What the Sea Could Not Keep

Robert Blackwell promised to marry me, then postponed it thirty-eight times. The fifth time, a car crash broke eight of his ribs, and I signed seven critical-condition notices. The tenth time, on the way to get our marriage license, he and the car were thrown into the sea, and his suit was torn apart by sharks. By the thirty-eighth time, his heart disease had worsened and his life was hanging by a thread. Eight months pregnant, I changed flights three times and flew twenty-three hours across half the world to find him. When the door opened, a little boy who looked exactly like him lifted his face and said, "I thought Mom was back." Robert rushed out barefoot, panic written all over his face. I turned around and saw my best friend of twelve years standing behind me with a key in her hand. The little boy ran to her and threw himself into her arms, calling her Mom. So the fiance I had waited seven years for was my best friend's secret husband all along. "I will not wait through these thirty-eight near-death weddings anymore." "Robert, I do not want you either." Chapter 1 When Vivienne Mayne saw me, she gave me a helpless smile. There was not the slightest embarrassment of being exposed. She invited me in with the ease of a hostess and told the housekeeper to bring me a cup of warm milk. "Nora, you are pregnant. Tap water is not good for you." I looked straight into her eyes and asked calmly, "How long?" Vivienne smiled, then slowly pushed a marriage certificate across the table. The registration date was May 21, eight years ago. My head rang. My scalp went numb. That night, Robert Blackwell booked a whole pack of drones over Harbor City and confessed his love to me in the most public way possible. We kissed beneath fireworks bright enough to shake the whole city. On that very same day, he took Vivienne Mayne to the courthouse and became her legal husband. I stared blankly at that certificate and laughed at myself. A suffocating pain pressed into my chest. Vivienne sighed as if she pitied me. "Nora, do not blame me. "I have known about you and Robert for a long time. "Think about it. Without my permission, how could you have stayed safely by his side for seven years? "How could you have gone from a poor student who could not even afford bread to a woman covered in diamonds?" She gave a soft laugh. There was open contempt at the corner of her mouth. "You should be thanking me." It felt as if something were lodged in my throat. I wiped the corner of my eye and asked in a trembling voice, "If you knew eight years ago, why did you not tell me? "Watching me plan wedding after wedding with joy, only to have each one fall apart. Did that make you proud?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Tell you? Why would I tell you? "In circles like ours, what wealthy man does not keep a woman outside his marriage? "If Robert was going to find someone, it was better for him to go to you than some stranger." She looked at me from the corner of her eye, her lips curving slightly. "At least you were obedient. Easy to control. You knew your place." Every word was a knife, stabbing into my heart and twisting. Fifteen years ago, Vivienne Mayne had been the only light in the darkness of my life. Back then, I was too poor to feed myself that I was trying to find something to eat from a trash bin in the school cafeteria. The other students poured leftovers on me and laughed. She was the one who chased them away and gave me the chicken leg from her plate. "Nora, from now on, you are with me. "If anyone dares call you a bastard again, I will tear their mouth open." Now, with that same tone, Vivienne called me a kept woman. In a burst of anger, I grabbed the glass on the table and hurled it at her. Robert rushed forward and shielded Vivienne with his body. The glass struck his forehead, and bright red blood seeped out. He frowned and looked at me with reproach. But when his gaze fell on my swollen belly, his expression softened. He coaxed me gently. "Nora, you are carrying a baby. You cannot get worked up. "Give birth safely first, and I will make up the wedding to you right away." He pulled me tightly into his arms. "We can let the child recognize Vivienne as a godmother. That will silence the gossip. I promise you and the baby will never want for anything." His embrace was warm, but I felt as if I had fallen into ice. For a few seconds, I could not move. Then I shoved Robert away and slapped him hard across the face. His head turned from the force. His eyes filled with disbelief. Holding my belly, I broke down and shouted, "Robert Blackwell, what gives you the right to do this? What do you think I am?" His patience vanished. His face darkened, and he growled, "What right do you have to accuse me? "Was your father any different?" I froze. Even my pupils trembled. "He cheated on your mother and lied to her. "He got your mother pregnant before marriage, had her give birth to you, then beat her until she ran away. "You were called a bastard since you were little. I was the one who pulled you out of the mud." He spoke as if he were righteous. He knew better than anyone that my family was the wound I could least bear to touch. Those childhood days when my father beat me with liquor bottles, when neighbors pointed at me and called me a bastard, were nightmares I had spent decades crawling out of. Robert had once helped me stitch those wounds shut. Now he ripped the stitches open and poured salt into the exposed flesh. My heart went cold. In the softest voice, I said with complete certainty, "If you will not divorce her, then we are over." Chapter 2 Disbelief flashed through Robert's eyes. He gripped my hand tightly, his tone so hard it left no room for argument. "No. "I will never separate from you. "I want you and the child both." The moment he finished speaking, Vivienne screamed from upstairs. "Robert! Clark fainted and is convulsing! We need to get him to the hospital!" Robert instantly released my hand and rushed upstairs. In a moment, the enormous villa was empty except for me. I looked around at the home he and Vivienne had shared for eight years. On the wall hung a family photo of the three of them, with the turquoise water and blue sky of the Maldives behind them. For three years, I had begged Robert to take me to the beach. I even made it my birthday wish. But he always put me off. "I am too busy lately. Next time." In the dog bed in the corner lay a custom suit. It was the suit I had personally chosen for our wedding. Now it was covered in dog hair and dust. My heart finally died. I forced back the ache in my eyes and was about to book a flight home when Robert called. His voice was urgent. "Bring your identification. I will have the driver pick you up." My fingers tightened around the phone, and my heart pounded. I thought he had finally found his conscience. I thought he was sending me to the airport, or perhaps taking me to get our marriage license. Instead, I was driven straight to the emergency building of the hospital. Robert ran out with red eyes and grabbed my wrist. "Nora, Clark is in the ICU. He urgently needs blood. "You have the same blood type with him. "Vivienne and I are immediate family. We cannot donate to him. "You are the only one who can save my son." I froze. He had sent the driver for me not because he regretted anything, not because he wanted to give me an answer. His son needed my blood. Before I could react, Vivienne threw herself at my feet. She clung tightly to my leg, sobbing. "Nora, I am begging you. "I paid your tuition back then. I stood up for you. I never interfered with your affair with Robert. "You cannot just stand by and watch my son die, can you?" Vivienne collapsed into Robert's arms and cried as if her heart were breaking. "I nearly bled to death giving birth to him. If anything happens to Clark, I will not live either." Her tears landed on Robert's heart. He turned to me and shouted, "Nora! You are about to become a mother too. "How can you be so cold-blooded? So heartless?" Tears filled my eyes. I held my belly and trembled as I asked, "Her child's life matters. Does the child in my belly not matter? "I am in my third trimester. Forcing me to donate blood could endanger my life at any moment." There was not a single flicker of hesitation in Robert's eyes. He snapped, "You have always been healthy. Your due date is still two months away. Nothing will happen." I turned to leave. Two bodyguards seized my arms, one on each side. I protected my belly and screamed, "Let go of me. Let me go." Robert acted as if he heard nothing. He looked at me with cold eyes and gave a ruthless order. "Draw five hundred milliliters." Chapter 3 A nurse came over and pushed a thick needle into my vein. I watched my blood leave my body, powerless to stop it. Humiliated tears slid silently down my face. Robert came closer and wiped them away with his warm palm. He was careful, almost tender, when he said, "Nora, I know you feel wronged. "After this is over, whatever you want, I will make it up to you." When the five hundred milliliters were finally drawn, I collapsed in the chair. Even lifting a finger took effort. Robert took the blood bag and ran straight toward the ICU. The tear tracks on Vivienne's face had already dried. She returned to her usual lofty, dismissive self and said to me, "You can go now. "I will have the driver take you back to the hotel to rest." There was not a single thank-you. It was as if everything were only natural. I braced myself against the chair and struggled to stand. Meeting Vivienne's eyes, I said weakly, "The debt I owed you is repaid today. "From now on, we owe each other nothing." When I walked out of the hospital, heavy snow filled the sky. I wore only a thin coat. My belly was heavy, and every step left me breathless. Suddenly, a tearing pain ripped through my abdomen. It felt as if my womb had been clamped and dragged downward with all its force. My lower back felt as though thousands of needles had pierced it at once, each one stabbing into the deepest place. My knees hit the ground. I lost my balance and fell forward. My phone flew from my pocket and landed two yards away, the screen shattering on impact. Then warmth surged beneath me. Blood mixed with amniotic fluid gushed out. People on the street stopped to stare. Some took out their phones to film. Some pointed at me and spoke in a language I did not understand. Some frowned and walked around me. Crying weakly, I reached toward the nearest passerby for help. "Help! Please... help me." The person glanced at me and hurried away. I lay in the snow, one hand protecting my belly, the other desperately reaching for my phone. At last, my fingers touched it. With difficulty, I called Robert. "Save me. I am outside the hospital. My stomach hurts so much. I think I am giving birth." His exhausted, indifferent voice came through the line. "Nora, Clark is still in danger. I cannot leave. "Your due date is still two months away. You cannot be giving birth this soon." His tone paused, filled with impatience. "If you really feel that bad, call an ambulance. I will pay the bill. "You need to learn to be strong. Not everything requires me to show up." Then the call ended. My suspended heart dropped hard. It felt as if the entire world had collapsed. Three years ago, when I had a slight fever, Robert bought the earliest overnight flight home. He held me in his arms the entire time, warming the IV bag with his own body heat. He whispered into my ear, "Nora, from now on, do not endure things alone. "Watching you suffer is worse than death for me." Now I lay in the snow of a foreign country. Those once-beautiful memories were as fragile as bubbles. One touch, and they burst. Snow struck my face. The movement in my belly grew weaker and weaker. My consciousness blurred. Then darkness swallowed me. When I opened my eyes again, I was staring at a hospital ceiling. Instinctively, I placed my hand on my stomach. It was flat. Chapter 4 I shot upright. A heavy, blunt pain tore through my incision. Gritting my teeth, I looked around in panic. The bassinet beside me was empty. A chill rushed to the top of my head. With trembling hands, I pressed the call button beside the bed again and again. A nurse hurried in. Using a translation app, I gestured helplessly. "The baby? "Where is my baby?" The nurse's face filled with pity. She picked up the translation device and slowly typed a line. "Placental abruption, severe hemorrhage, delayed emergency treatment. The baby boy died of asphyxiation. We are very sorry." I stared at the words on the screen. It felt as if someone had hollowed out my heart. A wave of nausea surged up, and I retched violently. Nothing came out. I knelt by the bed, tears streaming down my face, but not a sound escaped me. Then came the physical ache of milk letdown. My hospital gown grew wet. The loud cry of a newborn from the next room was like a red-hot brand pressed into my heart. I was in agony. I remembered the joy of feeling his first movement. I remembered crying when I saw his face for the first time on the ultrasound. My whole body shook uncontrollably. I closed my eyes. Pain throbbed through my chest. Then a familiar pair of large hands covered my ears. It was Robert. He looked at my flattened stomach and understood everything. "I am sorry, Nora. "I should not have come so late. I should not have left you to endure this alone." My eyes were empty. I turned my face away. The pillow was already soaked with tears. Seeing my silence, he continued. "Nora, your last prenatal checkup was not very good. "Even if the child had been born, he might not have..." My heart trembled. It was as if someone were scattering salt over my bloody wound. I turned toward him numbly and stared in disappointment. "This is the third one. We still could not keep him." Robert's face showed pity. "The first time, you brought me to a business dinner, and I was maliciously forced to drink until I miscarried on the spot. "The second time, I went out of town while heavily pregnant to help you negotiate a contract and miscarried from overwork. "The third time... you took five hundred milliliters of my blood." His face shifted between pale and blue. My eyes reddened, and I shouted in despair, "You never cared whether my children lived or died." Robert's throat moved. After a long silence, he forced out, "We will... have children again." No. Never again. Two years ago, he had looked at me with deep affection and said, "Nora, I grew up in a broken family. "In the future, I want to build a real warm home with you and have a lovely baby." Because I loved him too much, I wanted this man who had grown up starved of love to feel the warmth of family. And he destroyed everything with his own hands. Sobbing, I screamed, "Why can your child with Vivienne grow up healthy while my children can only turn into blood?" Robert reached out and caught my tears in his palm. He cried too. But I could no longer tell whether it was real. After a silence, he took out a blank check. "Nora, fill in any number you want. "I bought a ticket home for the day after tomorrow. Go back first and recover. "As long as you behave, I will give you a grand seaside wedding as compensation. "Give me one last chance. For the rest of my life, I will cherish you." He turned and walked away. I picked up my phone and dialed a number sealed away for years. "I have made up my mind. I am willing to go with you. Come get me." I lifted my eyes to that blank check. It felt like saying goodbye to Robert Blackwell. At three in the morning, I walked into the night and never looked back.