Chapter 2

Florence started crying the second she heard it.

She looked at me like I'd wounded her, wide-eyed and disbelieving. "Cece, I was only trying to help you. How can you think that of me?"

I didn't want to hear another word of her shameless act. I pointed at the door and, low and hard, told them to go.

"Both of you, get out. I don't want to see either of you."

"Cecilia, you're impossible! Flo does one kind thing for you and you treat it like an insult!"

Luke had Florence tucked against him, and just then he noticed the inside of her palm was scraped and bleeding. He rushed to help her up so he could get it treated.

But Florence noticed the incision on my belly had split open, the blood seeping through and already soaking the hem of my gown.

"Luke, let the nurse look at Cece first. I think her incision's torn."

Only then did Luke register that I wasn't doing well.

Something like concern flickered in his eyes, but he steadied himself fast.

"This is a hospital. She'll be fine."

"Besides, she just shoved you. Why bother worrying about her? She'll only decide you're up to something again."

"Let's get your hand treated first. There are so many germs in a hospital. What if you catch something and get sick?"

Luke didn't look at me again. He firmly steered Florence out to have her hand seen to.

Even though the scrape on her hand would have healed on its own in another thirty seconds.

I pressed a hand to my belly, the room already starting to spin.

I was supposed to be resting after giving birth, and I'd had a C-section on top of it.

I tried to hang on to consciousness long enough to call a nurse, but the faint came too fast.

Too fast for me to even make it back onto the bed. I dropped straight to the floor.

Lucky for me it was the nurses' rounds, and before long one of them found me collapsed by the bed, out cold.

They rushed me into the operating room to stabilize me.

The incision had split, but at least there was no major bleeding.

I was under for maybe two or three hours before I slowly came around.

The first thing I heard when I woke was the doctor's sharp scolding.

"Doesn't your family stay with you? Why were you left alone in the room?"

"If the nurse hadn't found you in time, your life would have been in danger. Do you understand that?"

My face stayed blank. My heart already ached past the point of feeling anything.

Family?

What family did I have left? My husband was off getting my best friend's hand treated.

Who else was going to look after me?

Once I was stable, the nurse wheeled me back to my room.

By then Florence had long since had her hand seen to and was back in the room with Luke.

The moment they saw me return, they both rushed over, all concern.

"Cece, how are you feeling now?"

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone off to get my hand looked at. And you're being foolish too. If you felt bad, why didn't you call a nurse?"

At that point the nurse who'd come with me spoke up again.

"The mother is in a very bad way right now. She needs complete rest, and she needs family to take proper care of her."

"Someone has to stay at her side to keep this from happening again. Do you understand?"

The two of them nodded quickly and agreed.

Once the nurse left, Luke sat down beside me, looking at me like I was the one causing trouble.

"You heard what the nurse said. In your condition, what you need most is someone caring for you."

"Whatever's going on, you shouldn't be gambling with your own health."

"I wouldn't feel right leaving you to a stranger. Flo's attentive. She can take good care of you and the baby."

I shut my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at him. Coldly, I said, "I can hire a caregiver."

Florence jumped in at once.

"A caregiver's no good at all. I've seen so many stories online. Abusing pregnant women or children happens all the time."

Then she went right back to playing the victim. "We're best friends. If you won't trust me, are you really going to trust an outsider?"

"Best friends?" I let out a mocking little laugh.

"I don't have a best friend who sleeps with someone else's husband. Your fake concern right now makes me sick."

"Cecilia, are you done throwing your fit?"

"Flo's been your friend for over ten years. You're like sisters. How can you be so cruel to her?"

Luke got up and went to Florence's side, gathering her tenderly into his arms.

"Let's go. She doesn't appreciate it. There's no need to keep pushing yourself on someone who won't warm up to you."

"Since you're so tough, let's see how long you can keep it up."

With that, Luke took Florence's hand and turned to leave the room.

Just before he stepped fully out the door, I spoke, slowly.

"Luke, let's get a divorce."