Carved Name, Cut Away

Seven years.
That's how long we'd been together when I finally brought my boyfriend, Leo, home to meet my family.
During the dinner, my cousin, Claire, suddenly gagged and covered her mouth.
My aunts expression soured, shifting from shock to pure fury.
Look at you! she screeched, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "Your cousin, with her community college degree, lands a man like Leo. And you? You come back from studying abroad with what? This mess? Getting yourself knocked up! Have you no shame?"
Claire just shrank in her seat, tears silently streaming down her face.
That only enraged my aunt further. She raised her hand, ready to slap her.
But Leos hand shot out, grabbing my aunts wrist in a grip of steel. "Don't," he said, his voice low and firm. "Don't you dare touch her. It's my baby."
In the stunned silence of our relatives, he scooped Claire into his arms and strode out of the private dining room.
He never once looked back at me.
The room erupted. Gasps of shock mingled with muttered curses.
My head was ringing, a high-pitched whine that drowned everything out.
Just ten minutes ago, Leo had been on my arm, charming my family, toasting to our future. Theyd all praised himso successful for his age, so gentle and kind.
Now, he had just publicly claimed my pregnant cousin and walked out, leaving me to face the wreckage.
My aunt, snapping out of her stupor, rounded on me.
"So that's it, Hannah!" she shrieked. "You'd steal your own cousin's boyfriend? Claire is pregnant, and you still went after him! You little homewrecker, youve ruined her life!"
With a guttural cry of rage, she snatched a cup of hot tea from the table and hurled it at me.
I flinched, shutting my eyes against the expected searing pain. But it never came.
I opened them to see my father standing in front of me, his body shielding mine.
Scalding liquid and dark tea leaves dripped from his hair and down his face. He looked utterly defeated.
"William, are you okay?" My mother's voice was a panicked whisper, her icy hand trembling as she gripped my arm.
My father's face was ashen, his lips tinged with a terrifying blue.
He collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Dad! What's wrong?"
The dignity he had maintained his entire life shattered on that restaurant floor.
My hands shook, but instinct took over. I dialed Leo.
"Leo, it's my dad! Something's wrong, you have to come back!"
There was a two-second pause on the other end.
"Hannah," he said, his voice cold and distant. "Claires carrying a child now. She can't handle any stress. Your dads old ticker acts up sometimes, he'll be fine."
He hung up.
And my heart sank to the floor.
From the ambulance ride to the frantic rush into the hospital, my mothers hand never stopped shaking in mine. I couldn't afford to cry. I ran, a blur of motion, from one counter to another, filling out forms, paying fees.
It wasn't until they pushed my dad through the doors of the emergency room and that terrifying red light flickered on that I finally felt the strength drain from my legs.
The only notifications on my phone were automated payment receipts from the hospital.
Leo hadn't called. He hadn't texted.
I took a shaky breath and headed to the admissions desk to pay another deposit. As I rounded a corner, I saw him. Leo was there, talking quietly with a doctor in a white coat.
"Well, look at you, old friend," the doctor said, clapping Leo on the shoulder. "Never took you for the shotgun wedding type."
Leo stared out a nearby window, his expression unreadable. "The baby's not mine," he murmured. "I just couldn't stand to see her family tear her apart."
"And thats why you're here in the middle of the night for a fetal heart monitor test? I thought you were about to get engaged to her cousin."
Leo gave a quiet, affirmative hum.
"Aren't you worried your girlfriend is going to lose her mind?"
"I just need to know she's okay. Then I can rest easy," Leo said, his voice laced with a strange tenderness. "Hannah and I will have the rest of our lives together. What's one night?"
The doctor sighed, patting his shoulder again. "I never knew the ice king of our class was such a romantic. Does Claire even know how much you care?"
"She doesn't need to know. As long as she's safe, that's enough. Being able to look after her, as family thats all I need."
A memory surfaced, sharp and painful. The day Claire first introduced us. Leo was already a legend at our university, a name professors still used to inspire students long after he'd graduated.
Claire had playfully pushed me forward. "This is my cousin, Hannah," she'd said with a laugh. "Your biggest fan."
My heart had been pounding so hard I didn't notice how Leo's gaze kept drifting back to Claire, following her every move.
He asked me out not long after that.
I thought it was love at first sight.
I never imagined I was just a convenient disguise for his undying devotion to my cousin.
"Leo." Claires voice, weak and fragile, cut through my thoughts. She was standing nearby, draped in a man's coat that was far too big for her.
He was at her side in an instant, his voice softening with concern. "What are you doing out here? It's cold."
"The baby wasn't moving. I got scared."
"Come on, let's get you back inside," he murmured, pulling the coat tighter around her. "Don't overthink it. The doctor said the baby is probably just sleeping. You need to rest."
She leaned against him, and for a moment, they looked like a perfect, loving couple.
"Leo!" My voice was a choked, trembling thing.
He turned, and the tenderness in his eyes froze over the moment he saw me. He strode forward, physically blocking my path to Claire. "She needs to rest, Hannah. Don't you dare start something with her. I'll explain later."
He actually thought I'd come all this way to pick a fight with her.
"Explain?" My voice cracked. "What is there left to explain? My father, he's"
"Don't you start!" he snapped, his patience gone. "Your cousin is at risk of a miscarriage because of the shock she went through tonight! Did you really have to follow us here to make a scene? Can you just be reasonable for once?"
"Leo," Claire said softly from behind him. "Don't be so harsh with Hannah. Just talk to her, okay? We left in such a hurry. She must be hurting."
Her words were like a balm, instantly soothing his anger.
"I'll explain everything later," he said, turning back to me, his tone now condescendingly calm. "It's not what you think. I'll come by and explain it all to your parents tomorrow. Just go home for now."
So that was it. All it took was a single word from Claire to turn his rage into reason.
The irony was suffocating.
Before I could say another word, he was guiding Claire away, leaving me standing alone in the sterile hallway.
My chest tightened, a physical ache spreading through me until it was hard to breathe.
I stumbled back to the waiting area outside the emergency room, my eyes fixed on the glowing red light above the door.
A message from Leo buzzed on my phone.
[Hannah, I promise, the baby isn't mine. Your cousin got involved with a real scumbag, and I can't let her be shamed for it.]
[I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I'll make it up to you.]
[Once this is all over, we'll get married. We'll see the Northern Lights in Iceland, and when we get back to Seacliff City, I'll sign the deed to my downtown penthouse over to you.]
I turned off the screen. It was all so absurd.
He thought a penthouse and a wedding could erase this nightmare. The public humiliation he was so desperate to save Claire from, he had simply redirected, turning it into a volley of daggers aimed straight at me and my family.
And with my father's life hanging in the balance, what did apologies and compensation even mean?
"Family of William Price?"
The emergency room doors swung open. A doctor stepped out, pulling down his surgical mask.
I pushed myself to my feet, my legs numb and unresponsive.
"We did everything we could."
The words hung in the air, carving a hollow space inside my chest.
My father went into that room and never woke up. He didn't even get to say goodbye.
"No," I begged, my voice breaking. "Please, doctor, try again. Use any drug, any surgery, whatever it costs!"
The doctor just shook his head, his expression full of a sorrowful finality. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
My mother stared blankly for a few seconds, her hand covering her mouth. Then, a wail of pure, unadulterated grief echoed through the deserted corridor.
I don't remember the hours that followed. I moved like a puppet on strings, numbly following nurses' instructions, signing forms, making arrangements.
The next morning, as I helped my mother, her body wracked with sobs, out of the hospital morgue, my aunt called.
My mom answered, her eyes vacant. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to hold her together.
"Oh, Sarah," my aunt's cheerful voice chirped through the speaker. "That Leo is such a doll. He showed up this morning with a case of premium whiskey!"
"Listen, you know that expensive ginseng extract you bought for William? Do you think I could have some? Claire's been so drained lately, and it's not like William enjoyed it anyway, right?"
"Oh, that's right! I forgot. He passed out after your ungrateful daughter threw her little tantrum yesterday. He's doing better now, I hope?"
A raw, guttural sound escaped my mother's throat. Her eyes were bloodshot with fury.
I snatched the phone from her hand. "You tell Claire to get down to the funeral home and kneel," I hissed. "Otherwise, I will never forgive either of you."
"Well, I never! You insolent little"
I ended the call.
"He's gone," my mother wept, her voice raw with pain. "Your father is gone, and they're still talking like this!"
She was shaking so hard I was afraid she'd fall apart. "I'll never forgive them," I vowed, my voice low and dangerous.
As the words left my mouth, I looked up and met a pair of cold, familiar eyes.
Leo. He was standing at the entrance to the lobby, his arms laden with shopping bags.
"What is he doing here?" my mother rasped. "Make him leave."
Leo glanced from me to my mother, his face a mask of annoyance.
"Hannah, why did you bring your mom here? Claire needs peace and quiet. You two shouldn't be disturbing her."
He was carrying boxes of high-end supplements, bird's nest soup, and formula for expectant mothers.
It hit me like a physical blow. He didn't know. He hadn't come to see me. He was here to dote on Claire.
"We're not here for Claire," I said, my hand tightening on my mom's trembling shoulder.
As I turned to lead her away, Leo's voice stopped me. "Is your dad feeling better? The elderly have to be careful with their hearts, especially when it gets cold."
I gritted my teeth, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. "He's gone, Leo," I said, my voice shaking with rage. "You killed him."
Leo's brow furrowed, his expression darkening.
"That's not funny, Hannah. That's a horrible thing to say."
"If you were half as considerate as Claire," he added, his voice dripping with disappointment, "you wouldn't be causing a scene like this."
He turned without another word and disappeared into an elevator.
I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, the pain a welcome distraction from the inferno in my chest.
My mother was on the verge of collapse. I forced myself to be strong, took her home, and then returned to the hospital to handle the rest of the arrangements.
After signing a mountain of paperwork, I found myself opening Claire's Instagram page, almost against my will.
She'd posted a photo of a reservation contract for a luxury post-natal retreat, a bouquet of champagne roses artfully placed beside it.
The caption read: Lost, scared... but then you came and made everything right. With you here, what is there to fear?
The retreat was the most exclusive one in Seacliff City, the kind of place celebrities went to recover. It cost a fortune.
Leo was certainly sparing no expense.
I scrolled down. The comments were filled with congratulatory likes from friends and relatives.
And at the very bottom, a comment from Leo: I'll always be here.
He had never made me a promise like that. Not once.
I remember the time I had acute appendicitis, the pain so bad I was writhing on the floor. I called him, and he told me he was in an important meeting and that I should call an ambulance myself. He showed up at the hospital hours after my surgery, scolding me for bothering him at work over "something so small."
"You're an adult, Hannah," he'd said. "You have to learn to be independent. I'm not your caretaker."
I thought he was just ambitious, career-driven.
Now I knew the truth. He had never loved me.
In that moment, a wave of regret so powerful it almost buckled my knees washed over me. The only man in the world who had ever truly loved me, who had always put me first, was now lying cold and alone in the morgue.
And I would never see him again.
My phone vibrated. A new message from Leo.
[I already promised you we would get married after Claire has the baby. Why are you still acting like this?]
[My assistant, Evans, just told me our partnership with your family's company is on hold. Hannah, can you stop being so childish? Don't pull these petty stunts to try and force my hand!]
[Your lack of maturity is incredibly disappointing.]
I switched off the screen, ignoring him.
I had already informed Evans about my father's passing. It happened so suddenly, we decided it was best to keep it quiet for now to avoid panic. All major projects were temporarily halted until the company stabilized.
And Leo thought it was all about him. A game I was playing to win him back.
Then, my phone rang. It was Claire.
"Hannah," she began, her voice syrupy sweet, "Leo's lost so much weight recently. He's so stressed, taking care of me, worrying about work my heart just breaks for him. You should really try to be more understanding."
A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips. "What do you want, Claire?"
She sighed dramatically. "It's all my fault. If I'd never introduced you two, the father of my child wouldn't be in such a difficult position." Her tone shifted, a note of triumph creeping in. "To be honest, I was always surprised he chose you. You two are from completely different worlds, after all."
In the background, I heard a man's muffled voice ask who she was talking to.
The line went dead.
The father of my child. She was calling Leo the father of her child.
Suddenly, everything was crystal clear.
They had been playing me for a fool. I downed a large cup of black coffee, forcing myself to think. Then I called Evans.
"I need you to find something out for me," I said, my voice steady. "Claire was doing just fine overseas. Why did she suddenly come back home?"
Leo could be her loyal dog if he wanted. But they would not use my family as collateral damage.
We held my father's memorial at a private hall in the funeral home.
After his closest friends and family had paid their respects, only my mother and I remained. She looked ten years older, but she understood that life had to go on.
I knelt on a cushion, mechanically tossing paper money into a burning brazier.
Suddenly, the doors burst open.

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "327423" to read the entire book.