Chapter 6
Meanwhile, back at the house, as soon as Jim walked into the room, Sadie rushed over, wrapping her arms around his waist and tearing up instantly.
“Jim, is Ms. Bronson gone? I’ll move out. I don’t want to come between the two of you.
“You shouldn’t have helped me in the first place…”
Her voice trembled as she cried harder.
Jim felt a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over him. He absentmindedly patted her on the back.
If it were Hayley, she would not break down like this every time.
“Sadie, stop crying. Hayley didn’t leave,” he said.
“You and my mom are both here, so I had her stay at another place for
now.
“Once you’ve recovered a bit, I’ll bring her back.“.
Sadie stayed in his arms, but at his words, something cold flickered in her
eyes.
“Okay, Jim. Once Ms. Bronson comes back, I’ll move out. I promise something like today won’t ever happen again.”
Jim did not say anything. He just stared at the black screen of his phone, lost in thought.
Three days later, during his sixth meeting of the week, Jim spaced out
07130
2SCOPES
again. The project manager noticed, and Jim ended the meeting with a tight–lipped, “We’ll continue this another day.”
He was frustrated. He wanted to know why Hayley had not called him.
He had given her the address of the new place, but not the door code.
Would she really rather freeze outside than just ask him?
It was just a small thing. Was it worth being that stubborn over?
If she was not going to call him, was she expecting him to reach out first?
It was just like her. That infuriating silence of hers.
The more Jim thought about it, the angrier he got. He kicked the edge of the couch and stormed out of the office.
Outside, the secretaries were murmuring in low voices while holding files.
“Why hasn’t Hayley shown up to work these past few days?”
“Hayley? Don’t you mean Sadie? She’s the one carrying the boss’s baby
now.”
“For real?”
“Last time when Sadie went looking for Hayley and came back upset, the boss didn’t say a word and just took her side without question. The way he protected Sadie, it was like she was the apple of his eye. Wasn’t that obvious enough?”
The whispers made their way to Jim’s ears, and his irritation flared up
even more.
What useless chatter. And half of it was wrong.
07:13D
“Does the company pay you to gossip? If I catch anyone talking about this during work hours again, pack your things and get out!”
The group
of secretaries scattered like startled birds, unsure of what to do
under his sudden outburst.
***
Later, after cooling off, Jim finally sent me a message.
“If you’re not coming to work, at least have the decency to request leave.
“Sadie’s only been living at home for three months. Can’t you be more tolerant?
“I just remembered I didn’t give you the password to the new place. Don’t stay outside tonight. Go back to the old house.”
While those messages came through one after another, I was already signing the consent form for the abortion.
Outside the operating room, a young doctor in a mask looked at me, hesitant.
“Hayley, does the child’s father know you’re doing this?”
I turned off my phone without blinking.
“He passed away. I can make this decision on my own.
“Dr. Finnegan, let’s begin.”
Four hours later, when I was wheeled out of the OR looking pale and drained, the only person waiting for me was Daniel Finnegan.11
