It was pouring rain the day of my check-up. I sat on a cold metal chair in the hallway, watching happy couples walk by. Husbands holding their wives' hands, rubbing their backs, whispering excitement about ultrasounds. I just sat there, my stomach tight, shivering in my damp clothes.
The doctor didn't even look up from her tablet. "You're dangerously stressed, Evelyn. Your body is weak. In the first trimester, one major shock could trigger a miscarriage. You really shouldn't be here alone."
Alone. I'd sent Alistair twelve texts. None of them were "read." Just twelve gray bubbles on a screen, screaming silence.
When I got home, the house was full. Alistair's entire family was there, taking up the living room like a tribunal. And Seraphina—she was right in the middle, sipping tea like she was the mistress of the house.
"Finally," Alistair's mother said. She didn't look at me; her eyes were fixed on the coffee table. Resting on the velvet runner was a ruby brooch. The one I'd given her for her birthday last month. Under the dim lamp, the red gem looked dull, like a dried scab.
"I've got a question for you," his mother said, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "This ruby... you stole Alistair's project files to pay for this, didn't you? You sold our secrets to the competition to buy my affection?"
I froze, dripping wet from the rain, shivering. "What? No. Mom, that was—"
"Don't call me Mom! And don't lie!" She snapped. She grabbed her teacup and hurled the scalding tea at my face.
I flinched, but it was too late. The liquid hit my cheek and neck. I gasped, wiping the wet leaves away, my skin burning.
"I had it appraised," she yelled. "It's worth a million dollars. Where would someone in your position get that kind of money? Alistair's project leaked this morning. You sold us out, didn't you? You're a snake trying to ruin my son!"
"No... it's a mistake," I said, my voice shaking. I could taste the bitter tea on my lips. "I sold my mother's jewelry. It was hers. It was all I had left..."
"That's enough." Alistair stood up.
He didn't look at me like his wife. He looked at me like I was a stain on his expensive carpet.
"Evelyn, I was a fool to ever marry you."
He pulled a stack of papers from his briefcase and threw them at my feet.
Divorce Agreement.
Seraphina moved closer to him, her voice low and performative. "Alistair, hey... calm down. Don't let her get to you. It's not worth the stress."
"You're too good, Seraphina." Alistair put his arm around her waist, pulling her close. The way he looked at her... it was soft. The kind of look I'd been begging for for five years.
I looked down at the divorce papers scattered on the floor. Clean break. Nothing for me. I started to laugh. It was just... so stupid.
But then, a sharp, vicious pain ripped through my abdomen.
My vision blurred. The room tilted. I felt warmth spreading beneath me. When I looked down, a dark stain was blooming across my dress.
"She's bleeding," Seraphina said, her voice cold. "Alistair... what's wrong with her?"
"Stop acting, Evelyn," Alistair said, his voice bored. I could practically hear the eye-roll. "This pity play won't work."
But as the darkness swallowed me, just before I hit the floor, I heard him whisper to her:
"Actually, if she loses it... it's better this way. Makes the divorce cleaner. No more baggage."
That was it. The last bit of me that loved him just... stopped.