\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Paul\u2019s accusatory tone made his wife realize who I was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, is this\u2026?\u201d she began, her eyes narrowing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you come here to harass us?\u201d His words stung, and I struggled to explain that I had been working at the clinic long before I knew they lived nearby.<\/p>\n
Disregarding my explanation, Paul continued his tirade, accusing me of stalking them. Despite being clearly in the wrong, his words drew judgmental stares from others in the waiting room. Fearing for their safety, his wife feigned distress, clutching her stomach and insinuating that I posed a threat to her and the baby. The attending physician intervened, urging me to leave the examination room to diffuse the tension. While I understood, the encounter left me feeling shaken and unfairly judged.<\/p>\n
With the details of my divorce now public knowledge, I became acutely aware of the whispers and glances. Paul\u2019s wife continued to frequent the clinic, openly criticizing me at every visit. As a patient with a delicate pregnancy, she held all the power. I felt torn between avoiding her and defending myself, leaving everyone around me at a loss. Remaining in this environment until her delivery, which was still over six months away, seemed unbearable. Despite it being a good workplace, I submitted my resignation. The director\u2019s expression hinted at relief.<\/p>\n
Exhausted by everything, I couldn\u2019t bring myself to search for another hospital job. I returned to my parents\u2019 home. They welcomed me without judgment, their quiet support a balm on my wounded spirit. For a while, I struggled to find purpose, feeling guilty for just staying at home. Eventually, I decided to take a part-time job at a nearby supermarket. It was my first time working outside of a hospital, and it felt surprisingly refreshing. While I loved being a nurse, the weight of responsibility in a place where lives were at stake was immense. This new environment was beneficial for my mental well-being.<\/p>\n
Around three years later, while still living with my parents, I received an offer to become a full-time employee at the supermarket. They recognized my hard work, and I was genuinely happy to accept. Over the years, I was approached with matchmaking proposals, but at forty-five, I had no intention of remarrying. I politely declined each one, until the store manager insisted on one particular match.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s also divorced,\u201d the manager said, \u201ca good man, Jennifer. Just meet him once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite my initial refusal, the offer lingered. I agreed to the meeting. Considering our mutual maturity, we decided to meet directly. Upon arriving at the designated restaurant, my matchmaking partner was already there. As I entered, he suddenly stood up, causing his chair to topple over with a loud clatter. His face flushed bright red, and despite his embarrassment, I couldn\u2019t help but laugh. It felt like a scene straight out of a novel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0Edward<\/span><\/strong>. Thank you for coming today,\u201d he said, regaining his composure.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you. I\u2019m Jennifer.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps due to the initial mishap, we quickly found ourselves at ease. I discovered that Edward had visited our supermarket during a business trip and had been captivated by me at first sight. He had convinced the department manager, who turned out to be his senior from university, to arrange our meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to pursue a serious relationship, if possible,\u201d Edward expressed, his gaze direct and sincere.<\/p>\n I had come prepared to decline, but unexpectedly, I found myself wanting to see him again. After six months of dating, we decided to get married. My parents adored Edward\u2019s kind and steady personality, and they were genuinely happy for us. Our life together, filled with Edward\u2019s care and consideration, was truly blissful.<\/p>\n Since we were both older, we hadn\u2019t planned to have children. However, when I turned forty-eight, my health took an unexpected turn. I wasn\u2019t feeling unwell. I was pregnant. I never imagined I\u2019d be pregnant at this age, and I certainly didn\u2019t expect my discomfort to be morning sickness. I suspected Edward felt the same way when I shared the news.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks like I\u2019m pregnant,\u201d I said, my voice trembling slightly.<\/p>\n Edward responded naturally, with a warm smile. \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful.\u201d Then, a playful glint in his eye, he asked, \u201cSo, who\u2019s pregnant? Do I know the person?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think you know her very well,\u201d I said, playing along. \u201cShe\u2019s right in front of you.\u201d I pointed to myself.<\/p>\n Edward looked bewildered, staring at my belly. \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the one who\u2019s pregnant,\u201d I clarified.<\/p>\n He remained silent for a moment, processing. Then, with wide eyes, he asked, \u201cWait\u2026 so you mean we\u2019ll be parents?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it seems that way,\u201d I confirmed.<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d he exclaimed. \u201cWow!\u201d He hugged me tightly, lifting me off the ground. \u201cUnbelievable! It\u2019s a miracle!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it okay if I go through with it?\u201d I whispered against his chest. While I had never considered not having the baby, my age was a factor. The uncertainty of parenting at this stage of life worried me.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you saying? Of course, it\u2019s natural,\u201d Edward\u2019s immediate, unwavering support made my heart soar. We discussed it thoroughly, our desire to have this baby solidifying with every conversation.<\/p>\n And so, it was decided that I would give birth at a well-equipped, large hospital. The obstetrician was a caring and competent doctor, which was reassuring. On one of my prenatal checkup days, not only the obstetrician but also an internal medicine doctor came in for extra precaution. Edward was supposed to be there, but urgent work had called him away. So, I entered the examination room alone.<\/p>\n To my surprise, there stood my ex-husband, Paul. Honestly, encountering him again, in such a place, felt like a cruel twist of fate.<\/p>\n \u201cHa! Seriously? You\u2019re a forty-eight-year-old pregnant woman? It\u2019s impossible to give birth at your age,\u201d he burst out laughing, a harsh, ugly sound that filled the sterile room. The obstetrician and the nurse looked at him, their expressions puzzled.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have no right to say such things,\u201d I retorted, my voice shaking with a mixture of anger and anxiety.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just concerned,\u201d he sneered. \u201cA grandma getting pregnant. It\u2019s gross.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that how you treat patients?\u201d I shot back. \u201cEven without the anxiety that pregnant women already face, spewing such hurtful words is unbelievable. And you call yourself a doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you acting all high and mighty for? Besides, this hospital mostly caters to celebrities. Do you even realize that? It\u2019d be better for you to leave before you embarrass yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll leave without being told. Giving birth in a hospital where doctors like you work? No way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, just go,\u201d Paul sneered, pointing toward the door. \u201cThis lady is the wife of the\u00a0Taylor Group\u2019s<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0significant donor. The son\u2019s wife, to be precise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d I was confused.<\/p>\n \u201cYou might not know her since you\u2019re new here,\u201d he continued, but before he could say more, the internal medicine doctor, a distinguished woman named Mrs. Taylor, intervened.<\/p>\n \u201cThis can\u2019t be true,\u201d she said, looking from Paul to me, \u201cbut she\u2019s my\u2026 we\u2019re complete strangers. Nevertheless, your recent remarks were way out of line. It\u2019s hard to believe a doctor would say such things.\u201d<\/p>\n Just as Paul turned pale, Edward walked in. \u201cSorry for being late. My wife was\u2026\u201d he began, then stopped, sensing the tension. He took in my angry expression, Paul\u2019s pale face, and the overall atmosphere. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was told by this Dr. Paul that it\u2019s disgusting to give birth at forty-eight,\u201d I explained, seeing Edward\u2019s concern instantly turn to fury.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Paul, right?\u201d Edward\u2019s voice was stern, dangerously calm. \u201cYou insulted my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul stammered, denying it, but Edward pressed on. \u201cHow can you insult a patient like that? What kind of hospital is this? I can\u2019t trust this place with my precious wife and unborn child.\u201d<\/p>\n Just then, the nurse who had left earlier returned with the hospital director. \u201cMr. Taylor, I heard there was some rudeness\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDirector,\u201d Edward interrupted, his frustration evident. \u201cI thought this was a reliable hospital because my father recommended it, but I didn\u2019t know you employed a doctor like this. It seems I chose the wrong hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very sorry. No, that\u2019s not true. This man is not our doctor,\u201d the director clarified, surprising us all. \u201cI just fired him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Paul looked stunned.<\/p>\n \u201cI just fired him,\u201d the director reiterated. \u201cI didn\u2019t know he was such a person. I let him in because a friend asked me to. We don\u2019t need a doctor who spits out such insults. He will never appear in front of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Director, what are you saying?\u201d Paul protested, but the director silenced him.<\/p>\n \u201cShut up and be quiet! You get out of here right now!\u201d The obstetrician who was there dragged Paul out into the hallway.<\/p>\n The director apologized profusely. Edward, however, was still angry. \u201cDid you kick him out because my father donated to this hospital? If not, would you let a doctor like him run wild?\u201d<\/p>\n The director shook his head. \u201cActually, Paul had only been at this hospital for a week. His father is my old classmate. He asked me to hire his son. I had no idea he was such a person,\u201d he said, looking truly sorry.<\/p>\n Edward\u2019s father, it turned out, was the president of a large company with branches all over the country. He donated a portion of his profits to medical facilities, this hospital in particular, because his wife\u2014Edward\u2019s mother\u2014had been taken care of here when she was young.<\/p>\n A few days later, Paul contacted me, begging me to ask the director to hire him back. He had apparently offended patients with his arrogant attitude at every hospital he\u2019d worked at. I couldn\u2019t believe he kept making the same mistakes. Edward was next to me when Paul called. He snatched the phone from my hand and yelled at Paul, threatening to report him for harassment if he ever contacted me again. He must have been scared, because he never called again.<\/p>\n Sometime later, I stopped by a convenience store and saw Paul working there. Apparently, no hospital would hire him. He was crying his eyes out, saying his wife and child had left him, but I felt no sympathy. I just decided to avoid that convenience store.<\/p>\n The following year, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She was so adorable, a tiny miracle I had never expected. I vowed to raise her with love and responsibility, no matter what. Edward was smitten from the moment she was born, a wonderfully sweet and doting father.<\/p>\n My life, which had once been filled with the bitter taste of regret and betrayal, was now overflowing with a sweetness I had never thought possible. I had a husband who cherished me, a beautiful daughter who was the light of our lives, and a future that felt boundless. Looking back, I realized that Paul\u2019s hurtful words had been a strange sort of gift. They had freed me from a life that was slowly eroding my spirit and pushed me onto a path that led to true happiness. His immaturity had been his downfall, but for me, it had been the catalyst for a second chance at everything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Paul\u2019s accusatory tone made his wife realize who I was. \u201cWait, is this\u2026?\u201d she began, her eyes narrowing. \u201cDid you come here to harass us?\u201d His words stung, and I struggled to explain that I had been working at the clinic long before I knew they lived nearby. Disregarding my…<\/p>\n
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