Vanished Into the Crowd

I was five months pregnant when an Uber driver hit me and knocked me to the ground.

At the hospital, the doctors couldn't get a hold of my family for a while.

The girl who hit me cried helplessly on the phone:

I hit a pregnant woman, I'm so scared Daniel.

That familiar name made me freeze.

Half an hour later, the ward door was pushed open forcefully, and a wave of cedarwood scent filled the room.

The man who appeared in the ward was none other than my husband, Daniel, who had told me he was on a business trip out of town and would bring gifts for our baby when he returned.

"Does it still hurt?"

Daniel stood at the doorway, his face etched with anxiety.

I rubbed my eyes, and after confirming it was really Daniel, the emotions I'd held back all night burst like a dam.

I didn't have time to wonder why he was here.

All I wanted was to rush into his arms and cry, pouring out all my grievances, fears, and helplessness.

But the next second, all the words got stuck in my throat.

I watched as Daniel walked towards the girl who had hit me.

His eyes were red as he scolded her:

"If this hadn't happened, would you have never contacted me again?"

"You used to get lost just going to school. What makes you think you can be an Uber driver?"

"Looks like in all the years you've been gone, you didn't marry a rich man, either."

Scarlett was silent for a moment, then pulled back the covers, got out of bed, and limped towards the door.

As she passed, Daniel grabbed her.

"You're injured. Where are you going?"

Scarlett cried in frustration, trying to pull away from him.

"It's none of your business. Even if I die, it has nothing to do with you!"

Daniel's chest heaved.

Scarlett, with her leg in a cast, limped out.

After only a few steps, he quickly caught up and scooped her into his arms.

Scarlett hit him fiercely.

Finally, she ran out of strength and quietly sat back on the bed.

She lowered her head and choked, "The person I hit looks really wealthy. For wealthy people like you, retaliating against someone poor like me is as easy as crushing an ant."

"You came here today, aren't you just here to see me fall apart?"

"Do you think I wanted to drive drunk? The guys at the bar pressured me into drinking. For those two hundred dollars, I had to take a shot."

"I'm really exhausted, and my rent still isn't paid. I don't want to be evicted!"

Scarlett burst into tears.

Daniel's voice was hoarse:

"Scarlett, why won't you let me help you?"

The girl looked up in surprise and threw herself into his arms.

Snot mixed with tears wiped onto his clothes.

"Really?"

Daniel was a germaphobe, but he didn't flinch.

After a long moment, he sighed, his voice laced with resignation:

"I owe you."

I froze, my heart clenching.

Scarlett.

So, she was Daniel's legendary first love.

His friends used to joke around when they were drunk.

They said back in college, he'd get into fights for her.

He even deliberately messed up a section on his college entrance exams just to get into the same school as her.

He even broke ties with his family for her.

Just as he was about to propose, she left him, complaining that life was too tough.

I, too, had once asked him jealously.

"If she hadn't left, would you have accepted my confession?"

He gently wiped away my tears.

"Chloe, I'm sorry. I haven't given you enough security."

And now, staring at the staggering 54 missed calls on my phone screen.

My eyes suddenly stung and swelled.

I stared numbly at the ceiling.

Past scenes played uncontrollably in my mind.

The year I met Daniel, I jumped into the ocean because of school bullying.

As the freezing water filled my nose and mouth, he jumped in and pulled me out.

"Do you know how painful it is to drown, with seawater filling your lungs?"

Moonlight spilled onto his face, his eyes shining brightly.

"Things will get better as long as you're alive. I'll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again."

That hug, I remembered for years.

Later, he helped me report and deal with the bullies, teaching me how to protect myself.

I used the money I earned from my part-time job to treat him to dinner, and emboldened by the alcohol, I took his hand:

"I knew one day you'd become the most incredible lawyer."

He froze, his eyes slightly red, and he downed another drink.

I followed him for four years, but I never dared to confess.

After college, my parents kept pressuring me to move back home and settle down.

At the train station, on the day I was leaving, he suddenly hugged me.

"Chloe, stay and be with me, okay?"

At that moment.

The sound of the train boarding announcement, along with my racing heartbeat.

From then on, I gave up the comfortable life my family had planned for me and squeezed into a tiny studio apartment with him.

When we were at our poorest, we'd only eat cheap, discounted pasta.

Every time, he'd give me the egg from his bowl.

"Chloe, you're too thin. Eat more."

To earn more money, he worked three jobs at once, even collapsing from exhaustion.

I rushed to the hospital, crying and scolding him.

"You idiot! Daniel, you're such a fool!"

"I don't need a big house, I just need you to be safe and sound."

"If you'd just propose, I'd say yes in a heartbeat, even if we had to live in a rental forever, I'd be happy!"

But he said, "Chloe, I can't let you suffer. I can't let you endure hardships with me. Once I'm stronger, I'll marry you in style, the way you deserve."

Daniel kept his word.

By our third year in the city, he had become a partner at a top-tier law firm, and his career soared.

We also moved from a ten-square-meter basement apartment to a spacious penthouse.

On the opening day of his firm, he proposed to me in front of everyone.

"Chloe, will you marry me?"

But now, the man who once promised to always put me first.

His heart seemed to belong to someone else.

As the anesthesia wore off, a dull, pervasive ache in my lower abdomen reminded me:

There was still a tiny life inside me, the culmination of our love.

I hesitated for a long time, finally trembling as I opened my chat with Daniel on SnapChat.

Chloe, give him, give us, one last chance.

[Where are you?]

Daniel picked up his phone:

"Chloe, the case isn't wrapped up yet, so I'll be back in a couple of days. Get some good rest. I'll take you to your prenatal check-up when I return."

His voice was as gentle as ever.

Daniel had a lovely voice.

I used to love listening to him coax me to sleep when I had insomnia.

But now, he was using that gentle voice to lie to me.

I froze.

I didn't reply until the phone screen went dark.

Back then, Daniel would have immediately called me on FaceTime.

He'd call again and again, asking if I was upset or felt wronged until I cheered up.

But now, he naturally put down his phone and handed the porridge to Scarlett.

Scarlett took a few sips and then put it down.

She mumbled, her soft voice tinged with a hint of hesitation: "Are you do you have a child?"

Daniel didn't answer.

He just put the spoon back in her hand.

"Finish it, then lie down and rest. Scarlett, you're not a child, stop throwing a tantrum here."

Scarlett stubbornly lifted her head, tears welling in her eyes, looking wronged and defiant.

"If it's such a hassle, then just go back to her!"

Daniel's face darkened, his jaw clenched.

During their struggle, the porridge on the table spilled.

Daniel immediately reached out, shielding her with his body.

The movement was practiced and natural, as if he'd done it countless times.

Scarlett grabbed his scalded hand and anxiously blew on it:

"I'm sorry."

The girl's eyes reddened, and tears dripped onto the back of his hand.

As if burned, Daniel instantly pulled his hand back.

"Why are you crying? I'm the one who got burned, not you."

"Don't think a few tears will make me forget everything. Scarlett, I'm not someone who forgets the pain once the wound has healed. When we broke up, I told you, 'If you walk away, don't ever come back. I won't offer my heart to you a second time, just for you to trample on it!'"

The Daniel before me, so out of control, was a stranger.

After all, with me, he was always mature and composed.

Even with the most challenging cases, he was always calm and unruffled.

Scarlett was still crying.

But her sobs grew softer.

Daniel picked up his jacket and silently stood up.

I remembered when we used to argue and give each other the silent treatment.

He always insisted on debating everything logically, needing to win every argument, but he'd never just soothe me with a word.

Back then, I thought he just didn't know how to soften.

But now, the figure paused at the doorway and turned back.

He left, only to come back, tossing a tissue box to Scarlett.

"Don't cry. Don't worry about the shattered pieces on the floor; the nurse will clean it up. And I'll have someone send some new food."

Scarlett took it, stopping her tears.

"I want the seafood soup you used to make. All these years I've been away, I always miss that taste. Can you make it for me?"

Daniel murmured an "Mhm."

It was soft, but it landed heavily on my heart.

The door closed.

So, Daniel, the lawyer known for his rationality, his calm demeanor, and his refusal to ever back down.

He, too, would abandon all his pride and boundaries, clumsily seeking reconciliation with someone.

He, too, would willingly cook seafood soup for someone.

And I had been married to him for five years, yet I didn't even know he could cook.

Tears streamed uncontrollably.

I cried myself to sleep.

In my dream, I was back on the beach that year, Daniel holding me, gently saying:

"Chloe, I'll protect you forever."

But the next second, the scene shattered, and Scarlett appeared.

Daniel was intimately holding and kissing her hand.

And I, along with the baby in my belly.

Were forever abandoned in the cold ocean.

My breathing grew painful, and my stomach cramped.

When the pain woke me, my pillow was already soaked.

I couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears.

The curtain was pulled back.

A man in a suit stood by the bed next to mine.

Scarlett saw me and greeted me warmly:

"Miss Chloe, you're awake! Hello, my name is Scarlett. I'm so, so sorry about yesterday. It was my fault for accidentally hitting you. It was completely careless of me to drink and drive, and you got so badly hurt, even affecting the baby. Please, can you forgive me?"

She offered me a bowl of seafood soup.

"My boyfriend made this for you. I haven't seen your husband since yesterday. You're pregnant, so you should eat something nutritious."

I didn't take it, just asked, "Boyfriend?"

Scarlett didn't deny it, just blushed slightly, looking shy.

"Well, 'ex-boyfriend' who I've loved for eight years, I suppose. Yesterday, when the accident happened, I was so scared I called him. I didn't expect him to rush back from overseas overnight."

I symbolically took the bowl but didn't drink.

I'm allergic to seafood.

Plus, during pregnancy, any strong, fishy smell already makes me nauseous.

So I had no appetite.

Seeing this, Scarlett bit her lip:

"Miss Chloe, you won't drink it. Does that mean you won't forgive me? Are you still angry? I really didn't mean it."

She was the one who hit me, causing my baby's condition to be unstable.

Yet, standing there, she showed no remorse; instead, she looked like she was the one who had suffered a grave injustice.

Seeing my silence, she dropped her warm demeanor:

"Miss Chloe, my ex-boyfriend is a lawyer. He insisted on helping me. Originally, I didn't want to make things so tense, but now it looks like we'll have to involve the lawyers."

A legal assistant nearby stepped forward and handed me a settlement agreement.

"Hello, I'm an assistant to Mr. Daniel from Sterling Law Firm."

"This is a settlement agreement. If you're willing to sign it, we can discuss the compensation terms."

I raised my hand, not even looking at it.

I gently pushed it away.

"I won't sign."

Scarlett frowned, apparently finding me uncooperative.

The lawyer stiffened.

After a moment, he awkwardly pulled out his phone and made a call.

During the long ringing.

Scarlett looked at me, a flicker of triumph in her eyes.

The call was answered.

From the receiver, Daniel's voice came through.

"Speak."

"Mr. Daniel, the other party won't sign. What should we do?"

Daniel continued:

"Tell her. If she doesn't sign, she'll face the consequences."

His calm, detached tone carried impatience and a warning.

I sneered.

My dad's company was framed by a rival for alleged tax evasion.

He was taken in for questioning and could face jail time at any moment.

Back then, I was so anxious I couldn't sleep for nights. For the first time, I begged Daniel to help my dad, to save our family.

But he said.

"Chloe, I know you're going through a lot right now. But as a lawyer, my professional ethics demand that I don't let emotions get in the way."

At that time, I chose to understand him.

But now.

For Scarlett, he was willing to abandon the very principles he always upheld.

Scarlett took the phone, glanced at me, and raised her voice.

"Daniel. She probably won't hurt me. What? You specifically moved me to a VIP room!"