Chapter 2

The look on Ethan's face was one of pure shock. The anger vanished, replaced by a blank, uncomprehending stare.

"What... what did you say?"

"I had a miscarriage, Ethan. The baby is gone." I repeated the words, each one feeling like a stone in my throat.

I remembered the appointments. All five of them. This was a high-risk pregnancy from the start, the doctor had said. I needed to be careful. I needed support.

For the first appointment, Ethan had a "last-minute meeting."

For the second, an "unavoidable business trip."

For the third, he "forgot."

The fourth, he just didn't show up. No call, no text.

The fifth and final one was this morning. I had called him, reminded him, practically begged him. "Ethan, please. The doctor wants to discuss some things. It's important."

"I can't, Ava," he'd said, his voice impatient. "Chloe's car broke down. I have to go help her. It's an emergency."

An emergency. His girlfriend's car trouble was an emergency. His pregnant wife's critical prenatal appointment was an inconvenience.

So I went alone. I sat in the waiting room, surrounded by happy couples holding hands, and I felt more alone than I ever had in my life. And then the cramping started. A dull ache at first, then a sharp, undeniable pain. I drove myself to the emergency room. I signed the papers. I lay on the cold table, and I went through it all by myself.

When it was over, I called him. He didn't answer. I called again. No answer. I sent a text: There was a complication. I'm at the hospital.

Hours later, he replied: Which one? I'm busy, will try to stop by later.

He never came.

Now, standing in our living room, he just stared at me. "You're lying," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "You're saying this to hurt me."

A bitter, ugly laugh escaped my lips. "Hurt you? Oh, Ethan. You think everything is about you. I didn't get an abortion to punish you. I did it because the doctor said the bleeding wouldn't stop. It was my life or a pregnancy that was already failing."

He flinched as if I'd slapped him. "You... you killed our baby?"

The cruelty of his words hit me, but it was a distant pain. The primary wound was already too deep.

"Yes, Ethan," I said, my voice dripping with a venom I didn't know I possessed. "If that's what you need to hear, then yes. I killed it. Are you happy now? You're free. No more inconvenient pregnant wife to weigh you down."

He stumbled back, his face pale. "Ava..."

I didn't want to hear his excuses. Not now. My mind drifted back, against my will, to a different time. A time when this apartment wasn't a cold, silent battlefield.

I remembered when we first moved in. We had no furniture, just a mattress on the floor. We ate takeout on paper plates and drank cheap wine from the bottle. He was just a junior associate then, and I was working two jobs to support us while he studied for the bar exam.

One night, he was up late, surrounded by textbooks, his face etched with exhaustion. I brought him a cup of coffee, and he pulled me into his lap.

"One day, Ava," he whispered, kissing my forehead. "I'm going to give you everything. A big house, fancy cars, anything you want. You'll never have to worry about anything again."

He wasn't always this monster. He used to be the man who would rub my feet after a long shift. The man who held me when my father passed away and told me, "I'm your family now. I'll always protect you."

I remembered the night we conceived Lily. It was a surprise, a happy accident. He had been so excited. He held me tightly, his hand on my stomach, and he spoke to our unborn child. "I'm going to be the best dad in the world," he'd promised. "I'll protect you and your mom forever."

Where did that man go? When did his promises turn to dust?

The love, the trust, the shared dreams... it had all eroded so slowly I hadn't even noticed until it was completely gone, leaving nothing but this hollowed-out shell of a marriage. His promises were just echoes in a house that no longer felt like a home.

"How could you not tell me?" he finally asked, his voice trembling. "How could you go through that alone?"

I looked at him, at this stranger wearing my husband's face.

"Because I've been alone for a very long time, Ethan. You just weren't paying attention."