Caught In The Maternity Ward. No Wedding For You!

On the eve of our wedding, my fiancée took a sudden phone call, her eyes welling with tears. "Mia was in a terrible car accident. She's badly hurt, and I need to go take care of her." She was gone for two whole weeks. During that time, she refused to see me. She wouldn't even answer my FaceTime calls, claiming she was just too exhausted from playing nurse. Worried sick, I finally checked the GPS tracker on her car. The location on the screen made my stomach drop. A hospital. Thinking something had happened to her, I raced over in a panic. Yet the second I pushed open the recovery room door, I froze dead in my tracks. My fiancée was lounging comfortably in the hospital bed. And sitting beside her, feeding her cherries one by one, was the very "scholarship student" she had been financially supporting for years. I let out a cold laugh, turned on my heel, and dialed her parents' number. "Something's happened to Chloe." "Get down to the hospital right now." On the other end of the line, Chloe's mother, Mary, had a trembling voice. "What happened to Chloe? Wasn't she out of town looking after Mia?" "Why on earth is she at a women's clinic?" Chloe's father, Richard, snatched the phone away. His voice was harsh and full of accusation. "What the hell happened to my daughter? Is it serious?" "What kind of useless fiancé are you?!" Clutching my phone, I deliberately lowered my voice, faking sheer panic. "Please don't panic yet." "I'm at the hospital now. The doctor says it's complicated, and Chloe won't let me in the room." "Just get over here first. Once you're here, I'll explain everything." I hung up and immediately dialed Chloe's number. It rang for a long time before she finally picked up. Chloe's voice came through the speaker. She didn't sound weak at all. In fact, she sounded lighthearted, almost giddy. "Brandon? Why are you calling all of a sudden?" If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes... My bride-to-be was lying in a bed at the local women's health clinic. Fresh out of an abortion. And by her side was that little "charity case" of hers. Seeing that I stayed silent, Chloe pressed on. "Brandon?" I swallowed down the sheer disgust clawing at my throat. "Nothing. You've been gone so long, I was just worried." Chloe let out a soft giggle, her voice sickeningly sweet. "I'm totally fine." "Mia's injuries are pretty bad, so I've been stuck at the hospital keeping her company..." I was sick of her lies and cut her off. "Are you at the hospital right now?" Her breath hitched for a split second. "Yeah." "Which room? I'll come see you." "No!" The rejection was almost an involuntary reflex. Realizing she had reacted too aggressively, she quickly softened her tone. "I mean... Mia still needs rest. You shouldn't make the trip." "I just don't want you exhausting yourself, babe." I smirked. "Fair enough." "When are you coming home, then?" "Once Mia's condition stabilizes." She cooed softly, trying to pacify me. "Just a few more days, okay? Be a good boy and wait for me at home." Listening to her casual, nonchalant tone, I almost laughed out loud. I took a deep breath. "A FaceTime call wouldn't hurt, right?" "I just want to see your face." Without waiting for her reply, I hit the video call button. The request was instantly declined. A flat-out rejection within a second. Right after, Chloe's shrill voice came through the speaker. "Brandon! Are you out of your mind?!" "I told you I'm looking after Mia! It's not convenient!" Without giving me a chance to speak, she laid down the law. "As punishment, you are forbidden from calling me until I come home!" She hung up right in my face. Expressionless, I dialed her again. Only the cold, automated operator answered. "The number you have dialed is currently turned off." I wasn't surprised in the slightest. This wasn't the first time. Back when we first started dating, we FaceTimed every day. Ever since she claimed she was "caring for her injured best friend" two weeks ago, she hadn't picked up a single video call. Every time I dared to call a second time, she would shut off her phone immediately. Then came hours of silent treatment and temper tantrums, forcing me to crawl back and apologize. Before, I thought she was just worn out from caregiving, and to keep the peace, I gave in again and again. Looking back, she wasn't exhausted. She was just terrified her dirty little secret would see the light of day. I stood outside the hospital entrance, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Since she wanted a "picture-perfect" wedding... I was going to hand her the biggest surprise of her life today.Before long, a car screeched to a halt in front of the hospital doors. Richard and Mary scrambled out almost at the same time, their faces pale with panic. Mary held her phone, still desperately trying to call Chloe. Every call went straight to voicemail. Her face darkened by the second. "What is going on?" "Why is Chloe's phone dead?" I walked up to them, deliberately putting on an exhausted, distraught look. "Take it easy." "The doctors are still dealing with it inside. I only got here a little while ago myself." Mary grabbed my arm tightly. "How is Chloe?" "Is she badly hurt?" I didn't answer right away, only shaking my head slowly. "I don't know the exact details." "The doctor just told us... to prepare for the worst." Mary's face turned completely white. "What?" "How could it be that bad?!" Richard's expression instantly darkened with fury. "Brandon, what kind of fiancé are you?!" "The wedding is literally tomorrow, and you can't even keep your own woman safe!" "I never approved of this marriage in the first place!" "If it weren't for your decent job and honest face, I never would've let Chloe marry someone of your class!" Mary jumped right in, her voice shrill enough to shatter glass. "Exactly! Look at your pathetic background! If Chloe hadn't taken pity on you, you'd never step foot in our social circle in this lifetime!" "Chloe grew up like a princess! She had to be blind to settle for you!" "We aren't even at the altar yet, and she's already in the hospital!" "Let me tell you, Brandon, if anything happens to my daughter, you couldn't pay us back even if you sold everything you owned!" I kept my head down, remaining completely silent. Listening to them tear into me, I wondered if they'd keep this same haughty attitude once they saw their precious daughter. Richard cleared his throat. "Whatever treatment Chloe needs today, you're paying for every dime." "Medical bills, private room fees, future recovery costs. Not a single cent short." I nodded. "Of course. I will." Seeing my obedient stance, Richard's scowl softened slightly. Then, he added without missing a beat: "And another seventy thousand dollars." I looked up. "What?" "Wire seventy thousand to my account right now." Richard said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "We'll have to take care of Chloe around the clock. Meals, hotels, gas, our time. Everything costs money." "Consider it your way of compensating us." I stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright." "I'll transfer it shortly." Richard clearly didn't expect me to agree so smoothly, and the anger on his face melted away into smug satisfaction. "One more thing. At the ceremony tomorrow, cut your parents' speech." "Having those two up on stage will only embarrass both of our families." He raised his chin slightly, dripping with undisguised contempt. "Our guest list is full of high-society figures. Your parents' blue-collar look will drag our entire family's reputation down into the dirt." A chill ran down my spine. These were the people I had genuinely treated like my future in-laws. I took a deep breath, keeping my tone as meek and compliant as possible. "You're right. I failed to protect Chloe." "You don't even need to ask. I will cover every single expense." "As for my parents, I'll tell them to stay off the stage." There wasn't going to be a wedding anyway. My parents had no reason to show up. Ignoring them, I pulled out my phone. Chloe had taken time off work for so long. Now that she had suffered such a "terrible accident," her colleagues deserved to know. I opened the company's WhatsApp work group chat. Quickly typing out a message, I hit send. "Hi everyone, this is Brandon, Chloe's fiancé. Chloe had a sudden emergency today and is in critical condition." "She won't be able to return to the studio for a while. My sincere apologies." The chat went silent for a few seconds before blowing up completely. Concerned messages poured in by the dozen. "Oh my god! What happened?!" "Is Chloe okay? Which hospital is she at?" "We should go visit her right now!" People immediately started organizing groups to rush over. Looking at the screen, I added one more line: "I'm at the hospital right now." "If anyone is free, please feel free to drop by and show her some support. It might help her pull through." Watching the screen flood with "On our way" and "Leaving now," I clicked the phone shut. The more spectators there were, the better the show would be.My mind drifted back through the past six months of wedding preparations. Chloe always loved painting herself as an ethereal, pure soul who was above worldly materialism. Her favorite catchphrase was: "I never care about money, and I hate measuring love with dollar signs." In her eyes, a straightforward businessman like me, reeking of cash and hustle, wasn't even in the same spiritual universe. Yet she swiped the authorized card I gave her without batting an eye, buying limited-edition designer bags worth tens of thousands. Then she'd turn around and post on Instagram: "The freedom of the soul should never be shackled by dirty materialism." To preserve her so-called "artistic purity," she even laid down a rule: we were only allowed to be intimate once a month. And I had to use maximum protection every single time, because she refused to let "carnal desires tarnish our pure romance." Like an obedient ATM, I covered our entire mortgage, her car notes, and her lavish lifestyle. At home, I walked on eggshells, treating her like royalty. Last month on my birthday, I spent hours cooking a full spread of her favorite dishes. Just as the food hit the table, she saw a post from that sponsored charity student of hers, Julian. She stood up to leave immediately. I tried to stop her. "It's my birthday today... can't you just stay?" She sneered, looking down on me with utter disdain. "Julian is having another depressive episode! He is suffering, don't you get it?" "Your brain only thinks about money! You have zero appreciation for the fragility and sensitivity of a true artist!" "I need to be there for him right now!" Oh, she understood the "fragility of an artist," alright. So much so that she personally checked into a clinic to quietly scrape out the child she conceived with him. I locked my phone and looked up at the hospital tower. Mary had already sprinted to the emergency reception desk. "Check your system right now! Chloe! What room is she in?!" Mary slammed her palm against the desk, screeching in a frantic rush. The poor triage nurse jumped, quickly tapping away at the keyboard. "Ma'am, please calm down. Let me check the ER database... There is no patient under the name Chloe here." Mary's eyes went wide. She spun around, glaring daggers at me. "You useless idiot! Did you even get the hospital name right?!" The nurse kept typing, trying to defuse the situation. "Hold on, ma'am. Since she isn't in the ER, let me run her name through the general system to see if she was admitted to another department..." Hearing that, my heart lurched. If the nurse blurted out "She's in the OB-GYN ward for an abortion" right in front of them right now... Everything I had planned would go down the drain. I stepped forward and placed a hand on the counter. "Don't worry about it, nurse." "Chloe's situation was an emergency, so they used a VIP priority entrance. It might not be logged yet." "I asked a friend at the hospital to move her straight up to the inpatient VIP suite." Richard squinted at me, his brow furrowed in suspicion. "Since when did you have connections at this hospital?" Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from the entrance. Several familiar faces rushed in. Chloe's colleagues from the dance studio. The lead instructor recognized me immediately and jogged over, out of breath. "Brandon! We saw your message in the group chat and rushed over!" "Where is Chloe? Is she badly hurt?" "What did the doctors say? How is she doing?" The other staff gathered around, firing questions left and right with genuine concern. Richard and Mary's attention was instantly snatched away by the crowd. I exhaled quietly. My face instantly shifted back into a picture of heavy, solemn gratitude. "Thank you all so much for coming. Really, it means the world." "Chloe is upstairs in a private room. I'll take everyone up to see her right now."Mary marched right up to one of the better-dressed colleagues, grabbing her hand as tears instantly welled in her eyes. "Oh, thank you all so much for making the trip." "My heart has been in my throat the entire drive here." "Our Chloe... ever since she was little, even a paper cut would break my heart." "She was supposed to walk down the aisle tomorrow in her wedding dress... How could something so awful happen?" With that, she shot me a venomous glare, deliberately raising her voice so everyone in the lobby could hear. "That's why I always tell women: never marry down!" "I warned Chloe from day one. What's the point of an unrefined upstart with a bit of dirty cash? When life gets tough, he's totally useless!" "He can't even keep his own fiancée safe! I should've let Chloe stay with her photographer ex-boyfriend!" "At least he was an artist! He understood romance, he knew how to cherish a woman! Not like this classless nobody who brings nothing but bad luck!" The colleagues exchanged awkward glances. Nobody dared to jump into that minefield. Richard clasped his hands behind his back and walked up to me, his voice dropping into a harsh hiss. "Brandon, look at them. Look at all these people who came to visit!" "These are the connections and goodwill Chloe built at work through her own grace and talent!" He poked a finger inches from my nose, dripping with contempt. "Now look at you! A crisis happens, and all you can do is stand there playing dumb!" "Deep down, you're just like your broke parents. Pinching pennies, incapable of guaranteeing my daughter's safety!" "I must've been blind to ever agree to this wedding!" I kept my eyes on the polished floor tiles, letting them vent every drop of their poisonous arrogance. Out of their sight, the corners of my mouth curled into a faint smile. Go on. Keep barking. The harder you trash me now, the more priceless your faces will be in a minute. I led the massive entourage toward the elevators. The doors slid open on the sixth floor. A sharp whiff of clinical antiseptic mixed with the faint smell of baby formula hung in the air. Mary pinched her nose in instant disgust, her face twisting in revulsion. "Brandon! Have you completely lost your mind?!" "Even if you couldn't pull strings for a decent private room, how could you shove her into a dump like this?!" "Uncultured people really do uncultured things. Zero class, dumping my daughter in such a cheap ward!" This time, I didn't answer, nor did I put on the meek smile I used to wear. I walked right past Mary, taking the lead down the quiet hallway. My eyes scanned the digital nameplates outside each room, searching for the name "Chloe." Seeing me ignore him, Richard blew a gasket, trailing behind and barking at my back. "Who do you think you're giving attitude to?! Can't even handle a little criticism, can you..." Before he could finish his sentence, at the nurses' station down the hall, a nurse flipped open a medical chart and called out: "Is Chloe here? Get ready for the post-abortion D&C procedure!" "Julian? Where are you? Come sign the consent form for your girlfriend!"