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He Chose Her Dog Over Our Baby
Novelix
Completed
On the day Emma Reed went into labor, her fiancé, surgeon Daniel Foster, walked out to comfort Chloe over her golden retriever’s difficult birth. His friends laughed over a $10,000 bet that he would choose Chloe over Emma—and he did. Emma lost the baby, nearly died, and understood the man she loved saw her pain as a medical inconvenience. She vanished into an overseas AI project, erased every trace of herself, and rebuilt her life. Two years later, Dr. Reed returns as a star, while Daniel learns the truth too late—and breaks under the weight of his own unforgivable choices.
Chapters (3)
第1章
It took five years of loving him before I learned the truth: half my life was worth nothing more than a ten-thousand-dollar bet.
In the labor room, I was enduring the excruciating pain of dilation.
My fiancé, Daniel Foster, who was supposed to be by my side, had been called away by a single phone call.
Through the haze of agony, I heard his friends laughing in the hallway.
"Told you. The second Chloe's golden retriever goes into labor, Daniel drops Emma in the delivery room like she doesn't exist."
"I win! Ten grand! Transfer it now!"
All the strength drained out of me in an instant. The baby got stuck in the birth canal. I couldn't push anymore.
The midwife's face changed in a heartbeat. She grabbed the phone and called Daniel.
It rang three times before he picked up.
He paused for a moment, then spoke in that same cool, detached voice he always used.
"I'm a clinical MD. I understand obstetric protocols perfectly well."
"The hospital has a top-tier specialist team. My being physically present serves no medical purpose beyond emotional comfort."
"But Chloe's golden retriever has a breech presentation. If it's not handled properly, both the mother and the puppies will die within minutes. I know how to weigh priorities."
"Emma giving birth is a normal physiological process. Once all her vitals are stable, I'll come back."
A life-or-death crisis. My body on the edge of the abyss.
And in that perfectly constructed logic of his, it still couldn't compete with another woman's pet dog giving birth.
I didn't scream. I didn't throw a fit.
I just lifted my trembling hand and hung up on him.
The baby didn't need to be born anymore.
And Daniel's wife? I wasn't going to be that either.
Three days after the surgery, the hospital room door finally opened.
Daniel walked to the foot of the bed and picked up the medical chart hanging there, as naturally as if he were making rounds.
When his eyes landed on the line that read "induced termination," his fingers paused mid-page for just a fraction of a second.
A flash of shock crossed the depths of his eyes.
But it lasted no more than a heartbeat before it vanished without a trace, so fast I almost thought I'd imagined it.
He set down the chart, walked over, and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Emma, feeling any better? Is the incision still hurting?"
I stared at that cool, unruffled face of his, my entire body shaking uncontrollably.
My voice came out so raw it nearly tore apart.
"Daniel, the baby is gone. I was hemorrhaging when I signed the consent form. I almost died."
Daniel frowned slightly, pulled a tissue from the box.
He wiped the dampness from the corner of my eye with gentle hands, his tone perfectly level.
"I know. I just read the chart."
He took my ice-cold hand in his.
"Emma, don't be too upset."
"From a prenatal medical standpoint, fetal developmental abnormalities leading to cardiac arrest are the result of natural selection. It means the embryo was never viable to begin with."
"You're still young. Terminating the pregnancy early actually minimizes the physical damage to your body."
I jerked my head up, staring at him in disbelief.
Three days ago in that delivery room, the baby was stuck in the birth canal, breech, and I was hemorrhaging.
Even though I was the one who signed the consent form for the termination with my own hand, the grief was destroying me.
And now, as the baby's father, Daniel had learned his child was gone and showed not a single flicker of emotion.
"Daniel, do you even have a heart?"
I yanked my hand away. Tears crashed onto the bedsheet.
"When I was in that delivery room in so much pain I thought I was dying, what were you doing?"
Daniel lowered his eyes and looked at his palm, still warm from holding mine. For once, he actually offered me an explanation.
"Chloe's golden retriever was having a difficult birth. Breech presentation, hemorrhaging too. I don't know veterinary medicine, but I had to be there to keep her emotionally stable."
"Keep her emotionally stable?"
I laughed in sheer fury, pointing at my own stomach.
"She needed to be emotionally stable. What about me?"
"Your fiancée was having an induced termination. Your child was bleeding out. And you went to comfort someone else over her dog?"
"When your friends bet ten thousand dollars on my life last night, did it ever cross your mind that I could die too?"
Daniel's expression darkened. He swept a cold glance across the friends lingering in the hospital room.
When he looked back at me, he sighed.
"Emma, can you please be rational about this?"
Daniel's voice rose half a note.
"My staying here would have served no practical purpose beyond sitting next to you in silence."
"Losing the baby was a normal physiological elimination. Once your body recovers, we can try again anytime. It'll be fine."
"But if that dog had died, Chloe might truly not have been able to hold herself together. Do you understand that?"
第2章
I looked at the man in front of me, watched him side with another woman as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Unbidden, my mind flashed back to our sophomore year of college.
Back then, Chloe was still my inseparable best friend.
She always wore that innocent makeup, clinging to me with her delicate, helpless act.
She'd even show up at my door with red-rimmed eyes on some made-up pretext, trying to get Daniel's attention.
Back then, the way Daniel looked at Chloe was nothing but undisguised contempt.
Once, Chloe pretended she'd twisted her ankle and asked Daniel to give her a ride back to the dorms since he was heading that way.
Daniel's face went ice-cold. He pulled me behind him and cut her down without mercy.
"Drop the act. Call yourself a cab and get lost."
Afterward, Daniel warned me.
"Emma, stay away from Chloe."
"She's two-faced. Sweet to your front, a knife behind your back. Completely fake."
"Stop being naive and treating her like a real friend. Sooner or later, she's going to use you."
I had no guard up back then. I always thought Chloe was just timid.
I kept defending her, telling Daniel he was being too biased.
But now?
"Daniel..."
My eyes were red, my whitened lip bitten raw. I spoke to him one word at a time.
"Do you even remember what you said back in sophomore year?"
Daniel froze for a second, clearly not expecting me to dredge up the past.
But he adjusted his expression quickly enough, a flicker of impatience crossing his eyes.
"Emma, how many years ago was that?"
"I didn't know her well back then. I was biased against her. Once I got to know her better, I realized she's actually very fragile."
"Besides, you're her closest friend. You know perfectly well she has a serious history of depression."
"Why are you picking fights with her at a time like this? What happened to that generosity you used to have?"
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Fine. I won't argue. Leave."
I turned my head away, closed my eyes. Tears slid from the corners and soaked into the pillow.
I didn't have a single word left to waste on him.
Daniel took it as surrender.
He stood up and walked to the door, exchanging a few instructions with the medical staff outside.
A moment later, a woman in a premium uniform walked in—a private postnatal care specialist.
Daniel returned to the bedside. His voice was so gentle it sent a chill down my spine.
"Emma, I've had you transferred to the highest-tier VIP suite in the hospital. I've also arranged the best postnatal care specialist."
"She'll be with you around the clock, twenty-four-seven."
"The nursing staff and the nutrition meals here are all top of the line. You don't need to worry about a thing."
With that, he glanced at his watch, then casually picked up the suit jacket draped over the chair.
"Chloe's golden retriever didn't make it last night. Died during the difficult birth."
"She's been locked in her room, not eating or drinking. She needs immediate psychological intervention."
Daniel looked at me and gently smoothed the loose hair from my forehead.
"I'm going to check on her. I'll come back later to handle your discharge paperwork, and I'll bring you that soup you love from your favorite place."
"Be good. Get some rest."
I watched him turn around and push open the door.
The last sliver of light through the closing gap was severed completely.
I stared at that shut door.
The last trace of light in my eyes went out with it.
He didn't come that night.
The next morning, I completed all the discharge paperwork by myself and returned to the apartment we had once shared.
I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands trembling as I pulled open the drawer.
I took out the tiny yellow duck baby booties I'd knitted by hand, and the black-and-white ultrasound photo, and placed them piece by piece into a small box.
These were the only proof that my baby—the one who was never meant to be mine—had ever existed in this world.
The instant I closed the lid, the front door opened.
Daniel walked in. Behind him was Chloe.
When he saw me sitting on the bed, there wasn't a shred of guilt in his eyes.
"Emma, I didn't come to pick you up yesterday because Chloe's emotional state was extremely unstable."
"She felt guilty about you being left alone at the hospital that day, and she insisted on coming to see you."
He paused, then added as though it were the most logical thing in the world.
"Besides, her psychological trauma is severe. Coming to our place for a change of environment will help redirect her grief."
Listening to this, a wave of physical nausea churned through my stomach.
"So what?"
I looked at him coldly.
"To redirect her grief, you brought her in front of a woman who just lost her baby?"
"Daniel, do you not see how absurd your logic is?"
"Emma, don't blame Daniel..."
Chloe stepped out timidly from behind him, her eyes rimmed red as she looked at me.
"It's all my fault. I just wanted to come and apologize. Here, have some hot tea to warm yourself up."
As she spoke, she walked toward me carrying a cup of steaming tea.
The instant she reached the nightstand, she suddenly stumbled, letting out a startled shriek.
The teacup flew from her hands and crashed straight into the box I'd just finished packing.
Scalding tea splashed everywhere. The box, its lid not fully secured, was knocked to the floor.
The baby booties tumbled out and landed in the puddle of tea on the floor, soiled beyond recognition.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"
第3章
Chloe screamed in fright, covering her mouth and stumbling backward.
My heart seized in a violent spasm.
"My booties..."
My whole body shaking, I dragged my weakened frame off the bed and lunged for the floor, reaching for the booties in the puddle of tea.
But a hand with long, elegant fingers got there first.
Daniel, frowning, picked up the soaked baby booties by their edges.
Without a second glance, he turned and tossed them into the trash can.
"Daniel! What are you doing?"
I threw myself at the trash can like a woman possessed.
"How dare you throw away my things! Those were the baby's!"
Daniel grabbed my wrist and pulled me back by force.
Not only was he not angry—he walked over and stroked my hair, which had come loose during the struggle, with a look of tender concern.
"Emma, calm down. You're in your postpartum recovery period right now. Your emotions are extremely prone to spiraling."
"Chloe accidentally ruined them, and honestly, it's for the best. It helps you let go of this fixation."
"Be good."
"Throwing them away is for your mental health. I can't watch you drown in pointless emotions and never come back up."
I was gasping violently.
I stared into that flawless face of his, tears hammering down without end.
"Daniel, I'm a mother! That was my child!"
"Emma, the embryo has been terminated. Right now, it's just a ball of dirty yarn."
Daniel's patience remained impeccable as ever.
"Stop being unreasonable."
I didn't argue with him. Not another word.
I picked up the phone from the nightstand, right in front of his face.
Yesterday at the hospital, I had already accepted a position in an overseas, fully classified medical AI project.
Now, I opened the follow-up email the project team had just sent.
I looked at the final confidentiality agreement and signed my name without a moment's hesitation.
An electronic ticket confirmation appeared on the screen almost immediately.
The flight was in two days.
Daniel glanced at my screen but didn't make out what was on it.
He assumed I was just sulking and scrolling through my phone. He patted my shoulder approvingly.
"Good that you can settle yourself down. I'm going to find Chloe a dry towel. Her dress got splashed with tea."
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching his retreating back as he walked toward Chloe. My heart was dead ash.
The fourth day after the surgery. The day before my departure.
Daniel had gone to the hospital. I was alone in the bedroom, packing every important document from the drawers into my bag.
The front door opened, and Chloe walked into my bedroom as if she owned the place, carrying a freshly made bowl of soup.
"Emma, packing up?"
Chloe glanced at the bag on my bed, a flash of barely concealed triumph in her eyes.
Then she switched to that sweet, obedient smile.
"Daniel specifically told me before he left for the hospital to make sure you drink this soup."
I didn't look up. "Put it down and get out."
"Are you still mad at me?"
Chloe not only didn't leave—she walked straight toward me, carrying that scalding bowl of soup.
"I know you blame me for taking Daniel's attention away from you."
"But this soup is from the goodness of his heart. Drink it while it's hot."
She pushed the bowl into my hands as she spoke.
"I said get it away from me!"
I recoiled in disgust, reaching out to push her wrist away.
The instant my fingers brushed her sleeve, Chloe let out a theatrical scream.
In the next second, her wrist flipped, and she simply let go.
An entire bowl of boiling soup poured across my legs—legs already weak and ravaged from the termination.
I cried out in pain instinctively, my legs buckling, my body lurching forward out of control.
To keep myself from falling, I grabbed blindly at the air and caught Chloe's arm.
Chloe let the momentum carry her down and collapsed onto the hardwood floor alongside me.
"What happened?"
The front door burst open. Daniel, who had come back to grab some files, stormed into the bedroom like a madman.
I was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, both hands clamped over my scalded, angry-red legs.
I hurt so badly I couldn't form a complete sentence.
"Daniel... my legs..."
But Daniel didn't so much as glance down at me.
He stepped right over me—shaking and gasping on the floor—and scooped Chloe up in his arms, checking her over frantically.
"Chloe! Did you get burned anywhere? Is anything broken?"
His voice held a panic I had never heard before.
"Daniel..."
Chloe burrowed into Daniel's arms, crying prettily, and held up her elbow.
"I was just trying to be nice and bring Emma her soup. She probably didn't want it, so she pushed me..."
"I'm fine, really. Just scraped my elbow a little."
Once he confirmed Chloe had only a minor scrape, Daniel let out a breath of relief.
Then he turned to look at me—soaked through with cold sweat, barely able to breathe from the pain.
His eyes were full of deep disappointment and ice.
