembled with anger and slapped William hard across the face, as if trying to release all the humiliation I'd suffered these past days.
This man really kept breaking my understanding of basic decency.
"William, you're putting all the blame on me now. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
"What? You've told so many lies that even you've forgotten why we never had children? If you've forgotten, go look at your test results! They clearly state that your long-term drinking has affected your sperm quality, and recommend you quit smoking and drinking to improve your health!"
"But it's been three whole years! Have you changed at all?"
"I said I was afraid of pain back then to save your face, but you actually believed the lie. William, I must have been blind to fall for someone like you!" I pushed William away forcefully and ran off without looking back.
"Layla, if you don't come home tonight, you'll never see Ethan again!" His warning came from behind, but my pride and dignity wouldn't let me turn back.
I wanted to find a place to have a good cry, to release all the grievances I'd bottled up for years.
But after crying, I'd still have to go back tonight.
Because as long as Ethan was in William's hands, I'd be under his control.