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On His Wedding Day, He Chose His Pregnant First Love
Novelix
Completed
"The day before our wedding, my boyfriend had someone deliver a bouquet of roses to me. Except what arrived was a bouquet of lisianthus—and a card from his ex asking him to take her back. “I regret it. Don’t get married. Can we get back together?” Daniel reached over and tore the card in half. Naively, I thought he just needed some time to process it. Until that night, when he handed me a check for five million dollars. “She’s pregnant. I have to take responsibility.”"
Chapters (3)
第1章
The day before our wedding, my boyfriend had someone deliver a bouquet of roses to me.
Except what arrived was a bouquet of lisianthus—and a card from his ex asking him to take her back.
“I regret it. Don’t get married. Can we get back together?”
Daniel reached over and tore the card in half.
Naively, I thought he just needed some time to process it.
Until that night, when he handed me a check for five million dollars.
“She’s pregnant. I have to take responsibility.”
Daniel buried his face in his hands, looking genuinely torn.
I calmly took the check and asked, “Do you need me to leave now so she can move in?”
Daniel’s head snapped up.
He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist.
“No. The house is yours too. Consider it part of the compensation.”
I nodded and rested a hand over my still-flat stomach.
Daniel froze.
He probably hadn’t expected me to agree so easily.
I didn’t cry.
I didn’t make a scene.
I even calmly called the guests and told them the wedding was canceled.
The next day, I got the notification that the five million dollars had hit my account.
Then I called my best friend.
“Come out with me! I’m rich now!”
...
The bar was packed.
I stood beside our booth with my hands in the air, moving to the deafening music.
I didn’t look anything like a woman who’d just been dumped.
Anna shouted over the music, “Jessica, slow down! You’re pregnant!”
I waved the nonalcoholic drink in my hand.
“Relax.”
My phone suddenly buzzed against my palm.
I sat down and saw a new post from Maggie.
In the photo, she wore a white dress and leaned against Daniel’s shoulder. Matching rings gleamed on their hands.
The caption was painfully simple.
Five years lost. I hope every year from now on is with you.
I stared at the picture for a few seconds.
Daniel still wore that cool, distant expression.
But there was a softness at the corner of his mouth.
I touched my stomach and suddenly smiled.
So five years of one person’s life could be nothing more than a joke to someone else.
The moment Anna saw the post, her expression changed.
She snatched my phone away.
“Don’t look at that.”
I let out a mocking laugh and drained my drink in one gulp.
“Why not?”
My voice sounded so light, as if nothing had happened.
“It’s their big day. Shouldn’t I be happy for them?”
The moment I finished speaking, the crowd outside our booth suddenly went quiet.
Anna’s face changed instantly.
She slapped my shoulder several times.
Before I could turn around, someone grabbed my wrist.
The familiar strength made my heart jolt.
Whenever Daniel and I were intimate, he liked to pin my wrists above my head and tell me to relax.
I frowned and turned around.
Daniel stood there, his face dark.
His gaze swept over the glasses on the table before settling on me.
His voice dropped dangerously low.
“Jessica, do you even know what you’re doing?”
I looked down at his hand around my wrist and gave a quiet laugh.
“Can’t you tell? I’m having fun.”
“You’re pregnant and you came to a place like this? Are you insane?”
I looked up at him and pulled my wrist free.
“Daniel, don’t you think you’re overstepping?”
His expression stiffened.
His eyes turned ice-cold.
“Say that again.”
I met his gaze and spoke slowly, one word at a time.
“You already have a wife. Why are you worried about your ex?”
His body went rigid.
A second later, Daniel regained his usual composure.
“Enough. Come home with me.”
“I’m not going.”
I stepped back, avoiding the hand he reached toward me.
We’d been together for five years, and he had never cared enough to ask where I was.
It was as if whenever he needed me, I was simply supposed to be there.
Obedient.
Even now.
I looked at him and asked softly, “Daniel, you just got married and you’re already chasing me down at a bar. Does Maggie know?”
His expression darkened.
He might even have been angry.
“Do you have to talk like that?”
“Then how should I talk?”
I stared at him, still smiling.
“Should I wish you a happy marriage? Wish your happy family of three good health?”
“Or should I wish Maggie a safe delivery and tell my baby to be considerate enough not to get in your way?”
Daniel’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Emotion churned in his eyes, nearly breaking through his control.
But in the end, he only said coldly, “Enough.”
The smile vanished from my face.
Daniel gave me no chance to refuse again.
He took off his coat, wrapped it around my shoulders, and half dragged, half carried me out of the bar.
Only when the night air hit my face did I realize my palms were slick with cold sweat.
The car ride was suffocatingly quiet.
I sat in the passenger seat while Daniel drove with a grim expression.
Neither of us spoke.
As soon as we got home, I walked straight into the bedroom and pulled out the suitcase I’d already packed.
Daniel followed me.
The second he saw the suitcase, he stopped.
“When did you pack that?”
I looked down at my phone and ordered a ride before lifting my head.
“While you were getting married.”
Daniel frowned like he was about to lose his temper.
But when his gaze fell to my stomach, he forced himself to hold it back.
“You’re pregnant. Stop putting yourself through this.”
I stopped what I was doing and looked at him.
“I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry. I won’t interfere with your happy life with Maggie.”
His face stiffened.
A trace of guilt flashed through his eyes.
“Jessica, don’t you want to have our baby?”
I didn’t answer.
Daniel went silent for a moment before lowering his voice.
“Keep the house. You don’t need to move.”
I paused.
For the five years Daniel and I had been together, I was used to his cold tone.
This was the first time he had ever sounded gentle with me.
I didn’t refuse.
I set down my suitcase and said with surprising calm, “Then thank you, Daniel.”
His frown deepened.
“Can you stop talking to me like that?”
I looked up at him.
“Then how should I talk to you?”
“Should I cry and beg you not to marry her? Or get on my knees and beg you to let me keep this baby?”
Daniel pressed his lips into a thin line.
He said nothing.
I looked at the man I had loved for five years, but my mouth still refused to admit defeat.
“Don’t worry. I won’t make things difficult for you.”
With that, I turned and dragged my suitcase back toward the bedroom.
As I passed Daniel, he suddenly caught my wrist.
“I’ll take you to the hospital tomorrow.”
I looked down at his hand.
Then I smiled faintly.
“Sure.”
He seemed surprised that I agreed.
I pulled my hand from his palm.
“You’ll feel better if you confirm it yourself.”
第2章
That night, I slept in the guest room.
I heard footsteps outside the door for a long time.
More than once, I thought Daniel was going to knock.
He never did.
The next morning, I opened the door and walked out.
Several suitcases sat in the living room.
I gave a bitter laugh.
I really had been naive.
Everyone in our circle knew how much Daniel loved Maggie.
When Maggie had first started her internship, one of their business partners kept pressuring her to drink and tried to harass her.
She called Daniel for help.
Daniel beat the man unconscious and sent him to the hospital.
When it was me, all Daniel ever said was, “If you can’t handle alcohol, don’t go trying to prove something.”
Before we left, Daniel suddenly pulled a pair of flats from the shoe cabinet.
“Wear these.”
Then he added, “You’re pregnant. Stop wearing heels.”
I stared at the shoes, dazed.
In the past, a small act of kindness like that would have made me happy for days.
I would have treasured the moment.
Used it as proof that at least some part of him cared about me, that I wasn’t merely someone he’d settled for.
But now, I only nodded.
“Thank you.”
Daniel’s hand froze in midair.
He was about to say something when his phone rang.
After answering, his brow quickly furrowed, but his voice turned unusually gentle.
“Okay. I’ll come pick you up.”
I didn’t need to ask who was on the other end.
I lowered my eyes and adjusted the strap of my bag.
“If you have something to deal with, I can go to the hospital myself.”
He hung up.
“No need. Maggie has a prenatal appointment too. We’ll go together.”
I nodded.
On the way.
What a perfect phrase.
One woman was going for a prenatal checkup.
What was the other going for?
Same road.
Two completely different futures.
As the car left the neighborhood, I stared at the scenery sliding backward outside the window while nausea churned in my stomach.
Ten minutes later, the car pulled over.
Maggie stood by the curb with one hand braced against her lower back, her face pale.
Daniel immediately got out.
The two of them hugged tightly.
I turned my head away at once.
For some reason, the baby inside me kicked.
I looked down.
Maybe my baby could feel its mother hurting too.
Then Daniel opened the passenger door.
“Sit in the back.”
I looked at him.
When I didn’t move, his brows drew together and his voice hardened.
“Jessica. Get out.”
I forced down the nausea, unbuckled my seat belt, and moved into the back seat.
After Maggie got in, she turned and smiled at me.
“Jessica, Daniel told me about you.”
I said nothing.
The car started moving again.
Before long, Maggie pressed a hand to her chest and groaned softly.
“I feel awful.”
Daniel kept one hand on the wheel while reaching into the glove compartment with the other.
He took out a lemon candy, unwrapped it, and held it to Maggie’s lips.
“Suck on this.”
Maggie opened her mouth and took it, but she still hunched her shoulders in discomfort.
Daniel shifted closer to her.
“Lean on me. You’ll feel better.”
The car suddenly braked hard.
My head slammed into the back of the driver’s seat.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Daniel glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
I swallowed the sting behind my eyes and leaned back, closing them.
The pain did nothing to stop the nausea.
I clenched my teeth and refused to make a sound.
Then Maggie’s spoiled voice drifted through the car.
“Daniel, I still feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“This baby is already giving us trouble. We’re going to have our hands full.”
“It’s fine. I’ll take good care of you and the baby.”
My fingers tightened around my bag.
This man, who had always been used to other people taking care of him, was promising to cook and do laundry for her.
Once, I had a stomach ulcer so bad I spent three days in the hospital.
Daniel gave me one word over the phone.
“Busy.”
Suddenly, I felt exhausted.
When we arrived at the hospital, Daniel and Maggie walked ahead side by side.
At the nurses’ station, I handed over my ID.
“Ms. Jessica, is the baby’s father here with you?”
I froze.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daniel’s hand pause over the form he was filling out.
“The father is dead.”
Daniel immediately put down his pen and started toward me.
Maggie stopped him, saying their appointment number was about to be called.
I stood there and watched them disappear down the obstetrics hallway.
Then I turned and walked alone toward the OB-GYN department.
Inside the exam room, the doctor studied my test results several times.
Finally, she looked up at me, her expression serious.
“There’s a problem with your uterus.”
“If you terminate this pregnancy, it may be very difficult for you to ever get pregnant again.”
I sat frozen for several seconds, fighting to keep my expression calm.
“Doctor, I don’t want the procedure yet.”
第3章
Clutching the report, I walked into the stairwell and called Anna.
“The doctor said if I lose this baby, I might never get pregnant again.”
There was silence on the other end for two seconds.
Then Anna exploded.
“Does Daniel know?”
“No.”
“Then tell him!”
Anna’s voice trembled with anger.
“Is this baby only yours? What the hell does he think you are?”
I leaned against the stairwell wall, my chest tightening.
“What difference would telling him make?”
“Am I supposed to use the fact that I might never have children again to force him to let me keep this baby?”
“That still doesn’t mean he gets to abandon you like this!”
Anna sounded furious.
“Five million isn’t enough. Make him pay more!”
“You gave him five years, and now you might even lose your chance to be a mother. How is he supposed to compensate you for that?”
She yelled so loudly my ears rang.
Somehow, I laughed.
Five million dollars was a lot of money.
But to Daniel, it wasn’t that much.
Just like I had never meant that much to him.
“What five million?”
Daniel’s voice suddenly came from behind me.
I spun around.
He stood in the doorway to the stairwell.
Maggie had her arm hooked through his.
I ended the call and quickly folded the report.
Daniel stared at me, his brow deeply furrowed.
“You didn’t have the procedure?”
I dug my nails into my palm.
“The doctor said there’s something wrong with my uterus.”
His expression changed instantly.
“What does that mean?”
I handed him the report.
“This is my first pregnancy.”
“And it might be my last.”
Daniel took the report.
His gaze stopped on the diagnosis, and his grip on the paper visibly tightened.
He had once asked me what I wanted most in life.
I told him I wanted a home with the lights on.
A husband who actually came home.
And a child of my own.
After that, I spent five years chasing Daniel.
I got the house.
The lights were always on.
But he never had any intention of staying.
“Daniel?”
When Maggie saw him staring blankly at the report, hatred flashed in her eyes as she looked at me.
She reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist.
“The baby’s kicking. We should hurry and get my checkup done.”
Daniel didn’t respond right away.
His gaze fell to my stomach, and his lips parted.
“If that’s the case, then this baby…”
My heart jumped into my throat.
I knew I shouldn’t hope anymore.
But I still stared at him.
I wanted to hear him say just one thing.
Keep it.
Maggie’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.
She released his hand.
“Daniel, I know Jessica is carrying your baby.”
“I won’t blame you. I’ll respect whatever you choose.”
Her words sounded understanding, but her tears fell at exactly the right moment.
“Actually, it’s okay if my baby doesn’t have a father. I can raise the baby myself.”
The hesitation on Daniel’s face instantly vanished.
“I promised I’d give you and the baby a complete family.”
He wrapped an arm around Maggie’s shoulders.
When he looked at me again, his expression had turned cold.
“Get the abortion.”
I stared at him.
“Daniel, this might be the only child I’ll ever have!”
Daniel frowned and turned away.
“If the baby is born, it won’t be good for anyone.”
Maggie wiped away her tears and spoke gently.
“Daniel is only thinking about what’s best for you.”
“A child without a complete family will only suffer.”
She paused, then seemed to suddenly think of something.
“You’re not using your condition as an excuse, are you?”
“You want to have this baby so you can keep Daniel tied to you forever, right?”
I turned toward her.
She immediately shrank into Daniel’s arms as if I had done something terrible to her.
Daniel stepped in front of her.
“Enough.”
He shoved the report back into my hands.
His voice was cold.
“I heard what you were saying on the phone.”
“You just want money, don’t you? I’ll give you another ten million. Get rid of the baby.”
“Money is the one thing I’ll never run out of. I won’t shortchange you.”
The report crumpled in my hand.
It was almost funny.
My only chance to ever have a child had become a bargaining chip to them.
The string inside me that had been stretched tight for five years finally snapped.
“Fine.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
I lifted my head and looked at the man I had loved for five years.
The last trace of warmth in my heart finally died.
“Fifteen million dollars is enough.”
I pushed open the stairwell door and walked straight to the procedure scheduling desk.
I placed the report in front of the nurse.
“Please schedule the procedure.”
Daniel followed me out and stopped several steps away.
I picked up the pen and signed my name on the surgical consent form.
Maggie was right about one thing.
If I was leaving, I needed to leave cleanly.
The baby.
My feelings.
And the Jessica who had spent five years chasing after Daniel.
None of them needed to remain.
