His Fragile First Love

Outside the ward, Arvin asked the doctor about Debby's condition.

The doctor, holding Debby's medical records, glanced coldly at Arvin.

"She's in good health. The bruises on her hands only need some anti-inflammatory cream. She doesn't have to frequent the hospital."

Arvin stood frozen in place. "Bruises... Aren't her injuries severe? She had bandages on just a couple of days ago."

The doctor faltered, seeming somewhat speechless. "It was a minor sprain, not..."

"Arvin, Arvin!"

Hearing the sharp cry, Arvin hurriedly rushed back into the ward before the doctor could finish.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain somewhere?"

Hearing that, the doctor shook his head.

Watching Arvin take good care of Debby, I couldn't help but find it amusing. When I mentioned my pain in the belly before delivering the baby and the blood all over, he refused to believe it, accusing me of deceiving him.

Yet, with Debby having just a few bruises, he was so concerned.

I knew about the sprain the doctor had just mentioned. It happened last Tuesday. I remembered it so vividly because I felt guilty about it for days.

That night, Arvin touched my belly, educating the baby while telling stories and chatting with me.

Since I got pregnant, he tried not to work overtime as much, spending more time with me every day. The careful attention and companionship made me believe he loved me.

I enjoyed those moments as well.

However, everything changed after a phone call shattered that peace.

Arvin glanced at the caller ID, then at me, holding my hand. As if to show there was nothing unspeakable between him and Debby, he put it on the speaker.

Debby's voice came through, sounding pitiful.

"Ar... Arvin..."

Arvin furrowed his brow. "What happened?"

"Dominic got drunk. I... I just wanted to help him to bed, but he... He pushed me away and I twisted my foot. I can't move... It hurts. Why did he... Why did he do this to me...?"

"Where are you?"

After Debby reported an address in fragments, Arvin decisively got up.

I instinctively grabbed his sleeve. "You're not a doctor. If she can't walk, just call an ambulance. Why does she need you?"

Since I got pregnant, Debby had started causing all sorts of trouble and frequently argued with her husband. In the end, it was always Arvin who cleaned up the mess for her.

I couldn't bear Arvin going to bars every few days to pick her up, rushing to her house in the dead of night, arranging hotel rooms for her now and then, and taking her out for relaxation.

All these things weighed heavily on me, making me lose my temper.

Arvin was tender and caring towards Debby but couldn't stand my bad attitude.

"Letitia Smedley, why are you so heartless? You two were friends before. Is this how you treat a friend?"

At that time, I felt aggrieved every time Arvin got angry and called me by my full name. It was all because of Debby. Was the first love really that important?

I shouted back, "How do I treat my friends? Should I let Debby constantly call my husband day and night for comfort and help? I'm not as shameless as her!"

Arvin's face darkened. "You are unreasonable!"

Later, when I calmed down, I reflected on whether I had gone too far. I even felt the peak of guilt in a picture Arvin sent.

It was a screenshot of feet wrapped as thick as a book.

I even asked myself, "Maybe Debby wasn't lying. She just saw Arvin as a good friend and asked for his help. Am I being overly jealous?"

I convinced myself at the time, but now it all seemed like utter nonsense.

Going Further to My Home

Debby leisurely watched TV and ate fruits on the bed, while Arvin busied himself with the discharge procedures.

During this time, he would occasionally unlock his phone, swipe a few pages, then lock it again.

Every time he received a message, he would quickly read it.

I knew he felt uncomfortable because I hadn't taken the initiative to "make amends."

Normally, after I argued with him, I couldn't resist finding him with a humbled face because I was afraid of losing him, afraid he might rekindle his old flame with Debby. I was always on edge, unable to eat due to worry.

Now, looking back, I felt like the brainwashed supporting female character in a novel, treating love as everything, constantly revolving around Arvin.

Now in death, I was finally enlightened, realizing how despicable I had been.

But Arvin wasn't any better, loving Debby in his heart yet seemingly unable to forget me.

How ironic.

But as for his chat page with me, it would never light up again because the dead could not send messages.

Debby pouted her mouth, complaining of leg and back pain, asking Arvin to carry her outside.

He hesitated for a moment and refused.

"We shouldn't cause a scene in the hospital. Let me support you," he said.

Debby forced a smile. "That works too, although my previous leg injury still bothers me. I guess it won't worsen."

Upon hearing this, Arvin didn't hesitate to pick up Debby and walked straight out.

Debby leaned on Arvin's shoulder, wearing a triumphant smile.

Inside the car, Debby made a suggestion.

"Arvin, I don't want to go back to that house for now. Can I stay at your place for a few days? Letty is pregnant and has difficulty moving around. She definitely needs someone to talk to."

Arvin slightly opened his mouth, probably wanting to refuse. But after a few seconds of hesitation, he agreed.

After the sadness, all that remains in my heart now was amusement and curiosity.

When they saw my lifeless body after returning, what expressions would they have?

Arvin walked quickly while Debby walked slowly due to her "wound."

However, I wondered to whom he planned to show his anxiety.

I followed along, drifting into the elevator and then into the house.

Before Arvin invited Debby in, the latter was already familiar with where the slippers were kept and took them out of the shoe cabinet.

"Letty, Letty, I've come to see you," she called out eagerly while walking.

She acted so passionate as if our friendship hadn't been strained for many years.

The house was eerily quiet, causing Arvin to furrow his brow.

"Letitia?"

I rolled my eyes. I had spoiled him too much in the past. No matter how late it was or whether I was asleep or not, whenever he came home, I would always be the first to greet him.

But today, I unexpectedly didn't do that, which seemed to make him a bit uneasy.

Debby had already entered the room in search of me. I was eager to see her reaction upon discovering my lifeless body, whether it would be one of shock or joy. However, when she emerged from the room, her expression remained unchanged, devoid of the expected reactions to encountering a corpse.

If my memory served me right, I perished in that room while reaching for my phone, experiencing a painful demise.

I floated into the room in astonishment, but there was no trace of my body. The floor tiles shone brightly, devoid of any bloodstains.

What on earth had happened?

Where had my body vanished to?

I was taken aback and bewildered by the situation, while the two of them stayed composed.

After a thorough search inside and out, Debby assumed responsibility with a guilty look. "Arvin, Letty might have gone out to clear her mind. It's my fault. I haven't been caring enough. Perhaps you should search for her outside?"

Arvin furrowed his brow and clenched his fists, only loosening up at the sight of Debby.

Fond Memories

"She wouldn't have gone anywhere. She likely went home. It's late, so you should rest for now," said Arvin.

Debby said awkwardly, "The guest room hasn't been tidied up yet, but... It's fine. I can sleep on the couch for a night."

During my pregnancy, I grew bored at home and went on a spree of buying baby supplies online. Many of them remained unopened and stacked up in the guest room.

Although they were piled there, they weren't on the bed. Was it so bad for her to bear?

Apart from the nursery prepared for the baby and the study, the master bedroom was the only room with a bed. Debby's intention was quite clandestine.

She didn't bother with slowly getting Arvin's heart but preferred to sleep with him directly.

Arvin promptly apologized, "Sorry for the inconvenience. Tomorrow, I'll ask Letitia to prepare a room for you."

Debby's face twitched momentarily, but then she smiled and agreed, "Okay."

Arvin placed a call to our maid.

"I'm sorry for calling you so late, Evelyn. But I recall you mentioned leaving something here to retrieve later today. Did you find it?"

"Ah, it was a toy bought for my grandson. He was overjoyed to receive it. Guess people just spoil the kids these days. Oh, forgive me for changing the topic. Allow me to congratulate you on your impending fatherhood tonight!"

Arvin's heart sank. "What do you mean? Is Letitia giving birth?"

Evelyn's voice on the phone sounded more surprised than him. "... When I arrived, I saw a pool of blood on the floor and some bloodstains a few steps away. I thought... What's happening? Weren't you supposed to be with her tonight, Mr. Owen?"

With a stern expression, Arvin brushed it off as if nothing had happened. After a brief silence, he inquired, "Was Letitia already gone when you got there?"

"Yes, I assumed she had gone to the hospital to deliver the baby!"

Arvin ended the call, standing in place, unsure of what to make of it all.

And I, upon hearing this, felt disoriented.

Since Evelyn had cleaned up the bloodstains, who could have moved my body? Could I have turned into a zombie by myself and fled?

Debby proposed, "Could Letty have gone to the hospital alone to give birth?"

Arvin rubbed his forehead. "I don't think so. If that were the case, the hospital would have informed me."

With half a month left until my due date, he didn't anticipate my giving birth so suddenly.

Debby was urged to rest while Arvin continued to browse through the contact list on his phone.

My mind was preoccupied with the mystery of my missing body, unmoved by the tender exchanges between the two.

A familiar number caught his attention.

It belonged to my childhood best friend, Maggie.

He dialed the number, but the call remained unanswered.

I knew Maggie had long held a grudge against him because of what he had done to me and had blocked him long ago.

Yet Arvin, seemingly unaware, persisted in making the call.

It wasn't until midnight that he sensed something amiss.

In the interim, he also made his way to the kitchen.

Today, Evelyn slaughtered the hen she had brought from her hometown and prepared chicken soup to nourish me, leaving a basin of chicken blood in the kitchen. Hence, Arvin asserted that my bleeding was a ruse with chicken blood.

I surmised he checked to see if the basin of chicken blood had diminished.

However, Evelyn had already cleaned it up.

Despite my curiosity about the whereabouts of my body, I found myself tethered to Arvin's side, unable to step more than 16 feet from him.

Early the next morning, Arvin, with bloodshot eyes, opened the door and inquired if Debby was hungry.

What rotten luck for me to see them together.

The couch proved less comfortable than a bed, so Debby likely had a restless night, evident from the dark circles under her eyes and weary countenance.

They left together, driving twenty kilometers to a breakfast joint.

At the sight of the familiar eatery, Debby finally softened her displeased expression.

Seemingly unconsciously, she reached out and linked arms with Arvin. "Do you recall how we used to come here in high school to eat pork ribs? Despite having ample pocket money, we relished those twelve pork ribs for one dollar.

"You used to dislike meat, but you always accompanied me."

Debby's visage exuded fond memories.

Arvin, however, gazed vacantly at the pork ribs before Debby.