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Sloane steeled herself “There’s no easy way to say this Meili is dead She died three weeks after she broke things off with you”

Wallace winced, lowering his gaze to stare at the floor “How?”

“Suicide” Sloane made it as short and devoid of details as possible

“Suici

de?” Wallace’s head snapped up “I and independent She’d never take her own life Youstory”

“I wish that were so But it’s not Wallace, Meili was pregnant,” Sloane told him quietly “It was your child She didn’t realize it until after she’d sent you away”

“Pregnant…oh dear Lord” Wallace’s water bottle struck the desk with a thud “And she didn’t even contact me…”

“She was too proud to contact you She went to her father But he turned her away The shame and dishonor were too much for her”

“So she killed herself” Wallace’s voice was choked He was also still clearly in shock “She killed herself and our child All because I wasn’t there for her”

“Wallace, you couldn’t have known—”

“How?” he interrupted, not even hearing Sloane’s words

“Hohat?”

“How did she kill herself? Pills? Drowning? How?”

Sloane gritted her teeth “She slit her wrists”

Wallace shuddered, and his Ada up and down as he choked back emotion “Sloane, I’d like to be alone now”