No More Saving Me

On the way to buy holiday groceries, I ran into an old classmate I had not seen in years. The moment he saw Stefan Adler, the first thing out of his mouth was, "Did you know Nadine Keller is back in the country?" I looked at Stefan by reflex, only to find him smiling at me too. "Overthinking again, babe? We have nothing to do with each other anymore." Then he turned to our old classmate and introduced me seriously. "This is Elise Bauer. She was the girl from the class next door back in college, and now she is my girlfriend." I had not really overthought it. After all, Stefan and Nadine had ended badly. She had blocked him in front of everyone, and for a long time afterward, Stefan's face would turn cold whenever anyone mentioned her. I went to the next aisle to pick out snacks while they caught up. When I came back, I happened to hear the old classmate say, "Actually, Nadine asked me for your contact information yesterday..." Chapter 1 On the way home, Stefan Adler kept gripping his phone. His mind was clearly elsewhere. I called his name three times before he finally snapped out of it. He put away his phone and reached for my hand gently. "Sorry, babe. I was thinking about what to make you for dinner tonight and zoned out." I did not answer. I moved aside, avoiding his touch, and pointed at his phone. "I saw her friend request." Stefan froze for a second, then immediately rejected it in front of me. All the way back, he chased after me, explaining and apologizing. I ignored every word. When we turned a corner, the endless voice beside my ear suddenly disappeared. I looked back. At some point, Stefan had vanished. The hurt surged up without warning. My head filled with the things people had said five years ago, when I first fell for Stefan. "Give up. Stefan Adler will only love Nadine Keller for the rest of his life." "They grew up together. What makes you think some girl who showed up later can take her place?" "Honestly, even if they break up someday, Stefan will never forget Nadine." The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. Just as I was about to cry, a street vendor nearby called out to me. "Miss, why aren't you here with your boyfriend today?" I looked at the vendor, feeling a little lost. "You know me?" The vendor smiled. "Your boyfriend showed me pictures of you two. Back when you were in college, he came here every day to buy cinnamon roasted nuts. Said his girlfriend loved them most. "Sometimes it was freezing out, so he'd tuck the bag inside his coat to keep it warm, even if it burned him a little. "That silly boyfriend of yours is absolutely sincere about you." I stood there, not knowing what to say. The next second, a coat wrapped around me, carrying a familiar scent. Stefan's breathless voice sounded above me. "I lost you at the crosswalk. You scared me to death." I looked up and crashed straight into the lingering fear in his eyes. He brought me home, ran a hot bath for me, and made my favorite braised fish. During dinner, Stefan was still looking down at his phone. The fish in my mouth tasted like wax. My mind kept drifting back to that friend request. Then, in the next second, Stefan excitedly pushed his phone toward me. His eyes were bright. "Lise, I finally got us front-row tickets to the concert! "Now our little sweetheart can see her idol up close." Chapter 2 I froze. When I came back to myself, I nearly wanted to cry. Two months ago, I had casually mentioned that I wanted to go to that concert. He had remembered it all this time. I decided to reluctantly forgive Stefan for being distracted that day. I prepared a lot for the trip. I even secretly booked an exhibit Stefan liked, planning to surprise him. But the next day, just as we were about to leave, Stefan ran into an urgent case. As the other party's attorney, he had to get to the scene immediately. Before leaving, his eyes were full of apology. "Sorry, Lise. Wait for me at home for a bit. I'll come back as soon as I finish handling this." So I waited at home. I waited until our flight was delayed and the concert had already started. He still did not come back. I called him, but every call went unanswered. In the end, I could not keep waiting. I took a cab to his law office. When I pushed open the door to Stefan's office, the first thing I saw was a woman sitting on the sofa. That face was one I knew far too well. Nadine Keller. The same Nadine Keller who had asked an old friend about Stefan a few days earlier, then sent him a friend request. When she saw me, surprise flashed across her face. Then she politely greeted me. "You must be Elise. Stefan has mentioned you." I noticed that Nadine's face was covered with bruises and cuts of different sizes. When she saw me looking, she backed away awkwardly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I... I'm getting divorced." After saying that, she seemed to realize something and hurried to explain. "Please don't misunderstand. My husband hit me. I couldn't take it anymore, so... "I added Stefan's contact only because I wanted him to help me with the case. "I'm truly sorry if that caused trouble for you two." As she spoke, Stefan walked in. He froze when he saw me. "Lise? Why are you here?" In his hand was a cup of milk, warmed on purpose. Stefan was lactose intolerant. So the cup could only have been meant for Nadine. Five years ago, Stefan's pursuit of Nadine had been known across the whole campus. Because he had always talked about her preferences, even I knew that Nadine only drank milk warm. All these years later, he still remembered that little habit. I looked at the concert notification popping up on my phone, then at the steaming cup of milk in his hand. Something in my chest turned sour. I pressed my lips together and asked, "Do you still remember what we had planned today?" Stefan set the milk down and rubbed my hair in apology. "I'm sorry, Lise. The case still isn't finished. "Next time something like this happens, call me..." I cut him off before he could finish. "I couldn't get through to you." Stefan frowned slightly. Nadine spoke up from the side. "I borrowed Mr. Adler's phone to look up some files and accidentally drained the battery." I looked at Stefan, then at Nadine, and fell completely silent. In the end, Stefan sighed and took my hand. "You... Come on. Let's go home." On the drive back, I still could not help turning to him and asking, "Did this case have to be handled by you?" "Couldn't she have found someone else?" Stefan drove while explaining patiently, "Lise, the situation was urgent, and Nadine only knew how to reach me. That's why I rushed over." Chapter 3 "But you promised to take me to the concert today. If she was in danger, why couldn't she call the poli-" "Elise Bauer!" Stefan's brows tightened as he shot me a cold look. "Is a concert more important than someone's life?" "I've told you there is nothing between me and her anymore. Can you stop clinging to this?" I froze hard. No one spoke for the rest of the drive. The air in the car was suffocating. When the car stopped in the garage, Stefan unbuckled his seat belt and took a delicate little box from the storage compartment. Inside was a necklace in my favorite style. He fastened it around my neck, then held my hand and said softly, "I'm sorry, Lise. I was too harsh just now. "But I've already taken the case, so I have to see it through. That's basic professional ethics for a lawyer. "So be good. Don't make a scene anymore, okay?" I said nothing. I was a mess inside. But I could not immediately let go of this relationship either. He had loved me for five years. But I had loved him for ten. If nothing had happened, our families were supposed to discuss our engagement at the end of this month. The moment I got out of the car, a sharp pain stabbed through my lower abdomen. When Stefan saw it, he immediately took me to the hospital. On the way there, he kept comforting me. "Lise, don't be scared. I'm here. "Hold on a little longer. We're almost there." While we waited for the results, Stefan went to the corner of the hall to take a call. After hesitating for a moment, I quietly followed. His expression was serious, but his tone was gentle. "All the favorable evidence is with us. He can't turn this around, so Nadine, don't be afraid. "Go to the hospital first and have the wounds on your face treated. Don't let them scar." I suddenly remembered our first meeting. He had scolded a senior who mocked me. Back then, he handed me a piece of candy and smiled. "I'm Stefan Adler, pre-law from the next building. If anyone bullies you again, you can come find me." What had drawn me to him back then was the justice and warmth in his bones. I kept telling myself that maybe I really should give Stefan a little more trust. When I returned to the waiting area, the doctor had just called my name. "Four weeks pregnant. The fetus is healthy. Congratulations." I placed my hand over my lower abdomen. A strange feeling rose inside me. My first instinct was to tell Stefan the news. But when I stepped out, I could not find him anywhere. When I turned, I saw the news playing on the television in the hall. The report was about a man who had been beating his wife on the street and had been stopped by a bystander. In the footage, a man lay on the ground. Beside him was Stefan, the person the doctor had been looking for. His clothes were rumpled, and there was a bruise at the corner of his mouth, as if he had fought someone. In his arms was Nadine, crying so hard she could barely breathe. They knelt on the ground, holding each other tightly. The doctor came out and reminded me, "Is the patient's family here? He hasn't signed yet." With trembling hands, I dialed Stefan's number. Beep. Beep. No answer. I called again. Again and again. It was as if I needed an answer that would finally let me give up. On the tenth call, someone picked up. "Stefan, I'm preg-" "Miss Bauer, this is Nadine." Nadine's tearful voice came through the phone. Chapter 4 "I'm sorry. I really didn't know who else to call. "I'm so scared. Please, can you lend me Stefan for a little while? Just a little while..." I opened my mouth. My voice came out hoarse. "Why didn't you call the police? "Nadine, when you were in danger, why was your first instinct not to call the police, but to call someone else's boyfriend?" Nadine choked into silence. The next second, Stefan's furious voice came through. "Elise Bauer, are you done yet? "Do you have to act like a paranoid lunatic about everything? "Can you just stop for once? I'm exhausted!" The call ended abruptly. Only numbness remained, along with the doctor's sympathetic eyes. "Miss, don't overthink it. "Don't upset yourself. The baby matters now." My fingers settled over my lower abdomen. For a moment, I felt lost. The baby mattered? But if a relationship had already cracked, would the baby's arrival still mean anything? While my mind was drifting, a message suddenly popped up on my phone. It was from our college major's group chat. Someone had posted the footage of Stefan rescuing Nadine. "Oh my God, is this what I think it is?" That one message blew up the group. [I knew it! Stefan Adler was always doomed to fall for Nadine Keller!] [Finally! My favorite campus couple is ending up together!] [When's the wedding? I'm ready!] A long string of blessing emojis followed. Among the flood of cheers, someone asked in confusion: [Wait, wasn't Stefan's girlfriend the girl from the class next door, Elise Bauer?] [I heard they were about to get engaged.] The next second, someone dropped a screenshot. [Don't be ridiculous. Who is Elise Bauer? The real one has already made it official.] It was a screenshot of Nadine's social media. In it, she sat on a police station bench wearing Stefan's coat. Behind her was Stefan's back as he spoke to the police. The caption read: [Again and again, he pulls me out of the fire. Again and again, he reaches for me.] That one picture stirred everything up again. Some people even tagged me and asked what was going on. I replied to none of them and left the group chat directly. When I returned to the main screen, Stefan's message popped up. The picture was of my favorite roses. [I'm coming back now. Be good and wait for me at the hospital.] My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I typed and deleted, typed and deleted. In the end, I said nothing. I only forwarded Nadine's screenshot to him. After that, I slowly stood up, braced myself against the wall, and walked into the abortion clinic. I'm sorry, baby. Mom doesn't want you born into a single-parent family. So please forgive me. "Hello. I'd like to schedule an abortion." When Stefan saw the screenshot, he froze. After a long silence, he showed Nadine his phone. "Delete it. Elise and I are getting married soon. Don't cause unnecessary misunderstandings." Nadine froze. Stefan drove back to the hospital, only to find the room empty. A passing nurse reminded him, "Are you the patient's family? The patient in this bed is still in surgery for the abortion. Wait here." Stefan froze. The flowers in his hand fell to the floor with a rustle.