"Hospital…?"
"Can you come to the hospital right now?"
"Uh, y-yeah, I'll be there right away."
Beep.
I turned to Sebastian.
"Emily's in the hospital."
"Huh? Why? What happened?"
~~~~~
Valerie's POV
I sat alone in a small diner on the outskirts of Avellyn City.
In my right hand was a half-eaten piece of bread.
"Hey, young lady. Finish that damn bread and order my noodles already."
I smiled. "Come on, old man. No matter how much bread I eat, I'll still order your food. Chill out."
"You must be waiting for those two loud friends of yours, huh?"
"Shush. They're my sisters."
"Ah, no wonder all of you look alike," he said, laughing loudly.
A moment later, a familiar voice called out from afar.
"Valerie! Sorry we're late! Did you wait long?" Max cupped my face with her cold hands.
I shook my head. "Not that long, but this grumpy old man keeps forcing me to order his noodles."
"Of course we are! We can't skip the best curry noodles in Avellyn! Three bowls, Phil!"
Phil gave a mock salute and hurried to the kitchen.
I could only smile faintly watching them. For some reason, the night air felt especially cold.
"What's wrong, Val? Are you cold?" Juno suddenly appeared beside me.
"What? I didn't even see you coming."
"What the…? I've been right behind you this whole time."
I laughed.
Phil finally placed three steaming bowls of curry noodles in front of us. Steam curled up from the broth, but suddenly, a sharp, nauseating smell hit my nose.
Ugh, what the hell?
"What's that smell? Did someone dump trash nearby?" I asked.
"I don't smell anything," Max said.
"Me neither," Juno added.
I instinctively covered my nose. The stench was unbearable, making me feel sick.
"What's wrong, Val? You look pale," Juno said, now clearly worried.
Max put down her chopsticks and gently turned my face toward her.
"Are you tired? Stressed out? Should we just go home?" she asked.
"No, no, I'm fine. Just a little nauseous," I said, picking up my clean chopsticks. "Come on, let's eat."
But the moment I took my first bite, I could barely swallow. The scallions hit me hard, too strong.
I immediately spat the noodles back out.
"Val?" Max's voice trembled slightly.
"Ugh… I think I'm not feeling well. I'll go home first. Sorry, Phil, I can't finish your noodles."
"No worries, Valerie. You should rest," Phil said kindly.
I nodded.
Juno reached for my hand. "Val, let us take you home. You look really pale." She and Max both stood up.
Max paid Phil before coming over to support me by the shoulder.
I chuckled weakly. "Guys, I'm fine. Seriously. Probably just a cold coming."
"Still, what if you suddenly pass out on the street?" Max joked.
We walked toward the bus stop together. From where we stood, we could already see the long queue forming.
Juno sighed. "Let's just grab a taxi."
"Are you kidding? A taxi to Avellyn High costs a fortune. Bear with it, Jun. When else do you get to ride the bus?" I said, tapping her arm lightly.
We joined the line, and after about three minutes, the bus arrived. I was walking as usual when someone in front of me was pushed backward, their bag hit my stomach, and I lost my balance.
"Val!" Max shouted, catching my hand before I hit the ground.
"Hey! Watch where you're pushing!" Juno yelled at the stranger.
Their voices started to blur into background noise.
The world around me tilted, and all I could hear was a dull ringing in my ears.
Pain.
A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my stomach like a knife twisting inside me.
It hit so hard, so suddenly, that the breath was punched right out of my lungs.
My knees buckled. My legs felt heavy, no, gone. I couldn't even tell if they were still there.
"Valerie…?"
Max's voice reached me like a whisper through water.
I couldn't answer. I couldn't even think. The pain was everywhere, spreading like fire under my skin, choking out every other sense.
My hand flew to my stomach instinctively, pressing hard against the source of that agony, but it did nothing. My fingers shook uncontrollably as cold sweat trickled down my face and neck.
I tried to breathe. I tried to say help, but nothing came out. My throat seized shut, my voice lost somewhere between panic and disbelief.
Then something warm seeped down my legs.
For a split second, my mind refused to understand.
Did I… lose control of my bladder?
But then I saw the color.
Dark. Thick. Red.
Blood.
~~~~~
I could hear Max crying outside the door.
Am I dead?
Then the sound of the door sliding open brought me back.
"Valerie! Oh God, Val!" Max cried hysterically, grabbing my hand and squeezing it too tightly.
"Ow."
"Oops, sorry."
I gave her a faint smile. Then I saw Juno walk up, her eyes red and swollen.
"I'm okay, Jun."
"Shut up."
"I really am okay. It doesn't hurt anymore."
"You look like a corpse."
I laughed softly. She wasn't wrong, but the pain had gone. The doctor must've given me something strong.
"Tell me, Valerie Kessler. When was your last period?" Juno asked, arms crossed.
Honestly? I couldn't remember. I'd been too busy planning how to kill Leo.
I shook my head.
"Val, you're seriously pregnant. How could you not notice?" Max said, her gaze dropping.
"I don't know, Max. I just felt… normal."
Then a man in glasses approached us, the doctor, probably in his fifties.
"Mrs. Emily? I'm Dr. Dan. How are you feeling? Any better?"
I nodded. "Yes, Doctor."
"Do you mind if I talk to you in private? Just a few minutes."
"Sure."
He nodded and began flipping through some papers.
"Mrs. Emily, were you aware that you were pregnant?"
I froze. "No."
Dr. Dan nodded calmly. "When was the last time you had sexual intercourse?"
I didn't sleep with anyone, unless…
"Uh… I don't remember. Maybe three months ago."
The baby was real.
Does that mean whatever happened that night at the Gala… really happened?
"I've heard of what happened from your friends, but let me ask, had your stomach ever experienced an impact before this?"
"Impact?"
"Yes, perhaps you hit something or fell?"
"I don't—"
Ah, shit. I fought with Mara months ago. Could that be it?
I glanced at Juno, whose eyes widened.
"...maybe. I might've been hit before."
"I see. The miscarriage was likely caused by multiple factors. First, your body wasn't strong enough to sustain the pregnancy, possibly due to poor nutrition or stress, since you were unaware of it." He adjusted his glasses.
"Then, that earlier impact might have disrupted early placental development. Combined with stress and a second trauma, it led to acute abdominal pain," he explained.
What the... Everything he said… made sense somehow.
"But Doctor, I didn't even feel any morning sickness."
"That can happen. Your body may have been ready for pregnancy, but due to those external factors, I'm very sorry, the baby didn't make it."
I went quiet.
Right. To someone who didn't know the truth, I must look like a woman who should be crying right now.
Then suddenly, the door burst open. Sebastian, followed by Leo, walked in.
Sebastian looked panicked, breathless.
Meanwhile, my so-called husband walked in calm as ever, one hand tucked in his pocket.
"Oh God, Emily. What happened? Is this because of what I said at the office earlier?"
"What did you say at the office?" Leo asked sharply.
"Are you Leonardo Rhys?" Dr. Dan asked, looking at Sebastian.
The air grew tense.
"Ah… no. I'm Sebastian. That's Leonardo."
Dr. Dan glanced briefly at me.
"Alright, Mr. Leonardo Rhys. Could I speak to you outside for a moment?"
"Sure."
Dr. Dan and Leo left the room.
Juno and Max stayed silent in the corner until Max gestured they'd step out for a smoke.
I nodded slightly.
Sebastian turned to me when the door opened again. "Oh, were those people here earlier?"
I nodded. "Yes. They're my friends."
Sebastian nodded and sighed. "Tell me, Em. How did you end up in the hospital?"
I clenched my jaw, trying to hold myself together
I didn't even know how to pretend anymore.
Because this time… it wasn't a lie.
I had actually been pregnant.
And I'd actually lost it.
Not the fake story Max came up with. This was real.
And the worst part was, I felt… something.
A hollow ache I didn't expect.
My chest tightened, my vision blurred, and before I realized it, hot tears were sliding down my cheeks.
"Emily? Are you okay? Or did you and Leo fight?"
Sebastian's voice was gentle, but it only made the knot in my throat worse.
I couldn't stop crying.
It wasn't loud, it wasn't dramatic, just quiet, messy sobs I couldn't control.
I didn't even understand why.
I didn't want a baby. I never did.
But knowing it had been real… knowing it was gone before I even noticed…
made me feel so small. So careless. So damn stupid.
Howcould you not notice, Valerie?
Then the door burst open.
Leo rushed in, pale, breathless, his forehead damp with sweat.
"Emily…"
He didn't say anything else. Just took my face in his hands, wiped my tears, and pulled me into his chest.
His arms were trembling.
He held me so tightly it almost hurt, but somehow, that pressure made the pain in my chest ease, just a little.
"It's okay, Emily," he whispered, his voice breaking. "It's going to be alright, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry…"