Chapter 1

NEAH’S POV

Rain hammered against the windows as I stared blankly at my phone screen. My hands trembled while I clutched my stomach, the pain inside me growing sharper, as though something was slowly tearing me apart from within.

“Please…” I whispered shakily, dialing Dave’s number again.

For the seventh time tonight.

My stomach had been hurting for hours, but now I could barely breathe. Something was wrong. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t ordinary pain.

“Please answer… please…”

Tears slipped down my cheeks when his call went straight to voicemail again.

I didn’t know which hurt more—the pain consuming my body or the realization that his work might once again matter more than me.

Suddenly, I doubled over as a warm liquid ran down between my thighs.

My eyes widened in horror. Slowly, I lowered my gaze to the floor and saw blood dripping steadily from my legs.

“D-Dave…”

Frantically wiping my tears away, I dialed my husband again with trembling fingers. My vision was beginning to blur from the pain, but I forced myself to stay conscious.

Please answer me.

After several agonizing seconds, the call finally connected.

A sob escaped my lips instantly.

“Dave…” I gasped, gripping the edge of the sofa for support. “P-please… it hurts… I’m scared…”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. I could hear faint voices, the muted sound of a projector in the background.

Another meeting.

“Neah,” he said in a low, serious voice. “I’m in a meeting right now.”

Something tightened painfully in my chest. Was he choosing work over us again?

“Please…” I begged through tears. “I can’t do this… something’s wrong with our baby…”

I closed my eyes, desperately waiting for his response. Even just a little concern. Even just the reassurance that he was on his way.

But what he said next shattered me completely.

“Let’s talk later, okay? I’ll call you after this.”

Then the line went dead.

I froze.

Slowly, my trembling hand lowered the phone as tears streamed endlessly down my face.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, writhing in pain. Alone. While my husband… had chosen work over us once again.

A sharp wave of agony suddenly tore through my stomach, stronger than before. I cried out as more blood poured down my legs.

“Help…”

My voice was barely audible.

“Someone help me…”

Moments later, I faintly heard hurried footsteps and the panicked voices of neighbors before my vision finally went black.

The last thing I remembered…

Was clutching my stomach tightly while silently praying over and over again.

Please…

Save my baby.

---

Cold.

That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.

My eyelids felt unbearably heavy as I slowly looked around at the white ceiling above me. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air, accompanied by the soft, rhythmic beeping of a monitor.

I was in a hospital.

Panic hit me instantly, and I reached for my stomach.

Then I felt it.

That horrifying emptiness.

The baby bump was gone.

My eyes widened as I forced myself upright despite the weakness in my body.

“My baby…” I whispered shakily, glancing around the room. “Where’s my baby?”

A nurse quickly rushed to my side. “Ma’am, please calm down—”

“Where is my child?!” I screamed, tears crashing down my face. “Please… please tell me my baby is okay…”

The nurse looked away.

And in that moment, my heart sank.

It felt as though my entire world had stopped turning when the hospital room door slowly opened.

Dave walked in.

He looked breathless, like he had rushed there as soon as he could. His suit was wrinkled, and in his hand was a bouquet of white roses.

My vision blurred even more. A hollow laugh almost escaped me.

While I was suffering… while I was trying to save our baby… he had been busy chasing his ambitions.

“Neah…” he called softly as he stepped closer to my bed. “I came as soon as I—”

“Don’t.”

He froze immediately.

With trembling hands, I wiped my tears away and gathered what little strength I had left.

“Don’t come near me.”

“Neah—”

“Our baby is gone.”

My voice shook violently as I said the words. I covered my face with both hands, broken sobs escaping through my fingers.

I couldn’t accept it.

How was I supposed to survive this?

Dave lowered his head, as though the reality of everything had only just hit him.

I lifted my gaze and looked at him while my heart shattered right in front of him.

He wasn’t there.

He didn’t choose us.

And no matter how badly I wanted to hate him… it hurt even more realizing how exhausted I was from hoping he would.

“I called you,” I whispered, trembling. “I begged you…”

Dave shut his eyes tightly, his breathing growing heavier.

“I’m sorry.”

Two simple words.

I let out a bitter smile.

Sorry?

Could his apology bring our child back?

It was too late for everything.

“Do you know what I was thinking while I was losing consciousness?” I asked through tears. “I kept thinking you’d come. Because you’re my husband.”

My voice cracked with every word.

Even though I was exhausted, even though everything still hurt, he stayed silent.

And somehow, that silence wounded me even more.

I didn’t know if he was grieving the loss of our child… or if his dreams still mattered more to him.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I slowly shook my head.

“But you chose your meeting.”

Something inside his expression broke.

“Neah, please… listen to me—”

“No.”

I shook my head again. I didn’t want to hear anything anymore. Only then did I realize something painful. It wasn’t enough for someone to love you. They had to choose you too. And on the most important night of our lives…

Dave Montenegro didn’t choose me.

Silence swallowed the entire room after my words. Only the faint beeping of the heart monitor filled the space between us. Dave stood motionless beside my bed, still holding the bouquet of white roses he could no longer give me.

As though he was finally understanding that there were things money, apologies, and flowers could never fix. Slowly, I looked away from him because I couldn’t bear to see his face anymore.

It hurt.

God, it hurt so much.

And the cruelest part of all…

I still loved him.

I heard him let out a heavy breath before gently placing the flowers on the table.

“Neah…” His voice cracked. “I know I failed you.”

I closed my eyes.

Failed me?

Not just me.

He failed our child too.

“Please,” he said quietly, stepping closer again. “Give me a chance to fix this.”

A soft laugh escaped me, but there was no amusement in it.

Only exhaustion.

“How?” I asked, slowly turning to face him. “How are you going to fix a child who’s already gone?”

He fell silent immediately. His eyes were red now, but it still wasn’t enough to erase the pain he had left inside me.

Slowly, I wrapped my arms around myself, trying desperately to stop myself from breaking down again.

“Do you know how terrified I was?” I whispered shakily. “I thought I was going to die alone.”

Dave squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m sorry…”

Again.

Over and over.

But the words no longer meant anything.

It felt like even if he apologized a million times, it still wouldn’t lessen the pain crushing me now. Tears slipped endlessly down my face as I stared at the man who once meant everything to me. I never realized we had reached the point where we felt like strangers to each other.

A knock suddenly came from the door before a doctor stepped inside.

“Mrs. Montenegro,” the doctor called carefully. “We need to discuss your condition.”

I immediately looked toward him. I noticed the brief hesitation in his eyes when he glanced at Dave before turning back to me.

“There were complications during the miscarriage,” he explained gently. “Your body became very weak due to the blood loss.”

My entire body went cold.

“W-What do you mean…?”

The doctor took a slow breath.

“We’re not saying it’s impossible,” he said carefully, “but there’s a possibility that getting pregnant again in the future may become difficult.”

It felt like something slammed violently into my chest. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. It was as though I had gone deaf from the shock of what I’d just heard. I had already lost my baby.

And now I might lose the chance to ever have another one.

Beside me, all the color drained from Dave’s face.

“No…” he whispered hoarsely. “No, there has to be another way—”

But I could barely hear them anymore.

Because it felt like alongside our child…

A part of me had died that night too.