After the Third Time

I met Henry's gaze as I calmly replied, "I'm going to crash at a friend's for a bit. We're divorced, and me being here just doesn't feel right."

Confusion flickered across his face, my serenity sending ripples of unease through him.

"You know, you really don't have to leave..."

My hands clamped the big suitcase shut, silencing whatever he was about to say.

"Your wife's expecting, and here you are, shacking up with your ex. Got a game plan for explaining that to everyone?"

Henry's face twisted with discomfort, his hand hovering in the air, reaching for me, but no more pleas left his lips.

I gave him an icy look, hefted my suitcase, and did not look back as I walked away.

That home, once ours, reeked of another woman. I was done with it all.

I was done with Henry too.

Something clicked for Henry, and he called out after me.

"Don't forget, we're getting remarried on the first of next month. Be at the County Clerk's Office!"

The first next month? That was when my flight was.

Talk about timing.

I could not help but smirk at the irony.

My best friend, Wren Rogers, had seen it all. She saw the rise and fall of Henry and I.

Wren saw how Henry doted on me and had been by my side through the sleepless nights after each divorce.

"Are you really set on leaving this time?"

Wren was with me at the hospital for a baby check-up, watching my face for any sign of distress.

"Do you plan to keep the baby a secret from Henry?"

With my departure for overseas studies looming, I had less than two weeks left.

Since the divorce, Henry had all but disappeared from my life. I stopped keeping tabs on him, focusing instead on wrapping up my affairs at home.

I was heading to a place called United Germland to study, and it would be a long while before I came back.

I nodded, my hand instinctively resting on my belly. "It's not necessary. This baby might never even meet its real father."

"Selena?"

A familiar voice came from behind me, tinged with a surprise that was hard to catch.

Wren and I turned around to see Henry, his hand gripping Melanie's shoulder, his eyes wary.

"Did you come here for me?" he asked.

My heart twinged, but I held back Wren, who was ready to jump to my defense.

"You're overthinking it. We were just passing through."

Melanie stepped out from behind Henry, her face a picture of innocence, yet her smile was anything but.

"Selena, this is the maternity ward. How could you just 'pass by'? You're here for Henry, aren't you?"

Henry's eyes, complicated and heavy, landed on me, his voice filled with resignation,

"Selena, there's no need for this. I told you that we're getting remarried on the first of next month."

I stayed quiet, hiding behind Wren, not ready to reveal the truth.

Melanie's eyes flashed with anger, and suddenly she clutched her stomach while exclaiming, "My stomach... Is the baby coming?!"

Henry's face twisted in sudden panic, and he swept Melanie into his arms, bolting for the door.

As he rushed by, Melanie's hand shot out, gripping my arm with a fierce tug.

I stumbled, crashing to the ground as Wren's gasp echoed in my ears.

Pain washed over me, turning my face ghostly pale. Wren, shaking, lifted me up, her voice breaking as she called for a doctor.

Through the blur, I caught Henry hesitating for a split second, but then, he was gone, not once looking back.

With his retreat, the last thread of hope I clung to snapped.

I should have seen it coming. He had left me for Melanie previously, and there was no turning back.

The pain in my belly dragged me down into an abyss of darkness.

When my eyes opened again, they met Wren's tear-swollen gaze.

"Selena, thank God your baby's okay. I couldn't bear it if something happened," she sobbed, clutching me like I was a precious gem she had thought lost forever.

I caressed my belly, a gentle look in my eyes. My heart, once suspended in fear, was settled with relief.

That was my first child, and despite everything, my anticipation for its arrival had not waned.

Even if leaving Henry was in my future, I would not abandon our child.

Flipping through my phone, Henry's empty chat history left me unfazed. However, Melanie's silence was broken by a flurry of photos and messages.

In each picture, a sweet baby nestled in Henry's arms, cradled with such care, his eyes brimming with love.

Melanie, looking worn but joyful, watched them from her hospital bed.

Their little family, wrapped in warmth, would make anyone's heart swell with happiness.

Beneath the photos, Melanie had left a note.

[Henry once promised he would be the baby's father, and that we would build a happy life together. You wouldn't want to be the homewrecker, would you?]

[Now that you're divorced, stay out of his life. We got our marriage license yesterday, and I'm holding on tight this time.]

Beneath her text was a snapshot of the marriage certificate.

I gazed at the photo for ages before finally setting my phone aside.

It was a good thing that I had stopped pinning any hopes on Henry long ago. Melanie's taunts could no longer touch me.

It was the night before my departure abroad when Henry's call came through at last.

"It's my birthday today. You've always been there for me, year after year. You won't break tradition, will you? I've booked us a table at San Nello's finest. See you at eight. Don't stand me up!"

I almost said no, but with my move abroad the next day, and no more chances to see him, I figured it was time for a proper farewell, to close the chapter on us once and for all.

However, I ended up waiting alone at the restaurant, and Henry was a no-show.

His voice cracked through a rushed voice message.

"I'm sorry, Selena. Melanie's kid got sick, so we had to rush to the hospital.

"I've got a lifetime of birthdays to spend with you. I'll divorce Melanie tomorrow, remarry you. Once I've sorted things with her, I'll be yours, okay?"

I switched off my phone with a steady hand and passed the gift I had brought for Henry to the waiter.

With that, I collected my bags without a backward glance and made my way to the airport for my new beginning.

By eight the next morning, I was checked in for my flight.

A quick scroll through Melanie's Instagram showed Henry, dark circles and all, asleep at the hospital, the picture of peace.

An hour had passed when I lined up to board my flight. That was when Henry's text popped up, asking when we were going to pick up our marriage license.

I blocked his number without a second thought, switched my phone to airplane mode, and stepped onto the plane without a backward glance.

Henry, who had just left the hospital, waited and waited, but my reply never came.

He tried calling me, frustration mounting, only to find my line was unreachable.

Pondering what to do next, he decided to call Wren.

Meanwhile, Melanie burst out of the hospital, clutching her baby and panting heavily. Tears streaked her face as she pleaded with Henry,

"Henry, please don't leave. The baby and I need you. Can't you stay?"

Henry paused, torn, but he ultimately pushed her hand away with a steely resolve.

"I've done what I had to do. Today's the day I get back with Selena. I promised her."

However, Melanie was relentless, gripping onto him once more.

"You helped us, so you can't abandon me when things are at their worst. The baby's sick, and I can't care for him alone. Henry, can you really bear to see your child and I die?"

Henry wavered. "I promised Selena..."

"Life's at stake here. Selena would understand, she's always been so compassionate," Melanie interrupted as placed the baby into Henry's arms, its pale face tugging at his heartstrings.

After a moment of silence, Henry finally found the words.

"Alright, I'll help you take the baby to the doctor for now..."

However, before he could finish, Wren's scornful voice cut in through the phone, which had connected without his knowledge.

"Why don't you just stay trapped with Melanie? Selena's long gone from Itania. She's done with you!"