His words used to make me smile, but now, all I
felt was disgust. After seeing what he said to
Sarah, his sweet talk just makes my stomach
churn.
“Your knee’s bleeding, I’ll get a bandage and
milk”
“Okay, Chloe, You’re the best, only seeing you
smile makes my life worth living.”
On my way to the courthouse, I think, “love can
be an act,” and I can’t believe I was so blind to
- it.
When I get the divorce papers, I hear my friend
saying, “Getting your kid back is going to be a
nightmare. The kid is on Mark’s family’s health
plan, so Mark and Sarah are her legal
guardians.”
“You’d need a DNA test. Either you or Jake
would need to do it, but even then, it’s up to the
kid if she wants to go with you.”
I never saw my baby after the accident. I have
nothing to use for a DNA test. That means |
need to confront Jake.
I go to the hospital and a nurse tells me, “Dr.
<
Miller isn’t here. He’s downstairs with his wife
and daughter.”
“His wife?” I ask.
“Yeah, they’re cute together. She’s gorgeous,
and has an amazing body. They’re perfect.” The nurses start gossiping. “She’s got high- end style. He spoils her. I saw him give her some huge diamond. It’s so romantic.” “His wife is beautiful. The daughter too, she’s like a doll. They’re so perfect, it’s sickening!” “Hey, who are you anyway?” one of them asks me, rolling her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re some patient trying to get his attention. I’ve seen that
a million times. You better take a look in the
mirror, and back off. They are in love.” They
give me a mean look.
I fiddle with my clothes, feeling bitter. Jake
rarely lets me come to his work, and when I did,
I was never allowed to tell people who I was. He
always said the nurses gossiped too much. He
never bought me expensive things, saying it
didn’t fit my style. But he bought it all for her.
All the excuses were lies.
<
I find Jake downstairs. Sarah is holding his arm
and they’re looking at kids playing in the park
by the hospital.
“Did Mark notice anything?” Sarah asks.
“No. Since I gave him the baby, he’s obsessed.
He buys me whatever I want. He calls me his
‘baby girl,‘ kissing me all the time. Totally
different from his usual stuffy self…thanks for
helping me out, Jake.”
Jake is silent for a moment, then says, “As long
as you’re happy, it doesn’t matter.”
A girl in a princess dress runs to Jake, “Daddy! I’m hungry!”
“Oh, and who’s this?” she asks, curious.
Jake notices me. “Chloe? What are you doing
here?”
“Don’t worry. That’s Sarah’s daughter, I
adopted her.”
Sarah smiles, hiding the smug look in her eyes.
“Yep, I let her call him dad, she’s still little.
Don’t worry, Chloe, she doesn’t really
understand the meaning.”
She used the exact same words years ago.
<
“Chloe, Mark loves me too much, don’t worry.”
That’s when Jake asked me to marry him.
Jake pulls me away and asks me, “What’s
wrong?
I tear my eyes away from the little girl.
“Nothing… I was just wondering about a gift for
your mom’s birthday.”
“Oh, you know her best. Whatever you pick is
great.” He then notices my divorce agreement,
“What’s this?”
I hesitate. “Jake, I need to ask you…”
“Honey, my stomach hurts. Could you hold our
daughter for me?” Sarah cuts me off.
Jake runs to her. “Don’t drink the cold water!
You’re on your period. You never listen.” Then
he turns to me, “Chloe, you can go home. I
need to help Sarah, it’s not easy with a child.
We’ll meet at the hotel tonight.”
He remembers every little thing about Sarah.
That night at the hotel for Jake’s mom’s
birthday, Jake brings Sarah and the little girl.
Why?
“Sarah didn’t eat dinner. She’s not feeling well,
Г
and there’s plenty of food.”
Sarah changed into a designer dress and a
diamond necklace. She takes Jake’s mom’s
arm, “Grandma!”
“This kid is great. Sarah is so lucky. Unlike
some people, she can actually have kids. It’s so bad for Jake. They will probably divorce,” she whispers to my face, sneering.
My aunt glances at Sarah’s necklace, “Sarah, you look good, that necklace is beautiful. I saw
it on auction, it was like 2 million? Did Mark get that for you?”
Sarah glances at me and says “Yeah, someone who loves me got this for me.”
