Clutching my stomach, I shot back with a mocking smile. "Worried about me? You left me in a place like that. Were you scared something might happen to me, or scared nothing would?"
"And you expect me to tell you? I tried, but I guess I'm still blocked, so that was impossible, wasn't it?"
God knew how often I'd tried calling him while stranded, rehearsing my last words in case something went wrong.
His lips pressed into a thin line, realizing his mistake.
Frustrated, he threw the cake he had brought down on the table. "Kindness wasted!"
James stormed off to the bathroom, and I could faintly hear him laughing as if he were finding the whole situation ridiculous.
The pain in my abdomen became unbearable, and I collapsed onto the sofa, my face turning pale. I glanced over at the cake he'd thrown. A piece was already missing. With shaking hands, I opened Lindsay's latest post on social media. In the picture, two shadows were reflected in the floor-to-ceiling windows of a river-view mansion. A strawberry cake with a single candle sat in the corner.
Her caption read: 'For every birthday from now on, we'll be by each other's side. The ultimate expression of love is in the ritual.'
I fought back tears, trying to stay calm for the sake of pregnancy. I couldn't cry, not now. Gripping the sofa for support, I threw the cake into the trash.
James came out of the bathroom just in time to see what I had done, his face darkening with anger. "What's your problem now? You're the one always going on about 'rituals'! I drove across half the city to get you that cake, and you just toss it away?"
"I've explained this a hundred times, and you're still not satisfied? All I did was give an employee a house as a reward. Are you ever going to let this go? Have I ever brought up how you insulted her? Since I got home, you've treated me like crap. First, you ditch dinner, and now the cake! What do you think I am? Made of patience?"
I closed my eyes, too frustrated to even look at him anymore. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. You're right, it's your money, and you can spend it however you want. I'm not as free as Lindsay is! I've got my work—"
Before I could finish, he cut me off, shouting, "Enough! You say this every time. Ever since Lindsay joined the company, you've been acting crazy every day! No wonder the baby didn't make it. With a mother and a family like this, it's a blessing he wasn't born!"