“Besides, couldn’t you delegate your tasks to someone else? Why do you have to do everything yourself?”
I tugged at her hand, comforting her as I spoke up for Zachary. “It’s fine, Julia. If he’s busy, let him be. I’m fine.”
Zachary gave me a guilty look. “Thanks, Evie.”
I wasn’t sure if he was thanking me for defending him or for not exposing him for his lie.
“Either way, you’re staying tonight,” Julia said warningly. “You will take care of Evie and spend time with her.”
“But…” The words died in his throat. Even he knew that what he was doing was wrong.
…
In the bedroom, all the lights were turned off except for one lamp. Its faint glow cast shadows on my face, making me look more frail than ever.
Zachary came into the room and perched on the side of the bed. “Evie, Sienna’s waiting for me. She can’t be alone,” he said cautiously, testing the waters.
I did not answer. Instead, I took out the jar of paper stars.
“What is this?” he asked, perplexed.
“99 paper stars. I finished them.”
Zachary faltered. “Are we already at 99?”
“Are you still going to leave?”
My pleading did nothing to soften his heart.
“Evie, Sienna lost her memory. I can’t just leave her. You understand, don’t you?” he said. “I promise you that once she recovers, I’ll make her leave. Then, I’ll be with you and only you. Okay?”
How could I force him to stay? He was going to leave me anyway. It was inevitable, just like my departure was.
I nodded. Before he left, I made a request. “I would like a baby bracelet as a gift to our child.”
He patted my head gently. “Okay. When I get back, we’ll go and shop for baby things together. I promise.”
The sound of the front door closing faded into the night, replaced with the sound of my quiet sobs.
I turned on the lights and took out the stack of medical reports from the drawer.
Once, these reports brought me tears of joy. I was so excited to carry my first child.
Now, I was saying goodbye to them with tears again—but this time, they were of sorrow.
