The decision

“The doctor said you’re clear to go home,” Emily said softly from the chair beside my bed. She’d barely left my side since I’d been admitted.

I nodded, slowly sitting up. My body felt heavy, like I was moving through water.

The ride home was silent. Emily kept glancing at me from the driver’s seat, her worry evident in the tight line of her mouth. When we finally pulled into our driveway, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me.

Our house—the one we’d shared since our parents died five years ago—felt too quiet as we stepped inside. Emily helped me to the couch, draping a blanket over my legs even though it wasn’t cold.

“I’ll make some tea,” she said, heading to the kitchen.

I pulled the blanket tighter around myself, staring at nothing. The living room looked the same as it had a week ago, but everything felt different. Like I was viewing my life through someone else’s eyes.

Emily returned with two steaming mugs, settling beside me on the couch. We sat in silence for a moment, the only sound heard was the quiet clink of her spoon against the ceramic.

“You need to let him go, Bella,” Emily said finally, her voice gentle but firm.

I looked at her, surprised by the sudden directness.

“Sebastian,” she continued, meeting my gaze. “You need to get him out of your heart. Move on with your life.”

“Emily—”

“I’m serious. He didn’t even give you a chance to explain. He just… cut you off. Ended everything without a second thought.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “You deserve better than that.”

I set my mug down on the coffee table, my hands trembling slightly. “I know what it looked like to him.”

“I don’t care what it looked like. He should have trusted you. Three years together, and he threw it all away in one moment.” Emily reached for my hand. “You’re my sister, and I love you. And I hate seeing you destroy yourself over someone who clearly didn’t love you the way you deserved.”

Tears pricked at my eyes. “He did love me. He does. He’s just hurt and angry and—”

“And he called off your wedding and hasn’t even checked on you once since you collapsed.” Emily’s voice cracked. “Bella, please. For your own sake, you need to move on. Forget about him. Start healing.”

I pulled my hand away, wrapping my arms around myself. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because he deserves to know.” The words came out barely above a whisper. “About the baby. He deserves to know what we lost.”

Emily’s expression softened, sadness replacing the anger. “Bella…”

“I need to tell him. And I need…” I swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “I need closure. I need to hear him say it’s over, face to face, knowing everything. I need to know that even after learning about our baby, he still wants nothing to do with me. Then… then maybe I can start to move on.”

Emily was quiet for a long moment, studying my face. Finally, she sighed. “You’re sure about this?”

“I am.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll go tomorrow morning.” I looked down at my hands, twisting them in my lap. “I just… I need one more night to gather my courage.”

Emily nodded slowly, then pulled me into a tight hug. I melted into her embrace, letting myself be held by the only family I had left.

“Okay,” she whispered against my hair. “Tomorrow. But Bella? After this, after you tell him and get your closure… promise me you’ll start putting yourself first. Promise me you’ll start healing.”

I couldn’t make that promise. Not until i confirmed he no longer wants me. But I nodded anyway, because I knew it was what she needed to hear.

We stayed like that for a long time, holding onto each other in a house that suddenly felt too big, too full of ghosts of the future I’d thought I would have.

Tomorrow, I would face Sebastian one last time, I would tell him about the child we’d lost, and I would get my closure.

And then… then I would figure out how to pick up the shattered pieces of my life and try to put them back together into something that resembled whole.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​