Chapter 4
Hearing the commotion, Andrew and Emily rushed over, freezing in their tracks at the scene before them.
Before Julia could process what happened, Mason was already sobbing and clinging to Andrew's leg, pointing at Julia between hiccups. "Uncle Andrew! Auntie Julia hit me!"
"What?" Julia was stunned.
Andrew quickly scooped Mason up, shooting her a reproachful look.
"Julia, he's just a child. Even if he did something wrong, you could've just talked to him. Why did you hit him?"
"I hit him?" Julia was utterly bewildered by the accusation.
Andrew argued, "What else? He's just a kid. You think he'd lie about this?"
"I..."
Before Julia could defend herself, Mason wailed louder in Andrew's arms. "It hurts so bad. My chest hurts. Uncle Andrew, am I gonna die?"
No one noticed that Julia's face was turning ghostly pale.
Emily suddenly screamed, pointing at Julia's dress, "Is that blood? Mason's blood?"
"Julia, you've gone too far this time!" Andrew snapped.
With that, he and Emily rushed out, clutching Mason between them.
Julia stood frozen in place. The shock was so overwhelming that even the heavy pain in her belly faded into numbness.
She stared at the glaring red stain spreading across her wedding dress, her eyes burning hot with unshed tears.
Slowly, she sank to the floor, her fingertips brushing over the fabric of the dress inch by inch.
So even the last pure thing in their relationship was now tainted.
The sob rising in her throat nearly broke free, but she bit down on her lip hard to keep from crying out. Suddenly, she collapsed on the floor.
The staff panicked and called an ambulance, rushing Julia straight to the hospital.
When Julia opened her eyes again, she found herself on an operating table.
The doctor, only his indifferent eyes visible above his surgical mask, said flatly, "Ms. Summers, we couldn't save the baby. We need to perform the procedure immediately."
"My baby..."
Julia tried to speak. Bitterness flooded her tongue. The ache in her chest was a living thing.
She watched as the anesthetic slowly dripped into her vein, and her consciousness slipped away, swallowed by the darkness once more.
"Julia, where are you? Mason's not well. Get to the hospital right now!" Andrew yelled through a phone somewhere.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Summers just had surgery and is still unconscious. She's at this hospital," a nurse replied evenly.
"Surgery? Who is this? Did she hire you to lie? What surgery? She's being petty about a kid? I don't have time for games. Tell her to get over here!"
The dial tone buzzed on the other end of the line, each beep like a hammer blow to Julia's heart. She felt almost suffocating.
Her eyelids felt weighted, but she fought until they cracked open.
She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her mind was blank.
"You're awake," said the nurse from before, stepping closer. "The procedure went well. You're very weak. You need rest."
Julia laid her hand over her now-flat belly, and a bittersweet ache began to swell from somewhere deep inside her.
A tiny life had been growing in her belly, appearing quietly and leaving the same way.
Her baby was gone after all.
Even though she had already made the decision, when the moment finally came, it felt as if a part of her had been physically carved out. The pain made her want to die.
"By the way, a Mr. Holden kept calling earlier. I told him you were in the hospital, but he didn't seem to believe me," the nurse said, concern creeping into her voice.
"Got it. Thanks," Julia whispered.
She took her phone back, her gaze dropping, unable to hide her devastation.
Just as the nurse left, Andrew's call came through again.
She answered, and his frantic voice burst out immediately. "Julia, where the hell are you?"
"What is it?" Julia replied, her lips, drained of all color, barely moving.
"Julia, Mason's injured. He's at the hospital waiting for a blood transfusion. He has that rare blood type..."
"And?" Julia cut him off evenly.
She already knew what he was going to say, but a part of her still couldn't believe that the man who had once promised her a lifetime of love could be this cold.
Andrew paused, and then his voice became urgent. "The hospital's blood bank is low. I know you have the same blood type. You need to come here."
"The nurse already told you. I'm in the hospital. I'm not well."
Julia closed her eyes, fighting to steady her ragged breath.
"Julia, can you just stop this? I don't know why you're beefing with a kid, but this is life and death. I'm begging you. Name it. Whatever you want. Just save him first."
"Life and death," she echoed.
She clenched her fists, spitting out the words one by one.
It felt like someone was sawing through her heart with a dull blade. If Emily's son was worth saving, then what about hers?
Her throat was tight, and it took a long moment before she could force out the cold words.
"I'm afraid I can't. I'm not playing games, Andrew. I'm really not well."
With that, she pressed "end call" hard.