10
###Chapter 10
My marriage certificate was chewed up by a dog, so I went to the civil affairs office to get a replacement. But the clerk gave me a complicated look.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no record of a ‘Maxine Patterson‘ in our system. And this certificate is fake.”}
My mind went blank in disbelief. “But my husband, Dawson Patterson, and I registered our marriage six years ago. Please, can you double–check-”
I was still pleading when I saw Dawson walk in from a distance, his arm wrapped around his childhood sweetheart, Elise.
Instinctively, I ducked behind a large potted plant. From there, I heard Elise ask mockingly. “You kept your marriage with her a secret for six years, lied about being infertile, and even drugged her milk with birth control pills after every time you slept together. Weren’t you afraid she’d find out and be heartbroken?“}
Dawson chuckled and responded, “That marriage certificate was fake anyway. As for a child? Even if she had one, it’d just be a shameful bastard. Better that it never existed.”}
He gently stroked Elise’s belly, still swollen from childbirth, with a look of affection.”
“I’ll make sure our son is the only heir to the Patterson family. No one will compete with him.“> Clutching my seven–weeks–pregnant belly, I stood frozen, tears streaming down uncontrollably. So this was what my “happy marriage” had been all along–just a hell built on his lies.
Well then, I hope he and Elise stay chained to each other for life.§
…
Stumbling out of the civil affairs office in a daze, my trembling fingers barely managed to unlock my phone. But before I could make a call, the doctor called first.
“Miss Maxine,” the voice was gentle but somber, “I’m very sorry to inform you, we’ve just discovered that the fetus has no heartbeat. To avoid any risk of infection, please come in soon for an induced abortion.”
At that instant, my entire body went cold.
I looked up at the harsh sunlight, and a wave of dizziness hit me.
In our third year of dating, Dawson had suddenly knelt in front of me, holding a medical report that said he was infertile.§
He said he might never be able to give me a child.
For someone like me, who loved children deeply, it was a devastating blow. But I loved him so much I couldn’t let go.§
I was even foolish enough to agree to a secret marriage.}
“Give me ten years, Maxine,” he’d said. “If we have a baby, I’ll give you the grandest wedding. If not, I’ll set you free. Since our marriage is secret, no one will judge you…”
I hugged him tightly, shaking my head. “I won’t leave you, Dawson.”
And all this time, I thought he said those things because he truly cared about me.
But it was all part of his scheme.
Did he have any idea how hard I’d tried over the past six years just to have a child?”
Endless medications. Painful procedures that left my body writhing in agony. My mother even traveled to a temple in Thailand, crawling up a thousand stone steps on her knees just to pray for our child. Her head was bloody, and her joints were nearly destroyed.§ Today, I’d just found out I was pregnant.”
I thought it was a miracle, that our sincerity had finally moved the heavens.
Now I realize it was only because Dawson got drunk that night and forgot to drug my milk.
And even the child I finally conceived… has stopped moving inside me.”
It felt like a sledgehammer smashed into my chest, the pain spreading through my entire body.
Crying helplessly, I collapsed on the roadside. Suddenly, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw Dawson’s name.
I answered in a daze, sobbing so hard that he panicked.”
*Maxine? Why are you crying? Did someone upset my wife? Tell me, I’ll make them pay!“N
I tried to steady my shaking voice, wiping my tears in a panic. “It’s nothing. Just got some dust in my eye.”
He let out a breath of relief, his voice soft and affectionate. “Hearing you cry breaks my heart. I wish I wasn’t on this business trip so I could come be with you…”
Business trip?%
Busy registering a marriage with Elise, maybe. Busy playing happy family with their newborn.
His sweet words sounded just like they always had–so sincere, so convincing–I almost wondered if what I saw earlier had all been a nightmare.XX
Clinging to the last sliver of hope, I asked him, “Dawson… the marriage certificate got ruined. Should we go get a new one?“?
There was a brief moment of panic in his voice, but he quickly recovered. “That’s just a small thing. I’ll have someone handle it. You don’t need to worry about it Mm, I’ve gotta run, babe “E
1:13 PM
A muffled groan came from his end of the call before the line cut to a cold, repetitive dial tone.
I pressed a hand to my belly and shut my eyes in despair.
Scrolling through my contacts, I found my older brother’s name–Enrique–and called, barely able to speak through my tears.
“Brother… end all cooperation with the Patterson family. I’m leaving him.”
My brother had always been the one who doted on me the most. He understood everything in an instant.
With a sigh full of sorrow, he said, “I have some business back home in a few days. I’ll come get you myself. Maxine, don’t cry anymore.“}] Thinking of my aging parents, and my brother who’d once begged me not to trust a man like Dawson, the guilt nearly shattered my heart.” I nodded through the tears and ended the call.
Then, I made an appointment for the procedure the next day.”
D
