?Chapter 15:


    With a hand that shook slightly, Sadie hesitated, then pressed the answer button.


    “Hello…” Her greeting was timid,ced with a hoarseness born of her anxiety.


    “Sadie, where on earth are you?” Noah’s voice came through, icy and sharp with anger.


    Clutching the phone with both hands now, Sadie tried to steady her voice. “I—I’m heading home.”


    “Get back here right now—we’re going to the hospital!” With amanding edge in his voice, Noah made it clear—this wasn’t up for debate.


    Going to the hospital?


    The very idea sent a shiver down Sadie’s spine—she couldn’t possibly.


    But something in Noah’s tone hinted at concern, sparking a tiny me of hope in her chest.


    With her heart pounding, Sadie ventured, her voice barely audible, “Are you… worried about me?”


    But before Noah could answer, a sugary, flirtatious voice cut through the silence, dripping with intimacy.


    “Our friends are hosting a party for me tonight, Noah. I’d love it if you came with me.”


    K’s voice was sweet, yet her words crashed down like a steel fist, snuffing out Sadie’s lingering hope.


    A vice tightened around Sadie’s heart, the agony breathtaking.


    How naive she had been!


    A bitter chuckle escaped her as she realized the truth. Noah’s concern wasn’t for her well-being; he was simply worried she might be pregnant—aplication for him and K.


    Unable to bear another second, Sadie abruptly ended the call.


    Tears betrayed herposure, cascading freely down her cheeks.


    She mped a hand over her mouth, muffling the heart-wrenching sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.


    A flicker of Sadie’s reflection in the rearview mirror caught the driver’s eye, prompting a soft, thoughtful sigh. He remained silent, the only sound the soft hum of the engine as he pressed down on the elerator with deliberate heaviness.


    Sadie, leaning against the cool window, watched the world blur past. A deep, throbbing ache filled her chest, her heart squeezed by the relentless grip of realization.


    She had once believed that two years of marriage would at least forge some semnce of sincerity, even if love remained elusive.


    But now, faced with the stark truth, she realized how stupid she had been.


    Noah had only harbored disdain, cloaked in the guise of indifference, while she—foolishly, hopelessly—had clung to a fraying thread of hope.


    Self-pity washed over her as she allowed the tears to escape, tracing wet paths down her cheeks, mourning the love she had imagined.


    Meanwhile, Noah stood firmly as he addressed K’s request. “No, I have ns for tonight,” he stated tly, his voice a mix of resolve and detachment.


    K’s eyes momentarily lost their sparkle, her smile waning slightly, but she nodded with a feigned understanding, her voice tinged with disappointment. “I see. Alright then.”


    Her fingers delicately gripped her purse as she turned to leave. Noah’s gaze lingered on K’s retreating figure, his eyes shadowed with aplex, unspoken turmoil.


    After she had gone, he reached for his phone, intending to ask Sadie what she had said earlier.


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