Chapter 4

The following afternoon, Greyson went to work.

Gracie arrived with a box of cherries. The moment she walked in, she noticed the weight-loss chart on the refrigerator. "Looks like you're doing a good job following the plan."

She washed a cherry herself and popped it into her mouth. "Actually, you shouldn't blame Greyson too much. He's always cared about appearances. Even back in college, he was obsessed with what people thought of him."

When I didn't respond, she lowered her voice. "Do you know why Greyson wouldn't answer your calls the night you lost your first baby three years ago?"

My fingers curled sharply.

Gracie looked straight at me. "We were attending a college classmate's wedding that day. We were staying at the same hotel you were. When you were in Room 1806, calling him in agony, he was in Room 1808 with me."

All sound seemed to disappear from the room. My head began to ring.

"What did you just say?!"

Gracie's smile only widened. "When you lost your first baby, your husband was in bed with me. Later, when he found out you'd been admitted to the hospital, he was so panicked he couldn't even put his shoes on properly."

Slap!

My palm struck her across the face.

"Gracie!" Greyson rushed inside and went straight for her.

Before I could react, he'd already shoved me aside by the shoulder. "Get out of the way!"

My foot slipped. My entire body slammed into the armrest of the sofa.

A sharp pain shot through my lower back, and my lower abdomen suddenly dropped with a sickening heaviness.

But Greyson was already crouching down, helping Gracie up from the floor. "Gracie! Are you okay?"

Gracie covered her face and immediately burst into tears. "My face hurts so much…"

Greyson cradled her face in his hands, examining it carefully. My fingernails had left a shallow scratch on her cheek.

He immediately helped her to her feet. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

I clung to the sofa, unable to straighten up because of the pain. Then I felt something warm slowly trickling down beneath my skirt.

With great difficulty, I reached out a hand. "Greyson… my stomach hurts so much…"

He hesitated for a moment. "She can't stand the thought of being disfigured. Wait here. I'll take her to get her wound treated, then I'll come back."

Another violent contraction seized my abdomen. The pain was so intense I couldn't speak.

Greyson had already led Gracie out the door.

I crawled to the coffee table and managed to grab my phone. My fingers shook so badly that I could barely dial 911.

When I arrived at the hospital, the doctors kept calling my name.

"Placental abruption. The baby's heartbeat is extremely weak."

"Where's the family? Someone needs to notify the family immediately!"

I shook my head. "Don't call him… Please, just save my baby."

After that, I could no longer tell where the pain was coming from. My abdomen hurt. My back hurt. Even the spaces between my bones seemed to ache.

I bit down on the edge of the blanket and asked the doctor over and over again, "Is there still a heartbeat?"

The first time, she said yes.

The second time, she didn't answer.

The third time, the doctor removed her mask. "I'm sorry."

I desperately grabbed her sleeve. "Please check again. The baby was still moving yesterday. He was kicking me tonight, too. Could the machine be broken?"

But no one answered me.

I still couldn't save my baby.

By the time I came out of the operating area, it was completely dark outside.

A nurse hurried after me and pressed some medication into my hand. "You need to rest for at least two weeks after a pregnancy loss. Don't try to lose weight by starving yourself anymore. Your body is extremely weak right now."

I nodded and was about to leave when a familiar voice came from the far end of the hallway.

"Doctor, my wife has gained a lot of weight since getting pregnant. Is there any way to control it?"

I stopped in my tracks. At that exact moment, Greyson happened to look over. Our eyes met.

His gaze fell to my now-flat abdomen. His face changed dramatically, and he hurried toward me. "Why is your belly so much smaller?"