Ninety-Nine Stars, One Lost Child

My billionaire boyfriend promised he would only grant ninety-nine wishes for his first love, who had been injured and lost her memory.

I silently counted every single one. Yet, when the ninety-ninth wish was fulfilled, I caught them locked in a passionate embrace.

After that, I stopped nagging him. I stopped begging for his attention or fighting him over his constant need to care for her.

I only asked him for one thing: a small infant anklet. I told him it was a keepsake for our unborn child.

When I mentioned the baby, Zachary's expression softened for a moment. "Once I'm done with this, I'll take you to the boutique to pick out everything we need," he said.

I gave him a submissive "Okay."

I didn't tell him that a week ago, I had already had my lawyer draft the separation agreement.

In my heart, we were already over.

......

After finishing my discharge paperwork, I ran into Zachary Hart in the hospital garden.

Sienna Lowell was leaning weakly into his chest. They were whispering sweet nothings to each other, but the moment Zachary saw me, his smile vanished.

He immediately pulled Sienna behind him, as if he was terrified I might hurt her. "What are you doing here?" he snapped.

The coldness in his eyes chilled me to the bone.

Sienna tugged on his sleeve with a delicate hand. "Zack, don't scare her. She's your wife."

Before I could speak, she looked at me with eyes full of fake apology. "Molly, please don't misunderstand. I'm hurt, and Zack is just worried about me."

Zachary turned to comfort her with a gentle voice I hadn't heard in months. When he looked back at me, his face was a mask of impatience. "Well? What do you want?"

I opened my mouth, but the words died in my throat. I simply shook my head. "Nothing. I was just passing by."

Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Zachary took a step toward me. He actually spoke with a hint of kindness. "Go home and rest. You're carrying a child; you need to be careful."

Behind him, Sienna's face twisted into a scowl.

I nodded slowly. "I know."

He didn't stay. He led Sienna away, and she shot me a look of pure triumph over her shoulder.

I turned around, my hand instinctively resting on my flat stomach. A wave of bitterness crashed over me.

In this moment, my husband was playing hero for another woman. He had no idea that his wife had already lost the little one.

If only he had looked back at me that day. If only he had visited my hospital room just once.

He would have known everything.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and felt the small glass jar in my pocket. I gripped it tight as the past flooded back.

The first and last time he accompanied me to the clinic was the day his first love found him. From that day on, he never came home. He barely went to the office.

He spent every waking moment by her side.

When I begged him with tear-filled eyes to spend just one day with me, he said:

"Sienna is fragile, Molly. She's hurt and can't remember anything. She needs me right now."

"Don't worry, I'm just helping her recover. It's nothing more than that."

He promised he would only fulfill ninety-nine of her wishes. He said after that, he would come back to me for good and keep his vow of a lifetime together.

Every time he granted her a wish, I folded a paper star.

Seven days ago, I finished the ninety-ninth star.

I wondered if those ninety-nine stars could buy me one wish of my own.

When I went to find him, clutching that jar of stars, I found them in a tight embrace. A birthday cake with guttering candles sat on the table.

I heard Zachary whisper to her, "I'll make all your dreams come true. No matter how many wishes you have, I'll be here."

I don't remember how I walked toward them. I only wanted one answer.

"What are you doing?" my voice trembled.

Zachary jerked away from Sienna, his eyes wide with panic. "Molly? What are you doing here? It's not what it looks like, we were just"

Sienna cut him off, bursting into theatrical tears. "Molly, I'm so sorry! Zack was just helping me make a wish!"

Zachary immediately shifted into protector mode, comforting her while glaring at me with resentment.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," I said before he could snap at me.

I turned and ran. I was in such a hurry that I didn't see the delivery truck swerving toward me.

The impact threw me to the ground. I expected Zachary to come running.

But as I lay there, bleeding, I saw him frantically scooping up a fainting Sienna. He was calling for helpDfor her.

I was picked up by a passing ambulance by sheer luck. Sienna had already been whisked away to the hospital in Zachary's arms.

When I woke up, the doctor told me the baby was gone.

Beyond the tears, there was only a hollow, endless void.

Zachary, I'm letting you go. I'm letting both of you go. And finally, I'm letting myself go.

2.

I didn't want to think about it anymore. Sienna's laughter echoed behind me, sounding like nails on a chalkboard. I forced myself to walk faster.

Since Zachary stopped coming home, the mansion had felt like a tomb. It was just me and our housekeeper, Mary.

Mary rushed out to greet me, her face lighting up before turning into a mask of worry. "Molly! You've been gone so long. Are you sick? You look like a ghost."

Even the help cared more about my well-being than my own husband. He hadn't even sent a text.

I forced a weak smile. "I'm okay, Mary. Just a bit tired. Is there any soup?"

"Of course, dear. I'll make your favorite. You need to get your strength back." She scurried off to the kitchen.

I pulled the jar of stars out and set it on the dining table. I stared at it, lost in a trance.

The doorbell rang. It was Zachary's mother, Mrs. Hart.

Before I could greet her, she gasped. "Oh my god, Molly! What happened to you? You look terrible!"

She practically dragged me to the sofa. If I hadn't stopped her, she would have called an ambulance right then and there.

"You're eating for two now, you have to be careful," she scolded gently.

"Where is Zachary? Why isn't he with you?"

"He hasn't been at the office lately. His father and I thought he was home taking care of you."

"If Mary hadn't called me, were you going to keep me in the dark forever?"

His mother had always been kind to me. Her warmth was the only thing keeping me from shattering.

I couldn't find the words to answer. Luckily, Mary came out with a steaming bowl of soup.

"Don't be mad at me for calling her, Molly. I was just so worried," Mary whispered.

I shook my head. "I'm not mad, Mary. Thank you."

The front door opened again. Zachary walked in.

He froze when he saw us. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing! Where have you been? Why is your wife sitting here looking half-dead while you're out playing god knows where?"

Zachary stumbled over his words. "I I've been busy with some things."

"What is more important than Molly? She's pregnant, Zachary! Can't you delegate your work? Do you have to do everything yourself?"

I reached out and squeezed her hand. "It's fine, Mom. He has a lot on his plate. I'm okay."

He looked at me with a flash of guilt. "Thank you, Molly."

I didn't know if he was thanking me for the cover-up or for not exposing his little mistress.

"You are not leaving tonight," Mrs. Hart commanded. "You stay here and take care of your wife."

"But" Zachary started, then shut his mouth. He knew he couldn't win this one without revealing his dirty secret.

Later that night, only a dim bedside lamp lit our room. I looked even more fragile in the sallow light.

Zachary pushed the door open. He sat on the edge of the bed, testing the waters. "Molly Sienna is waiting for me. She's not stable. She can't be alone."

I didn't answer. Instead, I pulled out the jar of stars.

"What's this?" he asked, confused.

"Ninety-nine stars. I finished them."

He paused. "Has it really been ninety-nine times?"

"Are you still going?" My voice was a broken plea, but it didn't spark any mercy in him.

"Molly, she has amnesia. I can't just abandon her. You understand that, right?"

"I promise, once she's recovered, I'll send her away. Then it'll be just us, okay?"

I wasn't going to beg him to stay anymore. His departure was as inevitable as mine.

I nodded. "I want that infant anklet. Consider it a gift for our baby."

He patted my head. "Fine. I promise. When I get back, we'll go to the baby store and get everything."

The sound of the front door closing felt like a final blow. The silence in the room was replaced by my muffled sobs.

I turned on the lights and pulled a folder of medical reports from the drawer.

I remembered crying tears of joy when I first got these. It was the happiest day of my life.

Now, I was drenching them in tears of grief.

3.

Underneath the medical reports was a yellowed piece of stationery.

It was the first love letter he had ever written to me.

I traced the elegant handwriting. He wasn't that man anymore. Now, his world revolved entirely around Sienna.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Zachary walked back in and stopped dead when he saw my tear-stained face. "Why are you crying?"

He reached out to wipe my tears, but I flinched away.

"Are you okay, Molly?" He looked lost.

I shook my head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about the day we found out about the baby."

He noticed the letter in my hand and stiffened.

I panicked and tucked it away. "It just fell out while I was looking for something."

He looked skeptical. "You shouldn't cry so much. It's bad for the pregnancy."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Anyway, why are you back?"

"I forgot some clothes. And I wanted to ask, what engraving do you want on the anklet?"

I blinked. He actually cared about the details?

"How about a four-leaf clover?" he suggested. "For luck."

I looked down at my stomach, my heart twisting. "Whatever you want."

Luck. Too late for that.

He finished packing and looked at me one last time. "You're sure you're okay?"

Seeing him like this, a tiny, pathetic spark of hope flickered in me. "If I said I wasn't, would you stay?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Molly, don't be like that. Sienna is waiting. I don't want her to worry."

"I was joking. Just go." I felt disgusted with myself for even asking.

I got up and started packing my own bags the second he left. I tried to stay focused, but the memories kept leaking out of my eyes.

I set my suitcase aside and saw the jar of stars.

Every star was a broken expectation. Zachary had shattered them all.

I picked up a star and began to unfold it, smoothing out the creases until it was flat in my palm. My eyes landed on the ring on my finger.

He had made it himself.

"I'm going to craft a ring that is as unique as you are," he had told me back then.

The next morning, a text from Zachary popped up. He said the anklet was ready and told me to come pick it up.

He had moved Sienna to a private villa. I hadn't known until today.

I stood before the unfamiliar front door and rang the bell.

A maid led me to the garden. Sienna was lounging on a porch swing, looking like a pampered princess.

She didn't have a care in the world. Zachary had built a perfect, peaceful bubble for her.

I felt a surge of envy so sharp it burned.

I composed myself and asked coldly, "Where's Zachary?"

Sienna turned around, a smirk playing on her lips. She looked like she owned the placeDand him.

"Oh, hi Molly. You're here for the anklet, right?"

I just stared at her.

She stood up and walked toward me, flaunting a delicate gold chain around her neck. Hanging from it was the tiny infant anklet.

"I liked it so much that I asked Zack to give it to me," she chirped.

"If you really want one, I'll tell him to get you another one later."

My blood turned to ice.

My baby never even got a chance to enter this world. All I wanted was that one memento of his existence.

And he gave it to her. Like it was some cheap trinket.

I had never asked for much. I even let him play house with this woman. I loved him enough to forgive almost anything.

But this? This was our child's jewelry.

I began to shake with a rage so intense it was physical.

My eyes turned bloodshot as I stared at her.

Sienna looked startled by my expression.

Before she could say another word, I lunged forward and slapped her across the face. She stumbled back, clutching her cheek. "You you hit me?"

"That slap was for my baby," I hissed.

I couldn't stand to look at her for another second. I turned to leave.

Sienna's wails erupted behind me.

Zachary came running out at the sound. "Sienna! What happened? Who did this?"

Sienna quickly tucked the anklet into her pocket and started sobbing. "It was Molly! She came for the anklet, and when I said I didn't know where it was, she accused me of losing it and hit me!"

Zachary's face darkened with fury. But then, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. Why would I hit her out of nowhere?

"Zack, it hurts so much," Sienna whimpered.

He began to comfort her, but the confusion lingered.

"Dr. Reed is here," a servant announced.

"I know you hate hospitals," Zachary told Sienna. "So I had my private doctor come here from now on."

Dr. Reed performed a quick check on Sienna, then pulled a folder from his bag. "I went to the hospital to pick up your old records, Miss Lowell. You just need to avoid stress, and your memory should return gradually."

Zachary sighed in relief.

Then, the doctor pulled out another file. "Actually, I saw your wife's records while I was there, Mr. Hart, so I brought them along. She needs a lot of rest. If she doesn't recover properly, she might have trouble conceiving again."

Zachary frowned. "What are you talking about? What happened to her?"

"Well, after the loss of her pregnancy, her body is very weak"

"Loss?!" Zachary cut him off, his voice cracking. "What loss? Whose pregnancy?"

The doctor looked confused. "You didn't know? Your wife lost the baby a week ago."

Zachary went numb. Why hadn't I told him? Why didn't I say a word?

He snatched the file from the doctor's hand. There it was. The record of my emergency procedure.