Chuck came to pick me up from the hospital on the day I was discharged. He opened the car door and placed his hand on my back tenderly with consideration. However, I remained silent after getting into the car. When we arrived at our home, he got out of the car to move my luggage.

When I entered the living room, I noticed a brown medical kit on the table and a beige wool scarf hanging on the armrest of the sofa, which did not belong to me. Next to the television was the memorial portrait of Chuck's older brother, Calvin.

I stood at the door without moving, and Chuck paused while changing into his slippers behind me. "Sandi hasn't been in a great state the past two days, and it isn't safe for her to be alone at night, as she's terrified when she's alone. I got her to stay with us for a few days until her condition stabilizes."

All I did was head toward the bedroom without saying anything.

When I pushed our bedroom door open, I saw Sandi arranging pill bottles next to my bed. She was wearing my house slippers, and she stood up right away when she saw me walk in. "You're home, Nicole."

Her voice lowered. "I'm just afraid of the dark and can't handle it being alone. Chuck let me stay here for a couple of nights until I'm feeling well enough to move back. Don't worry, I won't give you any trouble."

I stared at the slippers she was wearing. They were slippers with soft padding that I had been using since I got pregnant. Chuck had spent a lot of time with me picking them out. I turned to look at Chuck, "Is she staying in our bedroom?"

Chuck leaned against the door with a hesitant look on his face. "Sandi suffered from convulsions at night and was found after she fell onto the floor. Our bedroom is the closest to the living room, and it would be easier to get to her if anything happened. You can stay inside the study for now. I've already got the bed ready for you there."

It felt like everything I wanted to say was stuck in my throat. I wanted to question everything he did, but found that I could not say a word. It was not that I did not dare to speak out, it was just that I suddenly realized that my status in this home could be changed at any time.

While we were having dinner, Sandi took care of Chuck as she poured him a bowl of soup. When she looked up and saw me, she quickly lowered her head. "I know you were just discharged from the hospital, Nicole, and I shouldn't be imposing on you this way, but Chuck is Calvin's only brother, and I don't have anyone there for me except for him."

Chuck filled my plate with food. "Things aren't easy for Sandi, Nicole. You should focus on taking care of yourself while I handle everything else. I promise you won't feel any change in our lives."

All I did was look down at my dinner plate.

After dinner, I went to the baby's room. I knew something was not right when I pushed the door open. The storage basket with the baby's clothes and hats by the window was gone and replaced with a wooden easel and a few bottles of paint. A card was hanging on the easel with the words 'Emotional healing by painting to relieve stress'.

I stared at the easel from the door, and the words that were stuck in my throat finally found their release. I turned to see Chuck standing in the corridor, and he said, "Sandi's therapist suggested that she relieve stress through painting, and since there aren't any other rooms in the house…"

That was when I stopped him. "This is the baby room."

Chuck was silent for several seconds. "I've packed up all the baby's things, Nicole. I didn't throw them out. Please stay calm. You haven't fully recovered yet. I'll move everything back once Sandi is well enough to go home."

I suddenly lost the strength to argue. All I wanted to know was where the baby things had been stored.

When midnight came, I pushed the doors to the store room open, but I could not find the baby's cot or the bottle sterilizer in there. Even the baby clothes I had folded had disappeared, and the only thing left was a label on the bottom of the cardboard box.

A domestic helper followed me from behind, "Mrs. Gorman, all of those things, they were… Old Mrs. Gorman said leaving those things behind will only bring sadness, and she had them donated to charity under Miss Lemming's name."

I bent over to pick up the label, which had the month and the baby's due date written on it. I stared at it for a long time before folding up the paper and clutching it in my hand.

Even the baby's existence was not allowed in the house and had to be erased.

I closed the door to the storeroom and locked it with a very soft click. Following that click, something in my heart was locked up as well.

On the day of my checkup, Chuck told me he had work to deal with at the office, and he got the driver to take me to the hospital. I waited for my turn, queued in line, got an ultrasound, and waited for my medical report all alone.

The doctor flipped through my report while frowning. "Your recovery after the surgery isn't going well. The blood stasis on the wall of your uterus hasn't cleared completely. You need to take your medication regularly and not overexert yourself. It's important to keep yourself in a good mood too. Where is your family? Why isn't anyone here with you?"

I told the doctor that they were busy, and he stopped asking about them.

When I got home, Chuck was sitting in the living room. He stood up to take the bag from my hand. "What did the doctor say?"

I replied, "I'm still recovering."

He nodded and told me something that made me freeze. "Let's not go public with your miscarriage, Nicole. Sandi's condition isn't stable right now, and reading about news like this would only trigger her trauma again. Please be understanding about this."

I did not even have a chance to take off my coat as I stood at the door. "You want me to keep this a secret?"

Chuck said, "I'm not asking you to keep it a secret. I'm just saying not to go public about this for now. We'll wait until Sandi gets better."

I stared at him for a long time as Chuck looked back at me sincerely while pleading. I knew that look on his face very well. He would give me that look every time he needed me to back off from something.

The next day, my mother-in-law called me on the phone. "Chuck told me everything, Nicole. I know this decision is hard on you, but you're still young and you can still have children in the future. It's different for Sandi. She's already lost Calvin and she can't suffer further agitation. I've made some changes to the invitation for the baby's welcome party and it's now a family dinner to commemorate Calvin's third death anniversary. All of our relatives have been informed about it. You won't mind this, right?"

I sat in the study while clutching the phone. I had organized the baby's welcome party when I was four months pregnant, and Chuck accompanied me throughout the party planning. I had picked the menu and drawn up the guest list, even printing our baby's nickname on the table cards, but it had now been changed into another person's commemorative family dinner. I said, "The baby might be gone, but that doesn't mean it was never here, Mom. I'd like to put up a small tablet as a memory. I promise to put it only at home."

There was silence for a few seconds over the phone. "Sandi is still staying there, Nicole. What if she sees that tablet?"

I sat in the chair for a long time after hanging up. The sky had turned dark, but I did not turn on the lights in the study. I remember how I used to tell Tania that Chuck had to bear the responsibility of this family, and that I was still important to him. However, it turned out that I could not even keep my baby's name inside my house.

On the day of the dinner, I sat at the end of the long table. Everyone who attended was reminiscing about Calvin. Sandi was in the main seat, listening to our relatives comforting her. Some of them patted the back of her hand, some brought more food for her, and others sighed about what a hard life she has as a widow. No one mentioned my miscarriage.

A distant aunt mumbled in a low voice to someone sitting next to her, "Why is Chuck's wife looking so upset? It isn't polite of her to be that way. Doesn't she know to be a bit more understanding of her family's predicament?"

My hand quivered slightly as I clutched a cup in it.

Sandi suddenly seemed to lose her balance as she stabilized herself by holding on to the side of the table. Everyone stood up, and my mother-in-law was the first one to help her up. "What's wrong, Sandi? Are you feeling dizzy again?"

Chuck came over from opposite the table to crouch down next to Sandi as the aunt turned to look at me while raising her voice, "Did someone say something to Sandi? How can Sandi take harsh words when she hasn't been feeling well the last few days?"

I knew that she was looking at me, but I did not stand up. I suddenly realized that no matter what I did, everyone would think that I had something to do with Sandi getting dizzy.

That night, I did not wait for Chuck to go home. I checked my bank account to look through the finances I had spent on the family for the past three years. After that, I checked the payment for the hospital bills on the night of the accident, which I had obtained by asking the hospital to print a copy of the receipt for me.

Chuck had paid for Sandi's admission first that night, which included a full medical checkup and a personal room. He paid for it 47 minutes before my surgery, while my deposit form was signed by Tania.

I placed the receipt into my purse and was reminded of all the excuses I had given on his behalf: Chuck loved his family too much, and that he was in a difficult spot because of his responsibility to this family.

As I stared at the hospital bills he paid, I found myself unable to give him any more excuses. I stood up slowly, feeling the pain in my abdomen, which was nothing compared to the miserable hole in my heart. My mind was suddenly clear as that hole was filled with nothing but emptiness.

I went to get the porcelain tablet that I had secretly gotten made for my baby. It was only the size of my palm and was carved with the nickname and birth date of my baby. I had locked it carefully inside a drawer where I was the only one who had a key.

When I pulled open the drawer, it was empty. I questioned the help about it, but she shook her head, denying that she had ever seen it. I searched the entire house for it and found that tablet inside a recycling bag next to the garbage bin.

The tablet had broken into three pieces, and the inscription on it had been broken in half.

Sandi entered the study and stopped in her tracks when she saw me crouching to pick up the pieces. "Nicole… That porcelain tablet… I… I didn't do it on purpose. I was cleaning up the study when I opened the drawer by accident, and it slipped from my hand. After that…"

I replied calmly, "The drawer was locked."

Sandi paused for a moment. "The help might have forgotten to lock it when she was cleaning up. I really didn't do it on purpose, Nicole. I just felt sad when I saw the baby's name on it, which was why it slipped from my hands…"

Her eyes turned red, and that was when my mother-in-law entered the room to hold Sandi by the arm. "Don't cry, Sandi. This isn't anything serious. Nicole, you know how frail your sister-in-law is. Stop putting all these things in plain sight. How can she not be upset when she sees all these?"

I was holding all three pieces of the porcelain tablet while crouching, and I could not feel any pain when the sharp edges cut into my skin. "The drawer was locked, Mom."

My mother-in-law frowned. "What do you mean? Are you trying to say that your sister-in-law did this on purpose?"

Sandi took a step back. "Nicole, it's fine if you don't believe me. I know you'll think it's my fault no matter what I say." She turned away to wipe her tears.

My mother-in-law's voice was cold, "You can't lose your temper on Sandi just because you're feeling upset, Nicole. She suffered a bigger loss than you did."

By the time Chuck returned, my mother-in-law had taken Sandi back to the old mansion. He stared at the three broken pieces of porcelain and said, "I know you're feeling upset right now, Nicole, but Sandi is really in a bad place. She might not have done this on purpose."

I did not look at him when he put his hand over mine. "I'll make you a new one, all right? I'll make an exact replica of it for you. I'll accompany you to get whatever carving you want on it, and I promise I won't let Sandi touch any of your things again."

Chuck comforted me as he always did, and I had given in numerous times to him, but it was different this time. I pulled my hand away and got up to walk back into the study. I started sorting out all the financial statements for the past three years according to the timeline.

They included the management fees transferred to the condo opposite the river, Sandi's therapist bills, the bills from her medical checkup, the nurse's aid she hired, and the debt her family owed. They were all paid for from the joint account that Chuck and I shared.

After that, I pulled the record of the hospital bills, the payment for the invite amendments for the family dinner, and the receipt for the donation of my baby's things. Finally, I itemized everything and put it into a folder.

The next day, I asked Tania to help me make an appointment for a Gorman family meeting. My mother-in-law was in the main seat while Chuck sat next to her. Sandi came over from the old mansion, looking teary-eyed as she took her seat.

I placed the folder on the table and flipped the first page open. "For the past three years, the bills we paid for Sandi from our joint account have come up to 1.92 million dollars. This includes the payment for her condo, her medical and nursing bills, her therapist bills, and the debt her family owes."

After that, I flipped to the second page. "This is the hospital payment records on the night of the accident. Sandi's checkup and hospital room bills had been paid in full before my surgery. As for my deposit during surgery, it was paid for by Tania."

I came to the third page. "The baby products I bought had been sold for charity without my consent, and the receipt had been signed for and accepted by the charity organization under Sandi's name."

We finally came to the fourth and last page. "This is the payment for the invitation amendments for the dinner party, which had been changed from the baby's welcome party. My baby's name had been removed and changed to Calvin Gorman's third death anniversary."

The living room was silent as Sandi's lips trembled. My mother-in-law's expression was pretty rich when I was speaking, and all Chuck did was stare at the documents without saying a word. Sandi was the first to speak up in a trembling voice, "Nicole, the money… When Calvin died, the insurance company hadn't paid me anything, and I didn't have any source of income…"

I looked up at her. "Sandi, you're the beneficiary for Calvin's insurance policy, which comes up to 3.8 million. The insurance company transferred it to you three months after he passed."

Sandi turned pale as I continued, "You weren't poor, nor were you left fendless. You just didn't want to use your own money."

My mother-in-law clenched the armrest of her seat while Chuck closed his eyes. Sandi stood up, wanting to say something, but ended up running out of the room while covering her face.

After everyone left, Chuck was left alone in the living room. I returned to our bedroom to collect my medical records, marriage certificate, financial statements, and property deed. I found my baby's ultrasound deep inside the drawer and kept it in the folder with my medical records.

That was when I heard someone pressing the buttons on the electronic lock. Chuck entered the room while holding Sandi. She had his coat over her as she held onto a silver bracelet with my baby's nickname carved inside it.

My gaze fell onto the bracelet, and the last thread of logic within me broke. Chuck followed my gaze, and he turned pale. Sandi quickly tried to hide the silver bracelet under her sleeve as Chuck took a step forward. "Nicole, I can explain…"

I stopped him. "Chuck." I placed the divorce papers on the cabinet at the door and dragged my luggage past him. I stopped at the door before saying, "You don't need to explain anything. Let's never see each other again from now on."

After that, I closed the door behind me and headed to the elevator.