Chapter 3

The divorce agreement sat open on my screen.

I read through the cold clauses about property and equity one last time.

This wasn't just a document ending a marriage.

It was the final proof that everything between us was already broken.

Then, a vicious spike of pain ripped through my lower abdomen.

It was a sharp, searing cramp that instantly sucked every ounce of strength from my body.

My phone nearly slipped from my hand. I curled up hard against the cushions of the sofa, cold sweat instantly beading across my forehead.

The lingering injuries from the miscarriage six months ago flared up all at once. The physical agony crashed straight into my extreme emotional breakdown.

The blinding pain blurred my vision. My breathing turned shallow and frantic.

With trembling fingers, I reached for my phone.

My first thought was simple.

Call an ambulance.

My thumb hovered over the emergency number.

But then I saw another name on my screen.

Gavin.

For five years, he had been the person I called whenever I was scared.

Even after everything, a small part of me still believed he would come.

The line rang for a long time before someone finally picked up.

The receiver instantly flooded with noise and laughter. Background music from a playground, muffled cheering, popping balloons, and the high-pitched screams of excited children filled the air.

"Hello? Allison, what's up?"

Gavin's voice crackled through the static. He sounded rushed, low, and visibly annoyed, as if he were trying to talk where no one could hear him.

"Gavin..."

I gritted my teeth. My voice was so weak I could barely hear it myself.

"My stomach... it hurts so bad. It feels like I'm bleeding. Can you please come back and take me to the hospital..."

Before I could even finish the sentence, a little boy's crisp, demanding voice cut straight through the earpiece.

"Daddy! Hurry up! The big slide is super fun and everyone is waiting for you!"

Right behind him, Madeline's soft, playful voice drifted across the background.

"Gavin, you're the designated dad today—are you ready? The kids are waiting."

The wall of cheerful noise slammed down on me, completely drowning out my desperate plea for help.

Gavin didn't hear a single word I said. Or worse, he simply didn't care about the panic in my voice.

He blew me off with a careless, half-hearted dismissal.

"Allison, I'm slammed here and I literally can't get away. Just call an ambulance yourself."

And with that, he hung up.

The harsh dial tone droned on as the call was mercilessly cut.

I slumped sideways off the sofa. My phone slipped from my limp hand and hit the carpeted floor with a muffled thud.

My stomach churned violently. The razor-sharp agony in my lower abdomen felt like it was tearing me apart from the inside out, and warm fluid soaked through the sides of my clothes.

Desperation and freezing cold closed in from every direction, swallowing me whole.

Right here at the edge of life and death, I was worth less than a playground ride to him.

Five years of deep devotion. Five years of misplaced love.

With the last bit of strength I had left, I grabbed my phone and dialed emergency services.

"Please send an ambulance to my address," I whispered.

After ending the call, I collapsed against the sofa, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

My eyes slowly drifted toward the crystal jar in the corner.

Ninety-eight coins.

Ninety-eight broken promises.

My trembling fingers reached into the drawer and pulled out two cold coins.

The ninety-ninth.

The hundredth.

The first coin fell.

Clink.

The ninety-ninth time, he abandoned the honeymoon I had waited years for.

The second coin slipped from my fingers.

Clink.

The hundredth time, I was lying here in pain, begging him to come home.

And he chose another family over me.

The jar was full.

I had nothing left to wait for.

My vision slowly blurred.

The last thing I heard was the sound of someone breaking through the door.