Chapter 9
The moment Samuel saw what happened, he didn’t hesitate. Without a word, he
lifted Starla into his arms and rushed out the door as quickly as he could.
I accompanied them to the hospital.
After a thorough examination, the doctor‘ s expression darkened, looking both serious and disapproving.
“You young people really don’t take your health seriously. She’s in the late stages of pregnancy and yet you‘ re still having sex –and so roughly, too? Fortunately, there’s no major harm this time, but if it happens again, we may have to do an early delivery.”
As soon as the doctor finished speaking, relief drained from Samuel’s face,
replaced by shock. He glanced at me,
visibly pale and shook his head urgently.
“Doctor, you‘ ve misunderstood! She
isn’t my wife–this is my wife,” he said, looking desperate to clear things up. He reached out, trying to put his arm around my shoulder, but I smoothly sidestepped his touch without drawing attention.
When she heard this, Starla flew into a rage, snapping at the doctor and accusing him of talking nonsense.
I had no interest in listening to their excuses, so I found a quick reason to leave.
Just as I stepped out of the hospital, I received a call from the lab.
“The paternity results for Starla’s baby are in.”
“Whose is it?” I asked coolly, glancing back at the hospital entrance.
“It’s not Samuel‘ s. It belongs to that real estate tycoon. Starla even went to see him right after she got pregnant, but he turned her away. That’s when she set her sights on Samuel. In a way, Samuel‘ s just a fool in this situation.”
I let out a dry laugh. “He’s the least fool in this situation.”
Samuel and I had been married for a year and he’d tried countless times to trap me by faking a pregnancy. Every time I caught him, he’d try to excuse it, claiming it was just because he loved me so much.
Samuel was the eldest son in his family, with a younger brother below him. His family held strong traditional beliefs, favoring sons over daughters and they’d been pressuring him to give them a grandson. The idea of having a son was deeply ingrained in him.
So when Starla showed up pregnant and told him it was his son, he didn’t even question it he believed her immediately.
Due to the risk of preterm labor, Starla stayed in the hospital for a week. Samuel brought soup to her nearly every day and I chose to look the other way.
When Starla was discharged, their divorce
cooling–off period had just ended.
“Samuel, my parents are asking about the paperwork for your household registration. The village committee is pressing for it and needs it signed,” I said, tossing a relocation agreement onto the table. Samuel‘ s face lit up with excitement.
“Cass, let’s go register our marriage tomorrow!” he said eagerly.
I nodded, hiding a quiet smile.
Tomorrow, it would be time to finally pull
the curtain close.
The next day soon came.
Samuel had arranged for us to meet at the civil affairs office in the afternoon, but I arrived early, waiting at a café across the
street.
As soon as the office opened, I watched Samuel appear with Starla following him, heading straight for the entrance. He was planning to handle both the divorce and
the new marriage registration in one swift. visit–using every minute to his advantage.
The moment they walked in, I followed them.
At the divorce window, Samuel and Starla drew attention immediately. People noticed Starla‘ s obviously pregnant belly and the murmurs started, with judgmental eyes aimed at Samuel.
“Look at her–he‘ s leaving her while she’s heavily pregnant? What a jerk.”
“Exactly. An embarrassment to men everywhere.”
“Ungrateful scum. Someone like him is bound to get what he deserves sooner or later.”
Samuel didn’t acknowledge a single word, deaf to everything but the prospect of the one and a half million dollars in relocation
funds.
Starla, however, looked obviously
uncomfortable.
