Five Months Pregnant, My Ex Came to Propose

Three years ago, at our engagement party, his childhood bestie threw down a ridiculous bet. She dared Jeffrey to walk out on our wedding.

To let her win, Jeffrey abandoned me at the altar. He tossed a careless smirk at his groomsmen.

She caves easily. Give her the cold shoulder for a few days and she'll come crawling back.

His boys cheered, calling me a desperate gold digger, absolutely certain I could never survive without him.

His bestie, June, even had the nerve to snatch the veil right off my head, giggling and shoving Jeffrey playfully.

With hundreds of eyes burning into my skin, I stood there, my expression completely blank.

Jeffrey looked back at me with a proud, approving nod.

"Now that is the grace a Goodwin wife should have. Be a good girl and wait for me at home."

Hearing those words, I only felt a bitter urge to laugh.

Grace?

It was nothing but the absolute death of my love for him.

Three years later, Jeffrey blocked the main entrance of my office building with a fleet of luxury cars and a massive diamond ring.

"Madness over? I'm here to keep my promise."

I did not even spare him a second glance. I just protectively cradled my heavily pregnant belly.

"Excuse me. My husband is picking me up for my ultrasound."

"Is playing dress up with a silicone belly really that fun?"

Jeffrey stood with one hand shoved casually into his tailored slacks. His eyes lazily swept over my rounded stomach. His tone was drenched in that same arrogant certainty he always carried.

I met his gaze without flinching.

"Mr. Goodwin, move."

The front doors of my firm were completely blocked by nine black Maybachs. Drones buzzed in the crisp afternoon air, dragging a massive banner with my name printed in bold letters. A crowd of my coworkers had already formed on the sidewalk, their breathless whispers drifting into my ears.

Jeffrey did not look embarrassed in the slightest. Instead, he took a confident step forward and offered me a massive bouquet of red roses.

"It has been three years. You have thrown your little tantrum. It is time to come home."

He looked at me with what he probably thought was indulgent affection.

"You know how much I hate it when women act hysterical. But for you, I made an exception. I gave you three whole years."

I stared at those blood red petals.

Three years ago, when I was in the ER hooked up to an IV because of a severe pollen allergy, he had his assistant send me the exact same type of flowers. He told me June had picked them out and warned me not to be ungrateful.

I kept my hands firmly on my belly and took a half step back.

"Jeffrey, I am not throwing a tantrum."

I looked directly into his eyes, my voice quiet but steady.

"I am married. And I am five months pregnant."

Jeffrey let out a low chuckle. He casually tossed the expensive bouquet onto the lid of a nearby trash can.

"You are spinning lies like this just to get a reaction out of me?"

He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a velvet box. It popped open with a soft click, revealing a massive pink diamond that caught the sunlight.

"I owed you a ceremony three years ago. I am making up for it today."

He did not even bother to drop to one knee. He just held the box out to me, looking like a king bestowing a rare favor upon a peasant.

"Put it on. We will pick out a wedding dress tomorrow. I promise I won't walk out this time."

He said it with such casual entitlement.

I looked at the glittering stone, feeling absolutely nothing.

At our engagement party, he turned his back on me and walked out in front of my entire family, all because June wanted to test her power over him. Her sharp stiletto had stomped right onto the hem of my gown, leaving an ugly smear of black mud on the pristine white silk. She ripped my veil away to humiliate me.

And what did he say?

He praised my grace. He told me to wait at home.

That night, I peeled off the ruined dress all by myself. I took a pair of scissors, cut out the muddy footprint, and threw it into the trash along with my engagement ring.

From that exact second, the man named Jeffrey Goodwin died in my heart.

"I don't need it."

I sidestepped him and headed straight for the curb.

Jeffrey finally frowned. He reached out to grab my wrist. I twisted away, letting his hand grasp empty air.

"Monica, enough."

His voice dropped an octave, laced with a heavy warning.

"My patience has limits. Who exactly is this little performance for?"

Right on cue, his phone chimed. It was a custom text tone. June's sickly sweet voice spilled from the speaker.

"Tristy, did you pick Monica up? I feel a little sick. My head is spinning."

Jeffrey's icy expression melted instantly. He pressed the audio button to reply.

"Be a good girl and take your meds. I will bring her back to see you soon."

He slipped the phone away and looked back at me.

"June is sick, and she is still worrying about you. Stop being so hostile toward her."

A note of sharp reprimand entered his voice.

"What happened three years ago was just a joke. She is young and does not know any better. You were practically supposed to be her family. Why are you holding such a petty grudge?"

Watching his righteous indignation, a wave of intense nausea hit me. Morning sickness was normal, but standing in front of this man made my stomach violently churn.

I took a deep breath, forcing the bile down.

"Jeffrey, do you lack basic comprehension skills?"

I pointed toward the taxi stand.

"My husband is waiting for me at the hospital. Get out of my way."

His face turned ice cold. He stared intensely at my stomach.

"You really won't drop this, will you? You are actually using these cheap tricks to force an apology out of me?"

"Cheap tricks?" I chewed on the words, finding them hilarious. "Think whatever helps you sleep at night."

I was done wasting oxygen on him. I walked straight to a yellow cab that had just pulled up, opened the door, and slid into the back seat, shielding my bump.

Jeffrey moved with lightning speed, slamming his hand against the door frame before I could close it.

"Which hospital? I will take you."

He looked down at me, a dark sneer twisting his lips.

"I really want to see which random loser you hired to play this little game with you."

I glared at his hand gripping the metal frame.

"Let go."

"Don't push your luck, Monica."

His patience seemed to completely evaporate. He yanked the front passenger door open and threw himself into the seat.

Defeated by his stubbornness, I told the driver the name of the private maternity hospital downtown. The driver glanced nervously between us. Jeffrey pulled out a thick stack of hundred dollar bills and threw them onto the dashboard.

"Drive."

The cab merged into the bustling city traffic. The silence inside the car was suffocating.

Jeffrey leaned back, turning his head to study me.

"You used to cry over a simple blood draw. Now you are strapping a fake belly to yourself just to make me mad?"

His gaze lingered on my midsection, highly critical.

"Take it off. Aren't you sweating under there?"

I pulled the zipper of my coat all the way up to my chin, closed my eyes, and ignored him.

Half an hour later, the car pulled up to the hospital entrance. I got out. Jeffrey followed like a dark shadow.

The lobby of the private clinic was quiet, smelling of expensive sanitizer and fresh linen. I walked to the kiosk to print my appointment ticket. Jeffrey stood right behind me, reading the screen that clearly displayed 'Obstetrics Follow Up'.

His eye twitched, but he recovered his smug composure a second later.

"You are really committed to the bit."

He let out a dry laugh.

I took my ticket and headed for the elevator. He stayed glued to my side.

When we reached the third floor waiting area, I found an empty seat. The moment I sat down, the elevator doors chimed open again.

June stepped out, teetering on designer heels and clutching a massive bundle of white roses. She spotted us instantly and trotted over.

"Tristy! Monica!"

She shoved the white roses right into my face, wearing a mask of flawless, innocent joy.

"I heard you were pregnant! I just had to come say congratulations!"

The heavy, powdery scent of pollen flooded my lungs. I violently turned my head and sneezed.

Jeffrey immediately frowned at June.

"She is allergic to pollen. Move them away."

June bit her bottom lip, her eyes shining with instant, manufactured tears.

"Oh no, I am so sorry Monica. I completely forgot. I was just so excited for you."

She dropped the flowers onto the empty chair next to her and naturally slid into the seat right beside Jeffrey.

"But Monica, didn't you get married a little too fast?"

June's gaze dragged over my belly, a malicious glint hidden in her smile.

"The baby is already so big. Did you just grab the first guy you saw to get back at Tristy?"

She covered her mouth, giggling softly.

"It is such an important checkup today. Where is this mysterious husband of yours?"

"Did he ditch you here all by yourself? Sounds like a deadbeat to me."

Jeffrey listened to every venomous word and did absolutely nothing to stop her. Instead, he watched me closely, waiting to see me crack.

"Her husband is too busy to care about her," Jeffrey answered for me, his voice dripping with mockery. "How dedicated can a hired actor really be?"

I watched them bounce off each other, feeling an eerie sense of total peace.

This was the man I had loved for seven years. He was sitting here, watching another woman insult me, and deciding to join in.

"Is Monica here?"

A nurse stepped out of the examination room, holding a medical chart.

"Here," I said, standing up.

The nurse looked at me, then glanced at Jeffrey and June.

"The doctor needs a family member to sign the ultrasound consent forms. Which one of you is the spouse?"

Jeffrey instinctively took a step forward.

"I am."

I turned around, cutting him off with a voice made of ice.

"No, he isn't."

The nurse froze, her eyes darting between Jeffrey and me. Jeffrey's outstretched hand hung awkwardly in the air. His face darkened dangerously.

"Monica, stop acting like a child."

He lowered his voice, packing it with a fierce warning.

"This is a hospital. Not a stage for your temper tantrums."

I did not even look at him. I turned back to the nurse.

"I do not know them. They are just strangers who followed me here. My husband is parking the car. He will be right up."

The nurse nodded slowly and pulled the clipboard back to her chest.

"Understood. Please wait for him out here. We need the actual spouse on record for these documents."

She turned and disappeared back into the room.

Jeffrey slowly pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket. His eyes narrowed, glowing with a dangerous, volatile heat.

"Strangers?"

He let out a sharp, breathless laugh.

"You have grown some spine in three years. Denying I am family now?"

Seeing his anger, June immediately stood up and wrapped her hands around Jeffrey's arm.

"Tristy, don't be mad."

She looked at me, her eyes brimming with fresh, practiced tears.

"Monica, are you seriously still mad about that little joke we played three years ago?"

She sniffled, sounding like the ultimate victim.

"I just made a tiny bet with Tristy to lighten the mood at the party."

"How was I supposed to know you couldn't take a joke? You literally ran away from home over nothing."

She framed my ruined wedding as a joke, and my shattered heart as being overly sensitive.

Staring at her pathetic, trembling face, I felt a wave of pure disgust.

"Turning my wedding into a betting pool was a joke?"

I shifted my gaze to Jeffrey.