Chapter 2Used Goods

Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was Raelyn, the young widow from the building next door.

She stepped inside, her expression timid. "I heard people saying you two were fighting, so I came to see if everything was okay."

Her eyes fell on Ethan kneeling on the floor, and she quickly added, "Ethan was at my place picking up the breast pump that day. That's what delayed him. Please, don't get a divorce over this."

I stared hard at Ethan. Sure enough, the moment Raelyn walked in, a flicker of panic had crossed his face.

His mother scowled at me. "Eva, you heard her. Raelyn came all the way here to explain. There's no point in dragging this out."

"Besides," she continued, "Ethan has to work and he has to manage your moods. As the old saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too. As a wife, you should be a little more considerate."

I took a deep breath, my voice firm and serious. "Ethan, I don't want to make this ugly. If you won't come to the courthouse, then just sign these divorce papers."

To my shock, Raelyn snatched the papers from my hand, clutching them to her chest. "I won't let you two get divorced," she said stubbornly. "Eva, just blame me. It's my fault for giving him the breast pump and making you late for treatment."

"I'll move out tomorrow. I'll never bother you again. And I'll give you back all the money for the other things. You can just have them."

As she spoke, she sank to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face in a show of false sincerity.

Ethan immediately pulled her into his arms, a protective gesture laced with anger directed at me. "Eva, this is between us. You don't need to bully someone else. Raelyn is a widow, where is she supposed to go? And she's helped you so much, you should at least show some gratitude."

Tears welled in Raelyn's eyes as she put on a magnanimous front. "Eva, Ethan is a really good man. He was even asking me questions about pregnancy, all so he could take better care of you."

"I've been married before, and now I'm alone. I know how precious it is to have someone by your side. You're pregnant, for heaven's sake. That's a blessing some people would kill for."

"If you've fallen for someone else out of a moment of impulse," she said, her voice dripping with concern, "please, think it through. Good men like Ethan are hard to find."

She had turned the tables, pointing the finger directly at me.

My mother-in-law grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it at me. "I knew it!" she shrieked. "I knew there had to be a reason you'd want to divorce a man as good as Ethan. You've got some other man on the hook!"

"Let's get the divorce then! Our family doesn't want a cheap slut like you! And you can walk away with not a single penny!"

"Plenty of women would be thrilled to have him. I think Raelyn here is a much better fit."

At that, a blush crept up Raelyn's cheeks. Ethan didn't deny it. His silence was an admission.

His own eyes grew red as he put on a heart-wrenching performance. "Eva… tell me it's not true. What does he have that I don't?"

I glanced at my mother, swallowing the rage that was threatening to boil over.

"You know exactly what the truth is."

With that, I turned to leave. But as I moved, Raelyn's hand shot out, reaching for my stomach.

On pure instinct, I shoved her hand away. But she used the momentum, collapsing dramatically to the floor.

"Raelyn!"

Without a second thought, Ethan lunged at me, shoving me hard.

My head spun. A sharp, searing pain shot through my abdomen, and I felt a warm gush of blood between my legs.

"Someone call an ambulance!" my mother screamed in panic.