I took a trembling breath. “If it were just about having a child, we could have found a surrogate. Why kill mine? Or did you just want to make me a living cuckold?”
Her face flushed red. “ Ethan, how can you speak like that? What do you mean by ‘cuckold’? Felix’s child is a blessing—no one else deserves it! I told you, we did it only for the baby. At that moment, I... I was still thinking of you!”
The room fell into uneasy silence. Our friends and relatives looked away, coughing awkwardly. One by one, they excused themselves, muttering half-hearted comfort before leaving.
Clara straightened her coat and said quietly, “ Ethan, I know you’re hurt. But I’m doing this for the future. Only with the best child can the Lynn Group truly thrive. Think it over.”
Then she walked out, closing the door behind her.
I collapsed onto the sofa, hollow and numb.
Moments later, my phone buzzed with a message from a friend. Clara had gone to the hospital. Felix Shane was by her side during the procedure, feeding her chicken soup afterward. In the photo, she leaned weakly against him, pale but content, sipping from the spoon he held.