Chapter 2
At six in the morning, Charlotte sat up in bed. The sheets on David's side were cold to the touch.
She glanced at her phone. He'd sent her a message at 1 AM.
David: [Working late. Not coming home.]
She didn't reply.
After washing up, she grabbed her prenatal booklet from the cabinet, tossed it into her bag, and headed out.
The bus was packed, and no one offered her a seat. She gripped the pole and stood for forty minutes until she reached the city's maternity hospital. She registered, waited in line, had her blood drawn, and then went for an ultrasound.
In the ultrasound room, the doctor pressed the probe to her belly, and a tiny human shape appeared on the screen.
"The baby's in a good position, and everything looks healthy," the doctor said. "Where's your husband?"
"My husband didn't come," Charlotte replied.
The doctor gave her a long look but didn't say anything else.
Charlotte walked out of the ultrasound room, holding her report. The benches in the hallway were filled with pregnant women. Every single one had someone by their side. She was the only one alone.
She moved to a corner and stood there, quietly looking over her report.
Her phone buzzed. It was an unknown number.
"Is this Ms. Charlotte Lane?"
"Speaking," she replied.
"This is the organizing committee of the Starlight Design Award. Your entry, the 'Dawn' series, has made it to the finals. Please come to Starlight Jewelry Group by this Friday to pick up your finalist letter and take part in the live presentation."
Charlotte's hand clenched around her phone.
"How many people made it to the finals?" Charlotte asked.
"There were 1,700 submissions nationwide. Only eight made it to the finals," the caller said.
She ended the call, standing in the hospital hallway as the sounds of crying babies and chatting families echoed all around her.
She looked down at her big pregnant belly.
She made it to the finals.
She called Emily.
"Emmy, are you free?" Charlotte asked.
"Go ahead," Emily replied.
"Can you help me check out someone for me? Grace Ford. She works at David's company," Charlotte said.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"So you saw the photos," Emily said.
"Yeah," Charlotte replied.
"Charlotte, what are you going to do?" Emily asked.
"Let's check it out first. We'll decide what to do once we know for sure," Charlotte said.
"Alright. Is there anything else?" Emily asked.
Charlotte held the prenatal report in her hand, the corners of the paper crumpling under her grip.
"I made it to the Starlight finals," Charlotte said.
Emily paused for a second, then her voice shot up. "What? You made it? Charlotte, you're awesome! That's like the top competition in jewelry design!"
"Yeah. I have to go for the presentation on Friday," Charlotte said.
"You have to go, no matter what! Don't stress about the money. If you need anything, I've got you," Emily said.
After hanging up, Charlotte took the bus home.
When she got home, Karen was watching TV in the living room.
"How did the checkup go?" Karen asked.
"Everything's fine," Charlotte replied.
"Don't let David's talk about going Dutch bother you," Karen said, flipping through the channels. "He's just under a lot of stress lately. Business at his company hasn't been great."
Charlotte looked at Karen. "What time did David come home last night?"
Karen's eyes shifted. "I went to bed early. I didn't really notice."
"He didn't come home," Charlotte said.
"You know how it is. Lots of work events," Karen replied.
Charlotte didn't say anything else. She turned and went back to her bedroom.
She opened the closet and pulled out an old metal box from the very back. Inside lay the silver pendant she had brought with her from the orphanage, and beside it a yellowed slip of paper.
On it was written the date she had been left there, and beneath that a single line, "I'll come for you."
No one ever came for her.
She put the box back, opened her laptop, and started revising her design draft for the finals.
At eight o'clock, David came home.
He called out from the living room, "Charlotte, did you transfer your half of the mortgage payment for this month?"
She walked out of the bedroom.
Charlotte said, "I spent two hundred dollars on my prenatal checkup today."
"That's your responsibility," David said. "The mortgage is 4,000 dollars. You owe 2,000. Transfer it."
"Do you want to check my bank balance?" Charlotte asked.
"No need. You saved up plenty from your old job," David replied, lounging on the couch with his legs crossed, scrolling through his phone. "It's only fair."
Charlotte stood in front of him, staring at the top of his head.
"Alright, I'll transfer it," she said.
She turned and went back to her room, transferring 2,000 dollars.
Her balance was now 8,800 dollars.
She stared at the number, thinking that should be enough.