[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603226F4B86-343":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},343,4,"Chapter 4: The Record She Already Unboxed","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Do whatever you want.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The line went dead.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I struggled to pack my suitcase, my vision swimming until the world turned black.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When I came to, the sun was already blindingly bright. I was lying in a pool of my own blood. He hadn't come back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With trembling fingers, I dialed 911. The paramedics were there in minutes. As they lifted me onto the gurney, they kept shouting, \"Hold on! We still have a heartbeat! We’re doing everything to save the pregnancy!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I just shook my head. \"Don't bother.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The operating theater was freezing. I kept my eyes open, staring at the sterile, glowing panels of the lights above. They were too bright, stinging my eyes until tears leaked down my temples. It wasn't until the surgeon told me the procedure was a success that I finally let my eyes close.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In my dream, Bradley appeared. He was laughing, looking younger, more like a boy than a man. \"You’re incredible, honey! You gave me a son!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The happiness in the dream felt nauseatingly fake. I woke up drenched in cold sweat.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In the three days I was gone, Bradley hadn't reached out once.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I dragged my suitcase to my mother's house. As soon as I opened the door, the scent of fresh lilies hit me. Expensive gifts were piled on the entryway table. Bradley was in the kitchen, wearing an apron, poking his head out with a welcoming smile.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Without a second of hesitation, I turned to walk back out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley lunged forward, catching me in a desperate embrace. \"I’m sorry, Madeline. I know I messed up. Let me make it up to you—let’s celebrate your birthday properly, okay?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I looked at him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Memories flooded back: the searing glare of the hospital lights, the warmth of blood trailing down my legs, and the sight of him with Lacey Rose, whispering that she was the love of his life.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Bradley.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He pulled a vinyl record from behind his back, his eyes soft, bordering on pathetic. \"Remember when we first met at the college radio station? This was the track that was playing.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My throat tightened.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He leaned in, grinning. \"Still mad?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I remembered the video from last night—Lacey’s unboxing vlog. Her living room was a mountain of luxury goods. \"Finished unboxing them after three days,\" she’d cooed to the camera. \"Thank you so much to my man.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had pulled three items from the pile, claiming she’d be giving them away to her followers. This record was one of them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I snatched the record from his hands. Before he could react, I slammed it against the hardwood floor with everything I had. Black plastic shards skittered across the room like jagged teeth.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The crash startled my mother, who hurried out from the back room. She grabbed my arm, her voice a low, urgent hiss. \"You're going to be a mother soon! Why are you storming out of your home like this? Bradley has been trying so hard—don't keep pushing him away.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley froze. He looked up, his face pale.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You're pregnant?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He dropped to his knees, his ear pressed against my stomach. His eyes turned glassy and red. \"I can hear it! I’m finally going to be a dad!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The raw, unbridled ecstasy on his face—it didn't look like an act.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I tilted my head back, laughing until the tears streamed down.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley, what are you listening for? There’s nothing left in there.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The baby's gone, Bradley. Let's get a divorce.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The joy on his face shattered. \"Madeline, stop saying things you don't mean. I'm not divorcing you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My mother frowned, confused. \"Madeline, you risked your life just a few days ago to fly to Dubai to bring Bradley home. Why are you acting like this now just because of some petty argument?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley looked panicked, his gaze darting toward the television where the evening news was looping coverage of the war-torn city. \"Where did you go?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My mother’s voice sharpened. \"To Dubai, of course! Wasn't it you who brought him back?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On the screen, the news showed fire, debris, and devastation. I stood in the middle of the living room, calm as a ghost.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’ve survived one divorce,\" I said, my voice hollow. \"I can survive another.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I looked him dead in the eyes. \"Isn't that what you told Lacey, Bradley? That I was nothing but a nuisance?\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272924524]