The Umbrella He Never Held for Me Chapter 08

Simon didn’t chase after me. Yvette had a death grip on him.

And with her being pregnant, he couldn’t exactly shove her off.

Maybe she thought she already had him locked down.

Yvette wasn’t done with me either.

She hurried over and grabbed my arm.

“Don’t go, Tessa. We still have a score to settle.”

She said she wanted to settle things between us, but she deliberately raised her voice for everyone around us to hear.

In seconds, my coworkers who were waiting for me and the neighbors from the complex all crowded around.

Yvette’s eyes went red. Tears started falling the instant her eyes turned red.

“Tessa, I thought you were my best friend. How could you go after Simon? We’re getting married. I’m carrying his baby…”

She clutched her stomach and slowly lowered herself to the ground, her voice shaking.

“I know you can’t let go of him, but you can’t bully me like this.”

People began whispering among themselves, their stares pricking at me like needles from every direction.

“Isn’t that the girl from that building? She looks respectable.”

“You never know what people are really like.”

I took a deep breath and said coldly, “Yvette, you know better than anyone what really happened.”

One of my coworkers from the company spoke up. She knew me. “No way. Tessa wouldn’t do something like that.”

Yvette froze for a second, then cried even harder.

“It’s true. The father of my baby ran off to Cresthill because of her. He won’t even come home.”

More neighbors gathered. The whispers grew louder.

“How could she do that? The pregnant woman is sitting on the ground.”

“People have no morals anymore.”

“This is just cruel.”

Yvette hunched over, clutching her stomach, her shoulders shaking. But the corner of her mouth curled up.

I stood frozen where I was, trapped under the weight of everyone’s gaze with nowhere to go.

Yvette kept performing, sobbing like she couldn’t catch her breath.

Finally, Simon moved.

He walked over and pulled Yvette to her feet, his brows tight.

“Enough.”

Yvette stared at him in disbelief.

“Simon, you’ve put your heart back on Tessa again, haven’t you?!”

Simon wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were on me.

His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Then someone in the crowd spoke up.

One of my coworkers. She’d been staring at Simon.

“Isn’t that Tessa’s ex? They were together for eight years. Broke up a month ago, right?”

Another coworker added, “Yeah, that’s him. She used to post about him.”

“So this lady… she’s three months pregnant? They broke up a month ago. When did the baby happen?”

“Three months versus one month. Doesn’t take a genius.”

“She’s the other woman.”

Everyone’s eyes swung between Simon and Yvette.

Yvette’s face went pale. Her lips trembled like she wanted to explain, but no words came out.

Simon went stiff too. His face turned dark.

He growled at Yvette. “Look what you’ve done. Now I’m humiliated right along with you.”

My coworker turned to me.

“I always thought he wasn’t reliable. You have a degree from a top university with a master’s, and you followed him to Riverside to be a clerical assistant. How many times did we tell you?”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t listen. You had to go with him.”

“Do you finally see him for who he really is now?”

The crowd’s tone shifted completely.

“So she’s a homewrecker. Disgusting.”

“That guy’s no better. He wants what’s in his bowl while eyeing what’s in someone else’s.”

“Poor girl. Those two really did a number on her.”

Yvette kept her head down, shaking, her fingers clenched around Simon’s sleeve.

Simon’s lips pressed into a thin line. He said nothing.

The crowd lost interest and drifted away.

My coworker patted my shoulder. “Come on. We’ll be late for team building.”

I shook my head and told them I was taking the day off. After that scene, I wasn’t in the mood.

I turned to go home. Before leaving, I glanced at Yvette.

“Yvette Sinclair, stop with the schemes. Or I’ll call the cops on you for once.”

She froze for a second. Her eyes were still red, but her expression was complicated.

I looked away and started walking.

Then a sharp scream tore through the air behind me.

“Tessa!”

Before I could react, I saw Yvette lunging at me from the corner of my eye.

Her belly had already begun to round slightly, but she moved faster than any pregnant woman should.

My heart jumped. Panic flashed through me. If anything happened to her stomach again, she’d pin it on me.

I quickly stepped aside. She grabbed nothing but air.

Then I heard her cry out.

Yvette pitched forward and hit the ground, clutching her stomach.

Her face went white. Her lips trembled like she was about to start another round of crying.

I looked at Simon on instinct.

He stood two steps away, watching Yvette. No panic at all.

If anything, he looked annoyed.