He paused again as my heart started to race, a sick feeling forming in my throat.
“The tube had ruptured, and you were losing blood quickly. We had to remove the damaged tube to control the bleeding and save your life,” he continued.
Sharp pain hit my stomach again as I curled my finger. “And the baby?” I asked, but I already knew.
He looked at me for what felt like a lifetime. “Ectopic pregnancies cannot be saved. I’m so sorry.”
I swallowed hard, my mind completely blank, trying to process what he was saying.
“You’re stable now, but you’ll need to rest. We’ve tried to contact your listed emergency contact, Sebastian Knight, but we haven’t been able to reach him yet.”
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. I needed him, and he wasn’t here.
The doctor rose from the chair.
“The nurses will be in to monitor you, and you’ll be kept in for a few days.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
“If you need to talk through anything, please let the nurses know, and I can come and see you.”
I forced a smile.
The nurse made her way back in, and the doctor made his exit.
“Nurse, I’m so sorry, but could you pass me my phone from the table, please?”
“Of course, dear.” She picked it up and handed it to me.
I scrolled, dialling Sebastian’s number, but as I put it to my ear, it cut out. I tried again, but it did the same. I brought up the messages.
Aria:
Where are you? I need you now.
I stared at the screen, praying for any kind of response, but there was nothing.
Who was I kidding? I hadn’t heard from or seen him for weeks. I didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. I know I’d told him I wanted space, but I thought he’d fight for us. How wrong was I? I was stupid to think he’d be here now when I needed him more than I ever had.
All I wanted was for him to come bursting through the door and wrap me up in his warmth and tell me everything would beok. But he wasn’t going to. He’d promised he’d always be there for me.
He’d broken that promise.
“I’ll be back later to check on you,” the nurse said, then made her way out of the room.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, thoughts circling through my mind. Odd things about the baby, like what they would have looked like. Whether they’d have had mine or Sebastian’s eyes. Little bright blue eyes looking back at me. If it would have been a boy or a girl. If they’d have liked butterflies the way I did. Of course, they would have been taller than me, like Sebastian was.
Then the tears came flooding through like the raging middle of a thunderstorm.
Placing my hand over my mouth, I tried to cover the cries that swept through the cracks between my fingers. I took a deep breath, my body shaking as I tried to take in enough oxygen to fill my lungs.
I placed my hand on my stomach. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered through my sobs.
53
Aria
“Hey.” I half-smiled, my voice cracking slightly.
