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It finally dawned on Mike that he had indeed picked up my calls back then.
At that time, Jessa was going through chemo and was pretty unstable. To avoid upsetting her, he had blocked me.
Later, while reviewing some documents, he accidentally unblocked me, answered my call, and then blocked me again.
For Mike, manipulating these settings was just a routine task.
So, it never crossed his mind that I had tried to reach him during my
disappearance.
Mike ended the call, and the room fell
silent.
After what felt like an eternity, he struggled to speak, “You went through so much. Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
I laughed, though tears were welling up in
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my eyes, “You ignored over nine hundred
of my calls, Mike, and you blocked me! Who was I supposed to talk to, huh? The voicemail?”
And really, what good would telling him have done? Would it have made him feel guilty? His guilt was worthless to me now.
I said deliberately, “Mike, I’m actually relieved I never had your child. A guy like you should never have descendants.”
“Lynn!” Mike was visibly shaken by my words, beyond the point of conversation. He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
I instinctively touched my belly, thinking of how to hit Mike where it hurt. Since he was the reason I lost our baby, he would pay dearly.
After being discharged, I jumped right back into acting, joining a new theater project. This role as a teacher, seeing the kids‘ smiling faces, helped lighten my
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heavy heart.
I hadn’t blocked Mike. After all, he and Jessa were responsible for my child’s death, and I was intent on making them face the
consequences.
On a day off, I was heading out with some cast mates to the local store when I noticed a crowd in the square.
The air was festive, filled with colorful balloons like a celebration was underway.
As I approached, the balloons were released, and there was Mike, kneeling with a bouquet, his face anxious as he looked up at me, “Lynn McCullough, today was supposed to be our wedding day. I want to reset everything. It doesn’t matter whose child it was, we can still start over
and have our own.”
His audacity floored me. Since he couldn’t pin down who else might be involved, he was still willing to be convinced by Jessa’s nonsense. That way, he could keep me
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tethered to him without guilt.
My colleagues from the cast heard all this, and their looks changed–whispers spread. The crowd, recognizing us from our recent performances, began to stare a bit too intently, sensing the unfolding drama.
Mike’s stunt threatened to tarnish my reputation.
People might accept a married actor, but no one wants a scandal–tainted one–it’s just too much baggage.
Whether it was the marriage or the drug trials, to Mike, I was merely an accessory, to be used as he wished.
I stayed silent for a long while before. accepting the bouquet from him.
Mike exhaled deeply, relieved, and hugged me, whispering, “I promise to treat you right, always and forever.”
The next day, as Mike was about to take me to get the marriage license, I stopped him,
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“Mike, shouldn’t you tell Jessa about our marriage first?”
He hesitated, “Jessa’s not doing well right now. Let’s wait a bit before telling her.”
Inside, I sneered, but outwardly I feigned distress. “Aren’t you always saying Jessa’s like a sister? Shouldn’t family be the first to know? Or are you ashamed of me? Maybe you think I’m not presentable. Fine, I won’t go then…”
My words sent Mike into a panic. After a struggle, he agreed to take me to see Jessa.
Just as we reached her hospital room door, we heard Jessa shouting at Brown, “Why hasn’t Mike come to see me? Is he with that whore?” In a fit of rage, she hurled a glass towards the door, just as we were entering. The shards grazed my arm.
Mike quickly moved to protect me.
When Jessa saw me, her whole demeanor crumbled, tears quickly filling her eyes. “Mike, why are you with her? Why did you
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bring her here?”
I stepped forward, smiling thinly, “Mike and I are getting married, Jessa. We wanted to share the happy news with you.”
