Chapter 44: Chapter 44
The sound of retching echoed from the bathroom.
A strange suspicion flickered across Rina’s eyes. After a moment, she rose from the sofa and quietly crossed the room, locking the bedroom door from the inside.
The vomiting gradually subsided.
Rina made her way to the bathroom entrance.
Inside, Elise had just finished being sick. She stood before the sink, turning on the faucet and rinsing her mouth.
Rina remained silent, watching her.
After rinsing away the bitter taste, Elise braced both hands against the marble countertop and drew a long breath. As she lifted her head, her eyes unexpectedly met Rina’s reflection in the mirror.
There was something searching in that gaze.
A chill ran through Elise’s whole body. The color drained from her already pale face. Her fingers tightened against the countertop. Her mind went blank.
Had Rina figured it out?
Without saying a word, Rina stepped into the bathroom. Elise stared at her through the mirror, every muscle in her body tense.
Her breathing seemed to stop altogether.
Rina’s gaze briefly swept over Elise’s flat abdomen before returning to her face.
Lowering her voice, she asked quietly, "You’re pregnant, aren’t you?"
Elise spun around immediately.
"No." The denial came almost instinctively.
"You don’t have to lie to me." Rina’s tone was calm but certain. "I’ve been pregnant before. That’s morning sickness."
Elise widened her eyes in shock.
Pregnant before?
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
She and Rina were hardly close. They weren’t the kind of sisters who shared personal secrets or entrusted each other with their deepest vulnerabilities.
As she struggled to think of a way to deflect the conversation, Rina spoke again.
"If I’m right, you don’t intend to tell Dylan about the baby." Her voice softened. "You want the divorce, and you’re afraid he’ll fight you for custody if he finds out. Isn’t that it?"
Elise pressed her lips tightly together. Her silence was answer enough.
Seeing her reaction, Rina couldn’t help but sigh.
"Elise, you don’t have to be so guarded around me." A bitter smile touched her lips. "The truth is, we’re more alike than you think."
She paused. "I lost my child too."
The words struck Elise like a physical blow. Her heart clenched violently. The tension that had been holding her upright shattered in an instant and her knees buckled.
Just as she was about to collapse, Rina stepped forward and caught her.
Carefully supporting her, the woman guided her back into the bedroom and helped her sit on the edge of the bed.
Elise’s hands trembled in her lap. Her eyes squeezed shut. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
Rina pulled a tissue from the box nearby and handed it to her.
"As daughters of the Harper family, we were never given the freedom to choose who we love or who we marry."
She leaned back slightly, her gaze distant.
"Do you know something? Back then, when you fought against Father’s objections and refused to give up Dylan—even when it meant severing ties with the family—I admired you."
Elise froze, her eyebrows arched at her sister.
Rina met her gaze and offered a faint smile.
"You were braver than I ever was." The smile quickly faded. "The man I loved came from an ordinary family. Father never approved. And unlike Dylan, he wasn’t someone Father considered valuable."
Her eyes softened with memory.
"He was a firefighter." A hint of warmth entered her voice. "It was difficult work. Dangerous work. But it mattered, and he loved what he did."
Her expression suddenly darkened.
"Father threatened him to force me to give up the relationship. I couldn’t bear the thought of him being dragged into my family’s mess, so I broke things off."
She laughed softly, though there was no joy in that laugh.
"I thought I was being selfish by keeping the pregnancy a secret." Her fingers curled unconsciously. "But Father found out anyway."
Silence filled the room.
"He forced me to terminate the pregnancy." Rina lowered her eyes. "The baby was three months old."
Her voice nearly broke. "So small. Smaller than the palm of my hand."
Elise stared at her, her throat tightening painfully.
There were no comforting words. Nothing she could say would lessen that loss.
To love someone and be unable to stay with them.
To lose a child you desperately wanted.
Their father’s obsession with power and status had destroyed both.
"Rina..." Elise reached out and clasped Rina’s hand. "Don’t you hate him?"
Rina smiled sadly.
"Of course I do." Then she shook her head. "But what would hatred change?"
Her gaze drifted toward the window.
"You and I aren’t the same." After a pause, she continued, "Besides, it’s all over now. He has someone else. Whatever we had belongs to the past."
A dull ache spread through Elise’s chest. No mother ever truly recovered from losing her child. The wound remained forever. She knew that.
And now she knew Rina did too.
The room fell quiet.
Two sisters who had shared little more than a surname growing up suddenly felt closer than they ever had before.
Pain had built a bridge between them where blood alone never could.
After a long silence, Rina finally spoke.
"Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about the pregnancy." She looked directly at Elise. "It’s your choice. I can’t make your decisions for you, but I can respect them."
Warmth spread through Elise’s chest.
"Sis... keeping this secret for me is already a huge help."
Rina nodded.
"But you won’t be able to hide it forever. In another three months, it’ll start showing."
Her expression grew serious. "What do you plan to do then?"
"I’m leaving the country." Elise’s voice was soft but resolute.
She looked at Rina with a steady gaze. "This family has never been my home."
A faint sadness crossed her face. "And the home Dylan and I built together no longer exists."
She inhaled slowly. "Leaving isn’t running away. It’s starting over."
Rina studied her for a long moment. Then she nodded.
"As long as you’ve thought it through." She stood, brushing away the wrinkles on her dress. "If you ever need help, call me."
Elise smiled genuinely for the first time that evening.
"I will." After a brief pause, she added softly, "Thank you."
Rina waved it off.
"If you see me as your sister, that’s enough."
She glanced toward the door.
"I should head downstairs. I’ve been up here too long already. If I stay any longer, people will start asking questions."
Elise nodded. "Okay."
When Rina returned to the banquet, Dylan had just finished entertaining one of the company’s executives.
As he turned away from the conversation, their eyes met across the room.
They had attended the same university and graduated in the same year, though they had never been particularly close.
Only after Dylan married Elise had they begun interacting as family.
The tray of food Rina had brought upstairs had actually been sent by him.
Dylan lifted a glass of champagne from a passing server’s tray and offered it to her.
"She still won’t come downstairs?"
Rina accepted the glass, her expression remained composed.
"She’s not in a good mood. Once most of the guests leave, she’ll probably come down."
Dylan gave a slight nod. "I see."
He said nothing further.
Rina quietly studied the man standing before her.
After hesitating for several moments, she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind.
"Those rumors online..." Her eyes searched his face. "Are they true?"
A brief pause followed. Then she lowered her voice, "Did you really cheat on her?"
