Chapter one

Losing my baby

Jane's pov

"Mrs.Jane, I’m so sorry… the baby didn’t make it."

The doctor’s words hit me like a sledgehammer, stealing the air from my lungs. I stared at her lips, moving slowly as she repeated herself, but the words didn’t seem real. I clutched my phone, staring blankly at the screen, willing the notification bar to light up, hoping Christian had responded to my texts.But yet nothing happened

Mis Bright is always a petite woman with kind eyes, touching my hand gently. "Take your time. Let me know what you want to do next. I’ll step out for a moment."

I nodded, though I didn’t know what I was agreeing to. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone in the sterile room. My phone sat heavy in my hand, its blankness taunting me.

I typed a quick message:

"I’M AT THE HOSPITAL. CALL ME."

I stared at the screen, waiting for the receipt. Nothing. Five minutes passed. Ten. Still nothing.

Of course. Why would he bother?

I sank back into the bed, my body aching, not just from the miscarriage, but from five years of loneliness. Five years of being invisible to the man I married. Christian was a shell of a husband physically present but emotionally tied to someone who wasn’t me.

Amanda.

I still remember the way he lit up whenever her name was mentioned. He didn’t even bother hiding it. She was his first love, the one who “got away.” She went overseas to study, leaving him with nothing but promises to stay in touch. And me? I was the rebound. The second choice. The standin wife.

And now, she is back.

It had been all over the news just this morning. I glanced at the TV mounted in the corner of the hospital room. The reporter’s voice echoed in my head as if taunting me again:

"Amanda Stewart has returned to the country after years abroad. Her former flame, Christian Holmes, was seen greeting her at the airport with a brand new luxury car. Sources close to the pair confirm they are back together and expecting a baby. An engagement party is reportedly in the works."

The image that followed was burned into my mind: Christian standing at the airport, grinning like he hadn’t in years, holding Amanda’s hand as they descended from the plane stairs. She looked radiant, glowing in a way I hadn’t since… Well, ever.

I was nothing compared to her.

A message pinged on my phone. My heart leapt. Finally, Christian!

I opened the text.

"Terminate it. I don’t care. Amanda and our baby are my only priority now."

The world around me went down as My chest burned, and tears blurred my vision. I dropped the phone onto the bed.

How could he say that? How could he…

I wiped my face roughly and hit his number. The phone rang once, twice then cut off.

He’d busied me.

It wasn’t enough that Amanda had taken him from me; now, he was erasing any chance I had of keeping something someone of my own.

The door creaked open. The doctor peeked in, her expression gentle but firm. "Jane, have you decided?"

My voice was hollow as I spoke. "Do it." I will terminate the pregnancy " I continued.

"Do you wish to contact anyone before we begin the surgery? "She asked. I wished there was someone to contact but I am just on my own on this . "No" I said

She nodded and gestured for the nurse. As they prepared me for surgery, I caught snippets of their conversation.

"Did you hear about Christian Holmes?" one nurse whispered to the other. "He’s such a romantic. Waiting all these years for his first love. And that car he gave her wow, what a man."

I bit my lip to keep from crying. Of course, everyone saw him as a hero. A devoted lover. No one knew the devastation he left behind. No one cared.

The hallway leading to the operating theater was cold and impersonal. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly above. My heart felt heavier with each step. By the time they laid me on the table, I was numb.

Three hours later, I woke up, groggy and empty. The nurse wheeled me into the doctor’s office, where I sat waiting for my discharge papers and prescription.

I felt hollow. Like a shell of myself. I stared out of the window, watching the rain streak down the glass. My phone buzzed again, but I didn’t bother checking it. What was the point?

The door burst open, slamming against the wall. My head snapped up, startled. It was Christian. He looked so surprised as he saw me there like he never gets my text or what .

He stood there, his face hard and cold, a storm brewing in his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here, Jane?"

His voice was ice, cutting through the room like a blade.