Chapter 5

Back at our house, for the first time, Ethan didn't immediately run off to Chloe.

He placed a bowl of warm soup in front of me.

His voice was softer. "I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow."

"I haven't paid enough attention to you these past few days."

"Once Chloe stabilizes, we'll focus on us."

I looked at him.

This felt exactly like every other late compensation he had offered before.

Once Chloe stabilizes.

Once Chloe is fine.

Once Chloe stops crying.

In the end.

I was always the one left waiting.

Ethan reached out to touch my face.

I turned away.

His hand froze in the air.

I asked him, "Ethan, if she and I both needed you tomorrow, who would you choose first?"

He frowned slightly. "That's a pointless question."

The next second, his phone rang.

It was a voice message from Chloe.

She was sobbing hysterically. "Ethan, I shouldn't be alive. I'm just getting in the way of your marriage."

"If it weren't for me, Elena wouldn't hate you so much."

Ethan's face changed instantly.

I looked at him. "Didn't you say you'd take me to the hospital tomorrow?"

He gripped his phone.

He was silent for a long time.

Then he said, "I just need to make sure she's safe. I'll be right back."

I smiled. "Right back."

On the day of the crash, he should have remembered me "right back" too.

But he told the firefighters.

There was no one else inside.

Ethan grabbed his coat.

Before opening the door, he looked back at me. "Wait for me."

Once the door closed, the house became completely quiet.

I sat there for a while.

Then I stood up and placed the signed divorce papers on the coffee table.

The abortion report.

The post-surgery diagnosis.

The ultrasound picture.

And my wedding ring.

I pressed them all down under the papers.

I transferred the fertility savings back to my personal account.

That was my money for my baby.

Now that the baby was gone.

Not a single cent of it was going to Chloe's wellness retreat.

My suitcase had been packed long ago.

I deactivated my phone number.

I deleted all my social media accounts.

No notes.

No goodbyes.

I went straight to the airport.

It was past midnight when Ethan finally came home.

Chloe had only taken two sleeping pills.

The doctor said she just needed some sleep.

When he opened the door, the house was dark.

He instinctively called my name.

No one answered.

Half the master closet was empty.

My usual skincare products on the vanity were gone.

My toothbrush in the bathroom was gone too.

Ethan's face turned pale.

He rushed to the living room.

There, he saw the divorce papers on the coffee table.

He saw the medical report that read: *Miscarriage, uterine trauma, future conception will be difficult.*

And he saw the ultrasound picture pressed beneath them.

In the photo, the tiny gestational sac was just a blurry dot.

It was the surprise I had wanted to give him.

Ethan stood frozen.

His fingers shook so badly he could barely hold the paper.

He desperately started dialing my number.

But only a cold automated voice answered. "The number you have dialed is no longer in service."