The Love That Lies in Slovenia

When we got married, Ethan Lockwood said he would love me forever.

Seven years later, he got another girl pregnant and moved her into the meticulously prepared nursery estate he had designed.

By the time I found out, she was ready to pop.

Maya, you're afraid of childbirth. With this baby, you won't have to suffer.

"Everything will stay the same between us, I promise. "

I laughed until tears streamed down my face, clutching the newly positive pregnancy test in my hand.

The day that girl went into labor, I terminated my pregnancy, left the signed divorce papers, and flew to a foreign country.

The day my pregnancy was confirmed, I went to the nursery estate Ethan had prepared seven years ago.

I just never expected to run into my supposedly busy husband there with another woman.

Her belly was swollen, and he was gently caressing it, his face full of tender affection.

I froze.

The moment Ethan saw me, all the color drained from his face.

The girl noticed me too, panic written all over her features.

Then he walked over and took my hands.

"You're not dressed warmly enough. Your hands are freezing."

His expression was calm, but his trembling hands betrayed him.

After three years of dating and seven years of marriage, I knew exactly what that reaction meant.

My voice shook as I asked. "How long has this been going on?"

He hesitated, struggling to speak. "Last summer... when your grandmother passed, and you went back for the funeral..."

I couldn't speak.

"So when my grandma died, and you said you had a business trip... that was a lie. You chose to make love with someone else while I was grieving..."

No wonder.

No wonder he came back early from the supposed week-long trip, making it to the funeral after all.

I had thought he did it to comfort me.

Turns out it was just guilt...

"That's not it!" Ethan cut me off frantically, stumbling over his words.

"No, I didn't lie! The business trip was real. But I knew how much your grandma meant to you, and it killed me that I couldn't be there for you when you were so heartbroken. I drank too much at a dinner..."

"She was my new assistant. I don't even know how we ended up in bed together. It was just that one night. I only slipped up that one time, I swear, Maya. Please believe me."

What an innocent excuse. It almost sounded like it was my fault.

"And the baby? If it was just a drunken mistake, why wasn't it terminated?"

Ethan's face flushed.

"She's too young, inexperienced. By the time she realized she was pregnant, it was already five months. The doctor said termination would be too risky."

"I thought... since you don't want to have children anyway, maybe... maybe we could just think of this baby as ours. That way you wouldn't have to go through it... I'll give her a settlement, make sure she disappears from our lives forever..."

I stared at him in disbelief, as if hearing the biggest joke of my life.

"So, you're saying you cheated... for me? To spare me the pain, you had another woman carry your child? Ethan, is this how much you love me?"

He looked at me with a pained expression. "Maya, please don't be like this..."

"Then how should I be? Should I get down on my knees and thank you both?"

I could no longer control my anger, I screamed the question at him.

The girl suddenly rushed forward and dropped to her knees before me.

"Maya, please don't blame Ethan. It wasn't intentional. Once the baby is born, we'll never see each other again, I promise..."

Ethan helped her up and pulled her behind him, turning to me with a pleading tone.

"Maya, whatever happened... the baby is innocent..."

I shoved him hard, "Ethan, you're determined to keep this child, aren't you?"

He nodded.

I bit my lip, forcing the tears back.

"Fine, Ethan. I'll give you what you want. We're getting a divorce."

I turned to leave, but darkness suddenly clouded my vision, and I collapsed.

The last thing I heard was Ethan's panicked voice calling my name.

I woke up in a hospital bed.

Ethan was gripping my hand tightly, his eyes fixed on me.

Memories of our beautiful past flashed through my mind.

My heart ached, and tears welled up.

Ethan was my junior in college.

He fell for me at first sight during the freshman orientation and pursued me relentlessly.

I kept refusing, wary of our age difference and the gap in our family backgrounds.

But he never gave up.

The summer before my senior year, I went to Seattle for an internship and fell seriously ill, ending up hospitalized.

He canceled his planned overseas trip and flew straight to Seattle.

When I woke up in that hospital bed, the scene was just like this.

He was holding my hand tightly, his eyes red-rimmed, looking utterly heartbroken.

When he saw I was awake, his voice cracked.

"Maya, don't ever scare me like that again. I'd die."

I thought he was being dramatic back then.

We'd only just met. Could he really love me that much?

But then his tears fell onto the back of my hand.

Nothing is more convincing than the tears of a young man in love.

After I was discharged, I said yes to him.

Overjoyed, he bought a truckload of roses and handed them out to everyone passing by.

After graduation, he couldn't wait to marry me.

Even after seven years, it still felt like we were in the honeymoon phase.

Because of my own family issues, I was terrified of having children.

He never pressured me.

But I knew he wanted kids, and I couldn't bear to disappoint him.

So I planned to get pregnant secretly, hoping to surprise him.

But who would have thought...

He already had a child on the way with someone else.

We stared at each other in silence.

After a long time, Ethan was the first to look away.

"I'll go get the doctor. And your test results."

My heart clenched, afraid he'd find out about my pregnancy. I quickly stopped him.

"Not yet. Let's talk about the divorce first."

He stiffened. Tears rolled down his cheeks in large drops as he shook his head frantically, still clutching my hand.

"Maya, don't say things you don't mean. I can't take it..."

His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked utterly pitiful.

I looked at him impassively.

"Did you think about whether I could take it when you slept with another woman while I was at my most vulnerable?"

"Did you think about whether I could take it when you and her were happily awaiting the birth of your child?"

Finally, as if cornered, he argued, "But Maya, I'm only human. You have to let me make mistakes."

Ha!

I looked at him and gave a cold laugh.

"So, I'm allowed to make mistakes too, right? I can go make love with another man, get pregnant with his child, and then come home and ask you to raise it as your own, right?"

"Of course not!" Ethan interrupted me angrily.

I stared at him coldly.

He seemed to realize how ridiculous he sounded. After a moment of silence, he crouched by my bed.

"Maya, I never wanted to pressure you. I just felt trapped."

"This baby was an accident. But this accident can save our marriage. You know I'd die without you."

By the end, his voice was choked with sobs.

He gripped my hand even tighter, as if terrified of losing me.

Of course, I knew he loved me.

His love was in every small detail, undeniable.

But that's exactly why there was no room for betrayal.

I looked at him and laid out the cruel truth, piece by piece.

"Can you honestly say you have no feelings for her at all?"

"Of course not!"

Ethan answered quickly.

I closed my eyes, turned my head away, and spoke slowly.

"Then why did you keep her resume separate?"

"We've known each other for so long. When have you ever gotten drunk?"

"After that business trip, why did you never put your phone on silent again?"

"Every month, you had to go on a 'business trip' at a fixed time. Where did you really go?"

With every question, Ethan's face grew paler.

It suddenly came back to me. I had seen that woman before.

A year ago, when I visited Ethan's office, I saw a resume placed separately on his desk.

The photo showed a beautiful young woman.

She was an alumna from our university, but her major and past experience weren't a good fit for the job.

When Ethan saw me looking at the resume, he smoothly took it from my hands.

I had even asked him.

"Planning to hire this girl? She's an alum, but she doesn't seem quite right for the role."

He said HR had sent it up, and he was about to reject it.

That's what he said, so I didn't think much of it.

But it seemed from that day on, he started acting differently.

He took work calls frequently, even losing his temper on the phone many times.

I found it odd and asked him, "Who is it? Who can make our easy-going Mr. Lockwood so angry?"

He paused, then said awkwardly, "Just a new assistant. She's a bit careless."

I nodded.

After that, he stopped taking calls at home.

I'm a light sleeper. Ever since we'd been together, his phone was always on silent at night.

But after that business trip, his phone was never on silent again.

There were even a few times he took a call in the middle of the night and left.

He said it was work.

And then those monthly "business trips" at fixed times...

probably to accompany her to prenatal appointments...

Looking back, the signs were everywhere.

Standing before me, Ethan had nothing left to say.

A ringing phone shattered the eerie silence.

Ethan glanced at the screen.

Though he looked guilty, he answered.

Who it was went without saying.

I turned my face away, refusing to show another ounce of pain.

I couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but Ethan replied with a trace of irritation.

"Your stomach hurts again? You call me for every little thing! Even if you're really unwell, the housekeeper can take you to the hospital. I'm not a doctor, what's the point of calling me!"

I watched this man.

He hung up on Isabella in front of me, but a flicker of unease still escaped between his brows.

After all, it was a woman carrying his child on the other end.

After a moment's thought, I got out of bed.

"Let's go. I'll go with you to see her."

As we neared the estate, Ethan was still trying to talk me out of going.

I thought he was afraid I'd hurt Isabella.

But when I walked into the house, I understood what he was really worried about.

We had put so much thought into decorating this place, filling it with our dreams for a future together.

Now, every corner bore traces of his life with another woman.

When Isabella saw me, her smile froze.

Ethan gave her a reassuring look.

Right in front of me, they shared this intimate, silent exchange.

I turned to Ethan.

"Leave us. I want to talk to Ms. Bennett alone."

Hesitation flickered across Ethan's face.

I smiled coldly. "What? Afraid I'll hurt your precious darling?"

Ethan couldn't say anything more, but before leaving, he stubbornly corrected me.

"You're my only precious darling."

When Isabella heard that, she couldn't help but glance at me.

That single glance told me my suspicion was right.

"You applied for that job specifically to get close to Ethan, didn't you?"

Isabella was taken aback for a second, then admitted it frankly.

"So what? My feelings for him are no less than yours."

I raised an eyebrow.

Isabella began telling the story of how she met Ethan.

Three years ago, she fell for him at first sight.

After graduating a year later, despite her unsuitable major, she applied to his company anyway.

"You know, he actually remembered me. He smiled when he saw me and said, 'Oh, it's you.'"

"He insisted on hiring me against all advice. After that, he gave me special treatment everywhere. You have no idea how happy he was when he found out I was pregnant."

"This estate was prepared for your future child, right? But he let me live here. Our child will grow up here. Do you really think he can cut ties with me once the baby is born?"

Isabella looked at me provocatively, as if waiting to see me break.

But she was disappointed.

Whether Ethan was emotionally unfaithful or not, his physical betrayal was a fact.

And I would not tolerate it.

Letting go wasn't easy, but I spoke anyway.

"Of course I'm not that naive. That's why I'm here today. To hand Ethan over to you. As long as you cooperate."

Isabella looked at me suspiciously. I smiled at her.

"I'm not like you. I'm not that desperate. My man has to have eyes only for me. Someone who can't make up his mind? I don't want him."

Isabella was about to say something more, but her gaze shifted, and she suddenly smiled.

"Alright, Maya. I believe you. But I'd like a little insurance."

Before I could react, she suddenly clutched her stomach, moaned, and crumpled to the floor.

The next second, a force shoved me hard from behind.

My hip slammed into the corner of a table, the pain making me gasp.

It was Ethan.

Isabella shook her head painfully in his arms.

"It wasn't Maya. She didn't push me. Don't blame her..."

Ethan looked at me, his face full of disappointment.

I was about to speak when Ethan's mother rushed in and shoved me aside.

I stared, disbelief washing over me. "Dad? Mom? What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Lockwood ignored me, rushing to Ethan's side to anxiously ask about the baby.

Mr. Lockwood slapped me across the face.

"Dad!" Ethan instinctively moved to shield me.

But Isabella's cry made him forget everything else. He scooped her up and strode out without looking back at me.

His father, pointed at me and yelled, "You vicious woman! You won't give him a child yourself, and you won't let him have one outside? Do you want the Lockwood line to end with you?"

The slap turned my face to the side. It took me a long moment to come to my senses.

Swallowing the metallic taste of blood in my mouth, I asked, "Mom, Dad... how long have you known?"

Mrs. Lockwood snapped sharply, "We knew from the start! Our Lockwood grandson, should we hide him away?"

So that was it.

They had known all along.

They were the family.

The in-laws I had served diligently for seven years, the marriage I had struggled to maintainit was all a joke.

I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and fled that suffocating place.

I scheduled the termination.

Before the procedure, I went to see Ethan in the hospital room.

He was leaning over Isabella's bed, holding her hand tightly, murmuring soft comforts.

"It's okay. You and the baby are fine. Our little family will be just fine."

His words, one after another, began to overlap with his choked voice from nine years ago.

Back then, he had said to me, "Maya, don't scare me. I'd die."

In the end, everything had changed. The person was not the same.

I didn't hold back anymore. I let the tears flow freely down my face.

Consider it a farewell to this nearly decade-long love.

Before the procedure, I texted Ethan a photo of the surgery consent form, then turned off my phone.

As the anesthesia took effect, I gently placed my hand on my abdomen.

Whispering a silent apology to the child I would never meet.

"I'm sorry, little one. Mommy can't love you right now."

In the hospital room, Ethan's phone suddenly buzzed with a notification.

When he saw the image, his eyes widened, and a wave of intense fear washed over him.

With trembling fingers, he called Maya's number, but it went straight to voicemail.

He tried again.

Same result.

Suddenly, he bolted from the room, racing downstairs, but he was a step too late.

The words "In Surgery" on the door glared at him like a monster, ready to devour him whole.

His legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees.

One thought suddenly became crystal clear in his mind.

"It's over. Maya and I are really over."