Chapter 4
When I opened my eyes, everything was white. Stark. Cold. The sterile scent of antiseptic flooded my nose.
A nurse spotted me blinking and hurried over. “You're awake. Where’s your husband? We need him to sign off—You’ve had a miscarriage. Three months long. We need to perform a D&C.”
The words hit me like a truck. Miscarriage? No. No, no, no.
I gripped the edge of her scrubs like a lifeline. “Please,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Please don’t do it. I don’t want a D&C. Just… save my baby.”
The nurse sighed and gave my shoulder a gentle, almost mechanical pat. “I’m sorry, honey. There’s nothing we can do. The baby’s gone. You’ll have another one once you’ve recovered.”
Another one?
Tears burned my eyes and spilled over, no matter how tightly I squeezed them shut. My chest ached so deeply I could barely breathe. My health had never been great.
Every doctor had warned me it’d be hard—maybe impossible—for me to conceive. And yet, after three years of marriage without birth control, I’d finally gotten pregnant. This baby was a miracle.
And now… gone.
All I had ever wanted was one person in this world who was mine. Just one. Someone I could protect. Someone who would love me back.
The nurse kept urging me to call a family member. “Someone needs to be here with you.”
I shook my head silently. I didn’t have anyone. No mother. No father. No siblings. And certainly, no husband who gave a damn.
“I’ll sign whatever you need,” I whispered, my throat raw. “I’ll do it myself.”
In that moment, I didn’t care if I survived the surgery. Part of me hoped I wouldn’t.
Afterward, I was moved into a shared ward. Two other women were already in the room, whispering behind cupped hands, but loud enough that I could still hear every poisoned word.
“Isn’t that Jarek Thornwell’s wife? I saw her photo online—looks just like her.”
“Same name, too. Heard she lost the baby. Probably wasn’t even Jarek’s.”
“Of course not. She’s been alone this whole time. Probably snuck in for a secret abortion. Poor kid—better off reincarnating into a better family.”
I clenched my fists under the blanket. I’d thought I was numb. Thought nothing could cut me anymore. But their words sliced through my skin and sank into the bones.
They didn’t even try to hide their judgment. Their husbands barely looked at me without glaring, as if heartbreak were contagious.
And I—like a fool—still found myself hoping Jarek would walk through that door. Take me in his arms. Whisper that everything would be okay. That he still loved me. That I wasn’t alone.
But he didn’t even text.
In the days that followed, the women made it impossible to rest. Whenever I closed my eyes, they’d raise their voices. Whenever I needed the bathroom, they’d beat me there. My food vanished from the nightstand more than once thrown out like I didn’t matter.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
After four days of hell, I forced myself to get discharged. My legs trembled as I walked out of the hospital. My body was still weak. But my heart? My heart was just… gone.
I slid into the back seat of a taxi and stared out the window, feeling more lost than I ever had in my entire life.
I had no one. No home. Nothing to fall back on. Nothing to live for.
Then my phone rang.
I didn’t even glance at the screen. I just answered, craving any human connection—even if it was another cruel voice looking to shame me.
“Ray! Are you okay?”
The voice was male. Urgent. Familiar in a distant way.
I frowned. “Who is this?”
A pause. Then softly, “It’s Auren Lockridge.”
I blinked. The name stirred a memory—vague and distant. A guy from my university club, maybe? One of the seniors?
I didn’t care anymore.
“I have nowhere to go,” I said, bluntly. “Can I stay with you?”
It was insane. Desperate. Rude, even. I fully expected him to turn me down.
But he didn’t hesitate.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “My place. Want to come over now?”
I closed my eyes, the first flicker of warmth touching the frozen edges of my soul.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I do.”
