Chapter 4

For the next few days, Scott did not call me once.

On the fourth day after the procedure, I had just come home from a follow-up appointment at the hospital. My abdomen was still aching faintly.

Scott set a thermos in front of me.

“Vanessa heard you haven’t had much of an appetite lately, so she made you some broth.”

I unscrewed the lid and was met with the sight of a layer of oil floating on top.

The doctor had warned me not to consume anything greasy so soon after the procedure, as it could increase the risk of bleeding.

Vanessa studied biology, not medicine. It was understandable that she did not know that. However, Scott should have.

My discharge instructions had been sitting on the coffee table. He had not read them even once.

I closed the thermos.

“No, thank you.”

Vanessa stood nearby, looking hurt.

“Mrs. Clement, I spent three hours making it.”

“You can drink it yourself.”

Scott’s expression immediately darkened.

“Natasha, do you always have to be so dismissive of other people’s kindness?”

I looked at him.

“Do you know why I can’t have it?”

“You clearly don’t want it. There’s no need to pretend there’s some other reason.”

“Scott,” I called. “The baby is gone.”

The room fell silent.

Vanessa dropped her purse.

Scott stared at me for a long moment, as if he could not make sense of what I had said.

“What did you say?”

“I terminated the pregnancy three days ago.”

All the color drained from his face.

A second later, he rushed over and seized my wrist.

“Say that again.”

His grip was painfully tight. His fingers were pressing directly onto the bruise left by the IV.

I winced but did not pull away.

“The baby is gone.”

“Why?”

His eyes were bloodshot with shock. His voice nearly broke.

“Natasha, how could you not tell me?”

I looked at him and suddenly found the question absurd.

“You were standing right outside when I signed the consent form.”

His grip went slack.

“I thought you were signing paperwork for the ultrasound.”

“Did you ever ask?”

His lips moved several times, but no words came out.

I pulled my hand free and handed him the medical report I had prepared.

“The baby had developmental abnormalities. Continuing the pregnancy would have put me at serious risk, so the doctor recommended terminating it as soon as possible.”

Scott took the report. His hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold the pages.

“That decision should’ve been ours to make together.”

“I gave you chances.”

“When?”

“The night of my first follow-up, I told you the doctor wanted to speak with you. You said Vanessa needed to go over some data with you.

“The second time I started bleeding, I called you twelve times. Your phone was off because you were at an industry conference with Vanessa.

“Then, there was my prenatal appointment. I asked if you could stay, you said the project couldn’t be managed without you.”

As I went on, his face turned even paler.

By the time I finished, he had lowered his head, unable even to look me in the eye.

Vanessa picked up her purse and said in a soft voice, “Mrs. Clement, please don’t blame Dr. Scott for this. He was only doing what was best for the company.”

I turned to her.

“I’m talking to my husband. Since when do you answer for him?”

She bit her lower lip. Tears quickly filled her eyes.

Scott glanced at her almost instinctively.

It was such a small gesture, but whatever hope I still had left in him disappeared in that moment.

I had just lost our baby.

I was standing right in front of him. I just showed him my medical reports.

Yet his first instinct was still to worry about Vanessa’s feelings.

I smiled bitterly.

“Scott, I want a divorce.”