The CEO's Cruel Love, Ending My Pregnancy

The day I found out I was pregnant, Julian was so excited that he bought out every baby boutique in the city.

He even acquired a private hospital specifically for my delivery.

He held me tightly and whispered, I want to give our child the very best of everything. Their birth will be the perfect ending to our love story.

But that was also the day I found two bottles of medicine in his study.

One was to support a pregnancy, and the other was to end it.

I also saw the chat logs with his female assistant that he hadn't had time to delete yet.

"The Vance family fortune will only belong to you and our child. Once she takes the medicine and becomes permanently infertile, she'll have no choice but to adopt ours."

"Only your child is worthy of my truest love."

I calmly made my choice. I gave up on both him and the child.

1.

The interview had just finished. Julian's smiling face was still on the TV screen as he made his vow.

"In three days, I will hold another press conference. I will announce the future heir to the Vance Group's shares and all the assets under my name."

This was the promise Julian gave me when we got married.

He said that if I ever got pregnant, that child would inherit everything he owned.

The reporters sighed in admiration, talking about how this wealthy and handsome CEO was so deeply devoted to his wife.

Listening to those praises, I stroked my belly and let out a bitter laugh.

Unfortunately, this child will never have the chance to be the heir. They won't even have the chance to enter this world.

Today was my scheduled check-up. Julian canceled all his meetings to come home and take me to the hospital.

"Honey, let me hear the baby," he said with a gentle smile.

He leaned down and pressed his ear against my stomach. His eyes were sparkling with anticipation and longing.

Nurses passing by in the hallway looked on with pure envy. Their whispers reached my ears.

"Is that Mr. Vance? He really loves his wife. I heard he bought this entire hospital just for her delivery."

"I heard they were childhood sweethearts. They've been together for twelve years and are still this in love. It's so romantic."

Julian heard them too. He smiled and pulled me closer, as if confirming to everyone just how much he adored me.

The old me would have blushed and hidden in his arms. I would have been proud of his love.

But now, I couldn't do it.

The messages he sent to Jade were burned into my brain. Every time I looked at him, those words flashed before my eyes.

Faced with his tenderness and the love overflowing from his gaze, I couldn't even bring myself to respond.

After the nurses left, I pushed him away. I told him coldly, "The baby is only two months old. There's nothing to hear yet."

A flash of confusion crossed Julian's face. A moment later, his smile returned.

He took my waist and guided me toward the exam room. "Our baby and I share a special bond. I can hear them."

My footsteps faltered. My eyes stung with unshed tears. I forced myself not to look at him.

If he truly had a bond with the baby, did he ever ask if they wanted to come into this world?

Did he ask if they wanted to be a stepping stone for another woman's child?

"What's wrong, honey? Why are you crying?"

I couldn't stop the tears from falling. Julian looked even more panicked than I was.

He hurried to wipe my face, his voice soft and soothing.

"Is it because you didn't get that dessert yesterday? I'll go buy it for you later. Don't be sad, okay?"

I stared into his eyes as my tears flowed faster.

A confrontation was on the tip of my tongue. I desperately wanted to ask if this man before me was being real or fake.

But in the end, I said nothing. Even if I asked, what answer would I get?

Just another lie followed by a thousand more.

Inside the exam room, Julian acted more like an expectant father than I did.

He kept asking the doctor questions. How to relieve morning sickness, if mood swings were normal, what foods to avoid...

After the doctor answered, he carefully recorded everything on his phone.

Even the doctor praised him for being such a responsible husband.

Only I knew that these questions had nothing to do with me.

Since getting pregnant, I hadn't suffered from morning sickness or mood swings at all.

As for my diet, he had already hired a specialized nutritionist for me. There was no need to worry.

The person he was asking for wasn't me. It was Jade Sterling.

My assistant had told me recently that Jade had been sick and vomiting. She had already taken a leave of absence to stay home.

Sure enough, as soon as we left the room, I saw Julian organizing his notes into a chart.

He sent the entire thing to Jade.

I pretended to be casual and asked, "How do you know so much about pregnancy stuff?"

He immediately locked his phone. He shot me a few guilty looks before explaining.

"I've been searching online since you got pregnant. I was worried you'd deal with these things, so I wanted to be prepared."

Seeing that I stayed silent, he asked tentatively, "Honey, you didn't see my phone just now, did you?"

The panic on his face was impossible to hide. I didn't even need to see his phone to know the truth.

I just didn't want to hear him lie anymore. I shook my head indifferently.

"No, I was just asking."

Julian looked relieved. He forced another smile.

"That's good. Let's go pick out some baby clothes. I told the mall we were coming today."

The same sweet talk as always. But now, it felt like a sharp blade cutting into me.

While he talked about his dreams for the baby, I silently messaged a friend who was a doctor.

I scheduled the procedure to end my pregnancy.

2.

Julian was truly the most responsible father in everyone's eyes. He had already bought enough supplies to last a two-month-old until they were three.

He excitedly filled the nursery before heading into the shower.

His phone on the bed kept buzzing. I picked it up and took a look.

It was a message from Jade.

"Julian, the baby is being fussy again. I feel so uncomfortable. Can you come see me tomorrow?"

"Want to see what a spicy mom-to-be looks like?"

She attached a selfie of herself in provocative lingerie.

I scrolled up to the morning messages. Julian had sent her the pregnancy tips with a caption.

"Once you've taken care of the baby, I'm going to make up for all the nights I couldn't touch you!"

I couldn't even bring myself to scroll further through those filthy words.

Ever since I got pregnant, Julian had stopped touching me. He claimed he didn't want to disturb my sleep and moved to a separate room.

Now I realized his coldness was just because he was getting what he needed from Jade.

My hands shook as I turned off the phone. Julian walked out of the bathroom just then.

He didn't even dry his hair before checking his messages.

His face was serious as he tried to hide his emotions, but I could see the faint smile in his eyes.

After a moment, he said, "Honey, some urgent meetings came up for tomorrow. I won't be able to stay with you."

I had clearly seen him message his other assistant minutes ago, telling them to cancel all his plans so he could be with me.

He was using such a pathetic excuse just because Jade asked for him.

I twitched the corner of my mouth and said softly, "Okay, that's fine."

Julian left early the next morning. He gave me the usual speech about calling him if I needed anything.

Shortly after he left, I went to the hospital.

After the consultation, I was wheeled into the operating room.

As I lay on the cold table, the doctor asked me seriously.

"Are you sure about this? Your body is weak. You might not be able to conceive again. It's not too late to change your mind."

I touched my stomach. I thought about Julian's excitement, the medicine in his study, and those chat logs.

Two versions of reality clashed in my mind. A moment later, I whispered, "I'm sure."

The procedure was quick. I sat up weakly and touched my empty belly.

On the surface, nothing had changed. But I knew the child was gone.

It was just like my relationship with Julian. It looked fine on the outside, but it was already rotting from within.

I leaned against the wall as I slowly exited the hospital. I saw Julian immediately.

He was kneeling halfway in front of Jade, smiling as he pressed his ear to her stomach.

The so-called urgent business was just accompanying his mistress to her check-up.

Julian turned his head and locked eyes with me. He stood up in a panic, leaving Jade behind as he rushed through the crowd.

The guilt and tension on his face were undeniable. He stammered, "Jasmine? What are you doing here?"

People were bustling all around us, but I could clearly hear his heart thumping from anxiety.

I gave him a mocking smile. I wondered if this man still had a soul.

When I didn't speak, he grabbed my hand and kept explaining.

"Honey, Jade doesn't have any family here, and her boyfriend is away. I'm just being a good boss and giving her a ride. Don't overthink it."

Sweat was beads on his forehead. His fingertips were trembling. It was a pathetic performance.

I chose to keep playing the fool. I comforted him gently.

"I believe you. I'll always believe you."

Julian let out a long breath. He squeezed my hand and smiled. "Honey, you're the best."

He put his arm around me and guided me to the car, asking why I was at the hospital in the first place.

His voice was full of concern. It was as if our encounter with Jade had never happened.

He was so natural at managing me. So practiced.

Once I was in the car, he spoke with deep emotion.

"Jasmine, the press conference is the day after tomorrow. I'm going to tell the world that everything I own belongs to our child."

"I'll give you and the baby the very best life possible."

I stroked my stomach and looked out the window. I didn't say a word.

He didn't know the baby was already gone.

And there would be no leading lady at that press conference.

3.

I opened a familiar chat window. I was finally replying to a question from three years ago.

"I'm ready to come back."

The reply came instantly. "Master! We've all been waiting for you! When are you coming? We'll pick you up!"

I put my phone away in silence.

Julian took me to a weekly prenatal class. The teacher at the front desk looked at the records and asked him a question.

"Mr. Vance, it shows you booked two rooms. Since you're with your wife, should I cancel one?"

Julian's face went pale. He immediately looked at me to gauge my reaction.

He turned to the teacher and said nervously, "No, keep both."

Then he turned to me. "My assistant's wife is pregnant. He's been working hard, so I booked a session for them too."

I smiled. He was getting worse at lying.

I didn't believe for a second that he cared that much about his male assistant.

Ten minutes into the lesson, Julian's phone rang. He stepped out of the room.

When he didn't return after five minutes, I went to look for him.

As I passed the room next door, I heard a familiar voice.

Perhaps Julian was in such a rush to comfort Jade that he forgot to shut the door properly.

He was holding Jade, kissing her forehead. "That was too risky. Jasmine almost found out. You two can't be in the same place again."

Jade sobbed into his chest. "You promised to stay with me yesterday, but you left the moment you saw her! Don't I matter?"

"When are you going to give her those pills? The press conference is tomorrow. Do you want me and our baby to keep suffering?"

Julian kissed away her tears with a mix of frustration and adoration.

"I'll give them to her tonight. The Vance fortune will only belong to you and our baby. After she loses the child, the doctors will tell her she's infertile. She'll have no choice but to raise ours."

Even though I had known this for three days, hearing him say it still made it hard to breathe.

Julian started kissing her more passionately, pushing her onto the sofa.

"I didn't get to taste my spicy mom-to-be yesterday. Let's make up for it now."

Jade giggled. "Stop it! You're the one who ran off with her."

Then came the sounds of them getting intimate.

I walked back to my room with heavy steps. I couldn't hear a word the teacher said.

When Julian returned, he looked incredibly apologetic.

"Sorry, honey. There was a crisis at work. I had to hop on a quick call. I'm sorry I left you alone."

I smiled and said nothing. My eyes landed on his bitten lip.

When we got home, Julian hurriedly brought me a bowl of herbal soup. He blew on it gently.

"Honey, I got this tonic for you today. It helps with sleep and stabilizes the pregnancy. Drink up."

I looked at the bowl with a bitter heart. I knew exactly what was in it.

With a final shred of hope, I looked at him with teary eyes. "Do I have to drink it?"

Julian's smile vanished. He said sternly, "Jasmine, it's for your own good."

I choked back my tears and downed the liquid in one go.

He smiled again, kissed my cheek, and took the bowl away.

In the middle of the night, I nudged him. "I want cake from that bakery downtown."

Julian wasn't annoyed at all. He got up gently. "Okay, I'll go get it now. Wait for me."

As soon as he left, I pulled out my packed suitcase. I left two pieces of paper on the table.

One was the medical report from my procedure. The other was the divorce papers.

Then, I quietly left for the airport.