Chapter 2

Late at night, the cold wind stung my cheeks.

I dragged my suitcase along, walking with no destination.

A faint, dragging pain pulled low in my belly.

Without thinking, I cradled my stomach and crouched down at the side of the road.

Cold sweat soaked through the back of my shirt in an instant.

Nothing could happen to me.

Nothing could happen to my baby.

I pulled out my phone, hands shaking, trying to call 911.

A black car stopped in front of me.

The window came down, showing a gentle, clean-featured face.

"Miss Henson?"

It was Terry Gilbert.

The doctor who had handled my prenatal care.

I looked up at him, and without any warning the tears spilled over.

He seemed startled, and got out of the car at once.

"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

He saw the bruise on my face, the blood at the corner of my mouth.

His brows drew together.

"Did your husband do this?"

I said nothing, only shook my head, and the tears came harder.

The pain low in my belly grew sharper.

I gripped his sleeve and forced out the words with everything I had.

"Doctor… save my baby…"

The moment I said it, my vision went dark and I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke again, I was in a hospital.

The smell of antiseptic filled my nose.

Terry was sitting by the bed. When he saw me wake, he handed me a cup of warm water.

"You're awake."

"How do you feel?"

I asked, my voice hoarse. "My baby…"

"The baby's fine. You just got too worked up, and there were some signs of a threatened miscarriage."

Terry's voice was very gentle.

"You need to rest properly."

I let out a breath, and the tears welled up again.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me."

He looked at the bruise on my face, silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Your husband… has he always been like this?"

I shook my head.

"We're divorced."

Terry didn't press any further. He only raised the head of the bed a little.

"Just rest for now. Ring the bell if you need anything."

He stood to leave, and I called him back.

"Dr. Gilbert."

"Yes?"

"What happened today, could you… not tell my family?"

He nodded.

"That's your private matter."

The room was empty again, just me.

I laid my hand on my flat stomach. There was a little life in here.

The only family I had left.

I stayed in the hospital for three days.

Not one call from Simon, not one message.

Nothing from my parents either.

As if I had vanished completely from their world.

Fine by me.

The day I was discharged, Terry handled the paperwork for me.

Watching me drag my suitcase with nowhere to go, he asked me.

"What are you planning to do next?"

"I'll find a hotel first, then look for a job and rent a place."

He thought it over for a moment.

"A friend of mine has a small apartment sitting empty. It's close to the hospital, and quiet. Good for you while you're carrying the baby."

"You can pay the rent once you've found work."

I looked at him.

"Dr. Gilbert, I can't—"

"Just think of it as a doctor looking out for his patient a little extra."

He smiled, and it was warm.

"What you need right now is a stable place to be."

I couldn't refuse.

It was a small one-bedroom, clean and neat, with plenty of sunlight.

Terry handed me the keys.

"Call me anytime if anything comes up."

Standing in the empty room, for the first time I felt something settle in me.

This was my new beginning.

A new beginning for me and my baby.

I changed my number and cut off contact with everyone from my past.

I started sending out my resume online.

Because I was pregnant, a lot of jobs shut the door on me.

In the end, a small design firm took me.

The boss was a straightforward woman. She said she'd been looked down on when she was pregnant too, so she was willing to give me a chance.

I threw myself into the work.

Drafting at the office during the day, taking on freelance jobs after I got home at night.

I wanted to save up as fast as I could and pay Terry back the rent.

Terry came by to check on me now and then.

He'd bring supplements for pregnant women, or some fresh fruit.

He never stayed long, and he never asked about my past.

There was an understood distance between us.

It made me comfortable.

The days passed one after another, and my belly slowly began to show.

The morning sickness got worse and worse.

That day I was working late at the office when a wave of nausea hit.

I rushed to the bathroom and threw up until the world spun.

My coworker Thaddeus Chavez handed me a cup of water.

"Andrea, are you okay? You look terrible."

"I'm fine. Just a little sick."

I gave a small smile.

Back at my desk, my phone lit up.

A text from an unknown number.

"Andrea Henson, where are you?"

It was Simon.

He'd found me.

My heart dropped like a stone.