Chapter 2The Application Process

I gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.

My hands were shaking violently.

A little while later.

It seemed Ethan had successfully fixed the espresso machine.

Because he finally found the time to send me a barrage of links.

[Top 10 Babymoon Destinations for Expectant Mothers]

[Plan the Ultimate Romantic Getaway for Your Pregnant Wife]

Link after link.

Accompanied by massive paragraphs of travel itineraries.

[Mia, these look like your style. You can pick one of these, or find somewhere else you want to go.]

[Regardless, wherever you pick, I'll take you. Chloe already approved the time off.]

Along with the message, he sent a photo of a handwritten "approval slip" from Chloe.

[Ethan's Official Approval Slip]

[Approved Activity: Unlimited]

[Quantity: 1]

[Authorized Signature: Chloe]

Fighting through the violent tremors in my hands.

I saved the photo of that pathetic slip of paper to my camera roll.

Then.

I grabbed my medical records confirming the termination of my pregnancy.

And my driver's license.

I took an Uber straight to the headquarters of the Sterling Group.

A few minutes later.

A desperate, blood-curdling accusation echoed from a megaphone outside the Sterling building.

I was wearing a thin hospital gown.

Kneeling directly in front of the main entrance to the Sterling Group, where hundreds of employees and pedestrians were walking by.

Next to me was a massive, blown-up poster board displaying the photo of Chloe's handwritten approval slip.

I held my driver's license high in the air.

And the medical records confirming the loss of my baby.

"Because of this exact reason, I missed the critical window for medical intervention, and I lost my child..."

"Oh my god, an approval slip? He needed Chloe's approval just to take his own wife to the hospital?!"

Pedestrians pulled out their phones, live-streaming my horrifying, pathetic reality to the internet.

"Who the hell does Chloe think she is? She's not his wife! What right does she have to approve or deny anything?!"

"I thought the CEO was super devoted to his wife? Why is he taking orders from this Chloe girl?"

"Oh, I know Chloe! She has absolutely zero boundaries. She got iced out at her last company because no one could stand her, so she ran over to Sterling Group to hide."

"She constantly flaunts her 'decade-long friendship' with the CEO to act like a tyrant in the office."

Chloe was originally preparing to leave for the day.

But when she saw the massive mob blocking the main entrance, she was terrified to step outside.

"Wh... what the hell is going on?! Why are there so many people blocking the doors?!"

At the same time, Ethan's phone call came through.

"Are you fucking insane?! Why did you terminate the pregnancy?!"

I laughed.

"Why did I terminate it? Are you seriously pretending you don't know?"

"That's enough, Mia!"

Ethan's breathing was erratic and heavy.

"Chloe literally called 911 for you! The doctors told her the baby was fine! Why the hell did you abort it?!"

I froze.

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped my lips.

"You think I intentionally aborted my own child?"

"You've always been jealous of Chloe."

"Ethan, I am not a psychotic monster like you and Chloe!!"

My furious roar was broadcast live to thousands of people through the pedestrians' phones.

The live stream chat was scrolling at lightning speed.

[Oh my god, she looks like she's literally shattering.]

[I'm pregnant right now and watching this is making me bawl my eyes out. Anyone would go insane losing a baby over something like this!]

[Chloe is absolute human garbage. I can't watch this anymore, I'm going down there right now.]

[Me too! I work two blocks away!]

[Lead the way, bro. My fists are itching.]

The crowd gathering outside the building grew massive.

People started screaming.

Demanding Chloe come downstairs.

On the other end of the phone, Chloe burst into hysterical tears.

"Ethan! What are we going to do?!"

Ethan ground his teeth together.

"Mia, Chloe suffers from severe clinical depression! You are literally driving her to suicide!"

"And what about our child?!"

"Tell them to leave right now."

"Not a chance in hell."

"Ethan... my chest feels so tight... I can't breathe..."

Chloe's voice suddenly began trembling violently.

Ethan apparently dropped his phone.

I heard the sound of things crashing to the floor on his end.

And Ethan's frantic, fading voice echoing in the background:

"Chloe! Someone get in here! Call a medic!"

Listening to the chaos on his end.

I let out a cold, sharp smirk.

No matter what it took.

I was going to get justice for my baby.

Finally.

Ethan walked out of the building.

Facing the furious, surging mob.

His face simultaneously appeared on the massive digital billboard mounted on the side of the Sterling Group headquarters.

"Regarding the incident detailed by Ms. Quinn, I am issuing an official response."

I gritted my teeth, glaring up at him.

"The child was not mine."