Chapter 3
“It’s all my fault. The baby in your belly … I’m sorry. This happened because of me. You and James must not fight over this. If you need someone to blame, blame me.” Her gentle voice sounded caring, but her words felt like they were carved into my heart. They hurt deeply, leaving wounds that would not heal. Looking at her acting so kind while standing over my pain, I felt something boil inside me. “How can I blame you? Can you bring my baby back as compensation?” “I … “ Wendy bit her lip and her eyes filled with tears. “Bianca, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to kneel and say sorry?” She began to bend her knees, but James quickly stopped her. “Bianca!” He stared at me angrily. “I made a mistake, but what does that have to do with Wendy? I already said I was sorry. What more do you want?” James stood in front of Wendy to protect her, shielding her with his body. Seeing his face filled with concern for her made my heart sink to its lowest point. I gave a small, bitter smile. “I don’t want anything. Can’t I just get a divorce?” James’s face froze and for a moment, he had nothing to say. Later, he said he would send Wendy away. Then, James’s parents, the older Mr. Worthington and his wife, Mrs. Worthington, arrived at the hospital. As soon as she saw me, Mrs. Worthington’s eyes turned red. “Bianca, why do you look so pale? How did you get into a car accident?” She sat beside me and asked Mr. Worthington to put down the things they brought. “I knew the hospital quilts wouldn’t be as comfortable as the ones at home, so I brought some for you. We also brought your toiletries and other things. Let me know if you need anything else.” When she noticed my flat belly, her hands trembled as she touched it gently. “It’s okay, Bianca. You and James are still young. You’ll have another child.” Mrs. Worthington had always been kind to me. She and my mother were good friends and even after I married James, she never treated me badly. Looking into her warm and caring eyes, my heart softened a little. I wiped my nose and tried to stop my tears, but they kept falling. “Mom, I want to divorce James.” “I can’t spend the rest of my life with someone who would leave me behind.” “James loves someone else and I won’t force him anymore.” “What are you talking about? Leave you behind?” Both Mr. Worthington and his wife looked confused. Mrs. Worthington quickly grabbed my hand. “Bianca, what happened? Why are you saying this all of a sudden?” Before I could answer, the woman in the next hospital bed, who had been silent, sat up and spoke coldly. “Mom, when your son had the accident, he left his pregnant wife behind and carried another woman away. Do you really expect her to stay with him after that?” My words were indeed like a knife. The pain in my heart became even sharper. I struggled to speak as tears ran down my cheeks. “I’m serious. I’ve thought it through. I want a divorce.” “This is unbelievable! How could this happen!” “How could he be so heartless? How could he leave his wife and baby like that?” Mrs. Worthington stomped her foot angrily and turned to Mr. Worthington. “Call James and tell him to come back right now!” As Mr. Worthington made the call, Mrs. Worthington turned back to me and tried to calm me down. “Bianca, we’ll talk to James and make sure he never does this again. Please think about the divorce again … for my sake, alright?” I held her hand and shook my head while crying. “James already came back to the hospital. Let’s go find him.” Mr. Worthington comforted me while leading Mrs. Worthington out of the room.