I was in the middle of a tough labor, bleeding heavily, and my husband, Leo Wilson, who had promised to be the first to welcome our baby, was nowhere to be found.

The doctor looked around the room with concern. “Where’s Mr. Wilson? Without his signature, there's a risk of serious complications.”

I gathered my strength to call Leo, only to hear his ex-girlfriend’s voice on the line. “Leo, you’re amazing.”

Leo snapped at me, annoyed. “Women go through childbirth all the time. Stop being so dramatic.”

“Rory’s depression is worse. As her doctor, I can’t just leave her now.”

Leo was not just my husband but also the hospital’s director, though his heart belonged to his muse, Rory Simmons. As long as Rory was around, I was invisible.

He never appeared during the surgery. When it was over, I touched my empty stomach and finally decided to sign the divorce papers.

---

I opened my eyes to see my best friend Maddie Thomas holding my hands tightly, her face filled with concern. After hesitating, she spoke gently:

“Raelynn, your baby didn’t survive. It was critical, and there was nothing else we could do…”

I felt dizzy, overtaken by grief, and closed my eyes, tears silently streaming down my face.

Just then, a delivery man approached my bed with flowers and a container of food, smiling warmly.

“Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Wilson sent these and asked me to tell you, ‘You’ve done wonderfully, darling. I’ll always love you.’”

I looked at the fading flowers, my face twisting in a bitter smile. Maddie opened the container to find pulled pork, snatched the flowers, and angrily threw them away.

“That Leo is the worst! Who gives pulled pork to someone recovering from childbirth? And these nearly dead flowers—it's outrageous!”

I stood up, my body still shaking with weakness. Maddie held me tightly, her eyes filled with sympathy and anger.

“Raelynn, don’t let him upset you. He’s not worth your tears. He’s using these cheap gestures to make up for things. Has he forgotten how he got this far?”

Her words hit me like an arrow, spreading silently through me. Each day felt endless, until Leo showed up on the third day in the hospital.

He was dressed in a sharp navy blue suit, his hair styled as if he paid attention to every strand. For three years of marriage, he had always preferred casual clothes and often neglected to shave.

I had told him that appearances mattered, but he'd dismissively say, “Doctors need to save lives, who has time to dress up?”

Turns out, it wasn't worth the effort for me.

I got lost in thought and nearly missed Rory Simmons behind him. Her loose hospital gown couldn’t hide her slender figure.

Leo stepped forward to help me sit up but frowned when he saw the mess beneath me and reluctantly helped me change.

I laughed bitterly, unable to hold back my emotions as I confronted him:

“You abandoned me during labor for another woman, showed up three days later, and now you’re pretending to be the devoted husband?”

Leo furrowed his brow, instinctively defending himself:

“Raelynn, I messed up that day. But look at you now, you’re fine. Does it really matter if I was there?”

“How can you be so selfish? You know Rory’s condition is serious. Shouldn’t I look after her?”

I sneered at his answer, laced with sarcasm:

“Of course you should, Rory's quite smitten with your care. Makes one wonder if it's your medical skills or something else.”

Leo’s expression darkened, clearly bothered by my words. He stood up, towering over me, frustrated:

“Raelynn, you’re being unreasonable! No wonder Rory is scared of you.”

“Rory feels bad about the misunderstanding and insists I come explain or else she won’t continue her treatment.”

Then Rory Simmons walked up, like I was some threatening figure.

“Raelynn, it was never my intention to ask Leo to leave you. My condition was urgent. If you need to blame someone, blame me, not Leo.”

Such a pitiful act, but Leo fell for it.

Leo stepped out to take a call, but not before reminding me:

“Raelynn, talk to Rory. Don’t act like a jealous wife and upset her.”

I froze momentarily, jolted back by Rory’s challenging tone:

“Raelynn Wilson, look at your worn-out face. How do you think you compare to Leo?”

“I suggest you gracefully step down as director’s wife before Leo kicks you out and you regret it.”

I glared at her coldly, snapping back:

“I heard you were swindled by some older guy abroad, lost everything, divorced him, and ran back home.”

“Well, with your divorce experience, maybe you could give me some pointers?”

Rory's face turned angry, her eyes flashing with fury. She raised her hand as if to hit me but stopped just before reaching my cheek.

When Leo stepped through the door, Rory immediately put on an air of innocence and vulnerability.

I asked him coolly, "Leo, aren't you curious about where our baby is?"

Only then did he seem to recall he hadn't seen the child since he'd arrived. "Oh right, where's the baby?"

I forced a bitter smile, "I had severe complications during childbirth, and the baby..."

"Oh. With complications, they usually keep the babies in incubators," he interrupted casually, pulling out a box of cold mozzarella sticks and lowering his voice. "Here, didn’t you say mozzarella sticks always cheer you up? I grabbed some for you. You look alright, so help yourself."

"Rory's still not well, she shouldn't be standing too long. I'll help her back," Leo said. "She needs me or things might get worse for her."

I didn’t respond, just accepted the cold mozzarella sticks. I recalled back in college, Leo would sneak out late at night to get me mozzarella sticks when I was upset. He once got locked out and spent a freezing night outside the dorm. Back then, I told him they were the happiest mozzarella sticks I'd ever had. But now, his gestures felt as cold and cheap as the sticks.

Leaning on my crutch, holding my waist, I struggled to make my way to the restroom.

Suddenly, Rory stumbled and fell into Leo's arms. He quickly tensed, catching her, and held her like she was a fragile treasure. Rory lifted her head, our eyes meeting momentarily, as she wrapped her arms around Leo’s neck, planting a deep kiss on his cheek. Leo responded tenderly, giving her a soft kiss on the lips, showing deep affection like two people very much in love.

Rory threw me a triumphant look, her eyes brimming with satisfaction, silently boasting of her contentment.

I took a deep breath and continued my painful journey to the bathroom, overhearing the nurses whispering.

"That Miss Wilson has really had a tough break; she miscarried, yet Mr. Wilson isn't even by her side. If it were me, I'd raise hell."

"Yeah, Miss Wilson is supposed to be from a well-off family, yet she puts up with all this."

I tried to block out the chatter, entered the bathroom, and shut the door, seeking refuge from those cutting remarks.

Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at my pale reflection. Was my persistence worth it?