Fallen Chapter 1

Fallen 

Chapter1 

My husband, Alex, hated kids, but I was 

unexpectedly pregnant. 

One night, I tried to gauge his feelings. 

He casually draped his arm around my waist 

and teased, “What, are you pregnant?” 

Panicked, I denied it. 

He stroked my hair. “Good girl. We don’t need 

kids.” 

But I was already pregnant. 

I overheard some women gossiping. “Sarah’s 

been with Alex for so long and still hasn’t 

locked him down. No hope of marrying into 

that family.” 

“She’s stupid. Just get pregnant and force his 

hand.” 

“You don’t get it. Alex despises illegitimate 

children. He’s capable of making sure there’s 

no baby and no wedding.” 

For my own safety and my baby’s, I needed a 

reason to leave, and fast. 

I left a note: I don’t want to be a kept woman 

anymore. I want a normal life. Thank you for 

everything. 

Two weeks later, I was in a small southern 

town. I’d just been chatting with a pregnant 

woman about morning sickness when I was 

suddenly scooped into someone’s arms. 

A husky, tired voice murmured, “Babe, who 

even came up with that ‘kept woman‘ phrase? 

Am I not your boyfriend?” 

I froze. 

After my shower, I sat on the bed scrolling 

through videos while Alex ran his fingers. 

through my hair, massaging my scalp. It felt 

amazing. 

Over the roar of the hairdryer, he 

absentmindedly replied, “Uh–huh.” 

I sensed his disinterest and pressed him. 

“Don’t you think she’s cute? She’s so 

adorable!” 

He glanced at my phone, continuing to dry my 

hair. 

“Babe, this is the fifth time you’ve asked me 

that tonight. Are you pregnant?” 

My heart stopped. 

I’d never mentioned kids before, so my 

sudden obsession was a dead giveaway. 

I feigned my usual complaint. “No way, we’re 

super careful. It’s all the algorithms. I liked 

one baby video and now my feed is flooded 

with them. They’re all so cute, don’t you 

think?” 

Click. 

The hairdryer stopped. 

The room fell silent. 

Alex bent down and rubbed my head 

“Honey, you don’t have to be so subtle. You 

can just ask me directly. 

I don’t like kids. We’re not having kids. Be a 

good girl.” 

Oh. 

Fighting the urge to touch my stomach, I 

hurried into bed and pulled the covers up. 

Alex turned off the light, and the other side of 

the bed dipped. 

I was enveloped in his embrace. 

His voice was gentle. “Mad at me?” 

“No.” 

“Still saying no.” 

“Really, I’m not.” 

He kissed my earlobe and sighed. “Babe, I 

really don’t like kids. Can you please just 

indulge me on this one?” 

But… 

In the moonlight filtering through the window, 

I saw my purse. 

く 

It hung on the coat rack, swaying slightly in 

the breeze. 

A corner of white paper peeked out. 

It was the pregnancy test result I’d gotten 

earlier that day. 

Patient Status: Pregnant. 

I was pregnant. 

I had no idea how it happened! We used 

protection every single time. Every time! 

I hadn’t been with anyone else, and even if I 

had, I would have used protection. 

Plus, I’d always had irregular periods. 

A couple of days ago, Alex had asked, “Didn’t 

get it this month either?” 

I was sprawled on the bed, reading. “It’s an 

old problem, nothing to worry about.” 

He’d held my ankle and played with my foot. 

“It’s been years, babe. Take care of yourself.” 

I’d mumbled, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll go to the doctor 

in a couple of days.” 

< 

I thought it would be a routine checkup, some 

herbal remedies, the usual. But this time, I’d 

been referred from endocrinology to 

obstetrics. 

And I’d somehow walked out with a 

pregnancy test result. 

Incredulous, I’d scoured the internet, reading 

countless forum posts. 

The conclusion: the condom had broken, and 

we hadn’t checked. 

Standing outside the clinic, I clutched the test 

result, lost in the sea of faces. 

The life inside me was barely the size of a 

lentil, not even an embryo yet. 

But I could almost hear another heartbeat, in 

sync with my own. 

Thump–thump. 

It was my child, connected to me by blood. 

Alex had a sudden business trip overseas. 

Before leaving, he fussed over me. “No ice 

く 

cream, less junk food, make sure you eat 

properly, don’t go wandering off.” 

I pushed him out the door. “I know, I know, 

just go!” 

Alex picked me up and carried me to the 

elevator. 

I was taken aback. “What are you doing?” 

He pinched my cheek. “You seem so eager to 

get rid of me, I decided to take you with me.” 

My eyes widened. “No way!” 

Alex was unmoved. 

He carried me to the car. 

I tried to reason with him. “I really don’t want 

to go. What am I supposed to do there while 

you work? I don’t understand your business.” 

Whenever we were in the car together, the 

driver always discreetly raised the partition. 

With no one else around, Alex was brutally 

honest. 

He stroked my cheek. “To take care of my 

く 

physical needs.” 

I was speechless. 

This was par for the course on his business 

trips. 

I looked down. “Oh, okay.” 

Wait. 

I’m pregnant. 

“Can’t you…take care of that yourself?” 

“Nope.” 

My voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re going 

on a business trip. I’m sure there are plenty of 

people willing to help you… maybe you could 

find someone…” 

I didn’t finish my sentence. Alex’s eyes 

narrowed, and he gripped my chin. 

His voice was slow, a deliberately gentle tone 

that sent chills down my spine. 

“What did you just say, Sarah? I didn’t quite 

catch that.” 

Thank goodness for long sleeves; he couldn’t 

<