All Chapters of The 99 Replies That Broke Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

I sat on the floor for a long time.When the dull pain in my stomach finally eased a little, I held on to the sofa, got up, and went back to packing away the baby's things.The little white onesie was one Alessandro had picked out himself.He'd said white worked for a boy or a girl. It would be perfect once the baby came.Next to it was a pair of tiny socks with stars on them. My mother had them sent from Italy.She had chosen the softest cashmere on purpose, afraid regular fabric might scratch the baby's delicate skin.In the nursery, the wooden crib was already put together. A little moon-shaped night-light sat by the head of it.The cabinet was full of toys.I put them into a cardboard box, one at a time.With every piece, it felt like a small part of me was being dug out.Finally, I took out the keepsake envelope the hospital had given me from the nightstand drawer.Inside was the very first ultrasound photo, and the report that recorded our baby's last heartbeat.The tiny shape in

Not long after, my phone rang.It was St. Mary's Hospital."Your mother just had a severe heart attack. We're working on her now. Please get here as soon as you can!"My head started ringing. I grabbed my coat and ran.When I got to the hospital, the red light above the emergency operating room was still on.I ran to the nurses' station and grabbed the nurse on duty by the hand."Dr. Graham from cardiology is doing my mother's surgery, right?""I booked him ahead of time. He knows her condition better than anyone!"The nurse looked uncomfortable. She hesitated for a long moment before she spoke."Dr. Graham was called away about twenty minutes ago."I froze."Called away? My mother's in surgery right now. How could he leave?""A psychiatric patient had a severe emotional crisis. The family insisted that Dr. Graham go.""The hospital... couldn't really say no."The nurse lowered her voice and glanced down the hall."The patient's connected to the Vittore family. The family has a lot of

The woman in the portrait was looking right at him.Alessandro's knees gave out. He went down hard on the marble floor.He stared at the photo. The tears came before he could stop them. It was a long time before his voice worked."Mom."The last bit of hope he had been clinging to was gone.Elena would never joke about her mother.Never.He knelt there and took out his phone with shaking hands. He scrolled all the way back up in her chat.He read it one message at a time.The afternoon she lost the baby.3:07 p.m.[My stomach suddenly really hurts. I don't know why. Can you come home?]3:21 p.m.[I'm bleeding. There's blood on my dress. I'm so scared.][When are you coming back? Why aren't you picking up?]3:46 p.m.[I called 911. I'm in the ambulance. It hurts so much. The baby's going to be okay, right?][I know Serena matters to you. I know. But can you please just come be with me? Please.]The color drained out of his face, inch by inch.He could see it. He could see exactly how sc

Fall came late to Malta.The bougainvillea along the old limestone walls of Valletta was still blooming, a deep, stubborn pink.I liked looking at it. It made the whole city feel like it was still breathing.The family's shipping office sat right above the Grand Harbour.On my first day, my new supervisor flipped through my file and looked up at me, curious."You were at the main office for years. Why put in for a transfer all the way out here?""Something about this place catch your eye?"I thought about it."I guess it's because I don't know anyone here."Streets I didn't know. An accent I didn't know. A city with no Alessandro and no Serena in it.And no lonely grave with my mother's name on it.In a place where nothing was familiar, the old wounds had nothing to echo off of.I didn't want to see anyone from before.But someone from before came to see me anyway.I worked until nine one night. When I walked out of the building, Alessandro was standing under a streetlight."Elena."He