Chapter 3
Her phone kept ringing. Nina didn't bother to check. It rang again. Still, she ignored it. Finally, everything went quiet.
She drifted off, unaware of how much time had passed.
In her dream, a boy in a white shirt stood in the sunlight, smiling at her.
She tried to walk toward him, but her feet wouldn't move.
Looking down, she saw red threads wrapped around her wrists, each one stretching out to a distant figure. Those threads were the times she'd given her blood for him, again and again, weaving together into a blood-red river.
She struggled to break free, but no matter what she did, the threads wouldn't snap.
The boy turned and walked toward her. Her heart soared as she reached out to him. But he went straight past her, heading for Wendy.
She stood behind him, watching him walk away, his figure fading into the distance. She tried to call his name, but her voice wouldn't come.
Nina woke up with a start. It was already dark.
There was a rummaging sound in the living room, and someone was calling her name. "Nina. Nina. Where are you?"
It was Cole.
Nina didn't move.
The bedroom door swung open, and the lights came on.
Cole stood in the doorway, his hair dripping wet, his shirt wrinkled, his tie crooked, and his eyes red from worry. He was a wreck.
When he saw Nina, he rushed over and pulled her into a tight hug. "You scared the hell out of me. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you? Why didn't you answer my calls?"
His voice was shaking, and his hands trembled as he held her.
Nina stayed still, not resisting or returning his embrace.
"Nina, I'm sorry. I messed up. I really did." Cole buried his face in her neck, his voice choked with tears. "I can explain everything about Wendy. The baby isn't mine. Her leukemia relapsed, and she needs a blood transfusion.
"I only found out she was pregnant today, but it's really not mine. If you don't believe me, we can do a DNA test for proof."
"No need," Nina said quietly.
Cole froze, then lifted his head to look at her.
In the dim light, her face was white as a sheet, her eyes deep and unfathomable.
"Cole," she spoke slowly, enunciating each word, "let's get a divorce."
"No!" Cole pulled her tighter. "I'm not divorcing you. Don't think about getting rid of me, not now, not ever."
"I've already signed the papers."
"I'm not signing."
"Then we'll separate for two years and let the divorce happen automatically."
"Nina!" Cole released her and cupped her face in his hands. "Tell me what to do. Just say it, and I'll change. I won't have anything to do with Wendy anymore.
"I'll send her away, out of the country, if that's what it takes. Come back to me. Let's try again, please?"
Nina looked at him.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his face showed a kind of panic she'd never seen in him before. He was genuinely scared.
"Cole," she asked softly, "do you know how long I've been pregnant?"
Cole froze.
"Three months along," she said. "The baby already had a heartbeat. Today, before the surgery, the doctor showed me the ultrasound. It was a tiny bean, but it had a heartbeat."
Cole's face turned pale.
"Do you even know what it's like to lose your own child?"
"Nina..."
"You don't know." She pushed his hands away and slowly sat up, turning her back to him. "You weren't there. Not once. From the very beginning, you were never part of any of it.
"You never saw how miserable I was with morning sickness, how I woke up alone at night with my legs cramping, how I went to every checkup by myself and watched other women with their husbands holding their hands.
"You never knew what that felt like. You don't know anything.
"You only noticed Wendy's needs. When she had a fever, you were there. When she wanted food, you were there. When she needed a blood transfusion, you were there.
"But what about me? When I needed you, where were you?"
Cole opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Nina turned to face him, her eyes dead calm, like stagnant water. "Nine years, Cole. Nine years I've loved you, nine years I've waited.
"I always thought if I was good enough, you'd finally notice me. I thought you'd grow up, learn to cherish me.
"But I was wrong. You never did. You never will.
"I'm always your last priority. Your job, your friends, Wendy—they always come before me.
"I don't blame you. This was my own choice."
She stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains. Outside, the city was glowing with countless lights. "But now, I choose myself."