Chapter 1
I took Mom for her annual check-up, only to run into my husband escorting another woman to her prenatal appointment.
He was cradling her the same tender way he used to guide me when I was pregnant with our daughter.
I stepped up and demanded answers, but he shot me an icy glance. "Don't make a scene, Emily. Sophie needs quiet."
The woman tugged his sleeve like a scared kitten. "David, is she getting the wrong idea?"
I raised my hand to slap her, but he clamped my wrist mid-air.
"Emily Carter, the baby you aborted? It's not that I didn't want a second child. I just didn't want one with you."
*****
My phone was burning hot in my hand as I kept refreshing the registration page, but the payment confirmation wouldn't show up.
My mom rubbed her temples, looking pale as she leaned against me. "Emily, maybe we should just go home today. There are too many people, and my head's spinning."
"No way, Mom," I said firmly, tapping my phone even faster. "How long have you been dealing with these headaches? We have to get to the bottom of it today. This stupid system... I made the appointment a week ago."
The hospital reeked of disinfectant, and the nonstop crowd noise made it hard to think straight.
At last, a window popped up. However, instead of the payment going through, I received another "system busy" message.
I was so pissed I almost threw my phone.
"Let me check with the staff," I said, helping my mom settle into a chair in the hallway. I smoothed a few strands of her graying hair. "Just wait here for me, okay? Don't go anywhere."
She nodded, her eyes weary and full of reliance.
I took a deep breath and pushed my way through the crowd toward the payment counter.
The line was endless, barely moving, and every second felt like torture.
As I stood there, anxious and frustrated, my eyes drifted to the obstetrics clinic across the way.
One glance, and I was frozen in place. My blood was turning to ice.
That silhouette was so tall, so familiar.
He was dressed in the light gray suit I'd just bought him last month, looking sharp as ever.
He was leaning in, saying something to the person next to him, and I knew those features by heart even with my eyes closed.
It was David Sullivan.
What the hell was he doing here? Didn't he say he had some big meeting at work this morning and couldn't come with my mom?
My heart clenched, and my gaze landed on the woman David was carefully supporting by his side.
She wore a loose, dusty-pink dress, her belly noticeably rounded. She looked well along in her pregnancy.
One of her hands was clasped in his, the other resting gently on her belly. She looked up at him, her face glowing with a delicate, joyful radiance.
David looked down at her, a soft smile playing on his lips, his eyes holding a focus and tenderness I hadn't seen in years.
He even reached out and, like it was the most natural thing in the world, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
That gesture was so familiar it stung to see it.
It took me back to when I was pregnant with our daughter, Lily. The morning sickness had been relentless, my feet constantly swollen.
Back then, he was just the same. He would clear his schedule for every prenatal appointment, hold me carefully, smooth my wind-tousled hair. The look in his eyes made me feel like the most cherished woman in the world.
In that moment, the past and present crashed together.
My heart felt as if it were being crushed by an invisible fist, then torn apart. The pain was so sharp I could hardly breathe.
A dull roar filled my ears, and all the noise around me faded away until nothing remained but that piercing scene before me.
This couldn't be real. Maybe I was just imagining things...
My feet moved toward them almost against my will, steps unsteady as if my legs were made of jelly and concrete at the same time.
The closer I got, the more of their conversation drifted toward me.
"David, the doctor said the baby's healthy, just a little small. She suggested I focus on nutrition," the woman said, her voice soft and deliberately sweet.
"Alright. Whatever you feel like eating, I'll make it for you. Or we can go pick something up right now," David replied, his voice dripping with unmistakable affection. "Watch your step. There are stairs ahead."
He guided her as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
And I stood there, just a few steps behind them, feeling completely and utterly invisible.
A rush of heat flooded my head, then just as quickly receded, leaving my hands and feet icy cold.