Ruining my cheating ex husband's life

l. I tighten the silk wrap around my shoulders, my pulse hammering as I step inside. Tonight was supposed to be different. A fresh start. Alex had been distant for months, b

s. My water just broke. Whispers erupt. A few guests wince, but most just shift uncomfortably, like I'm a drunk they'd rather ignore. I reach for Alex. "I-I think it's time-" He doesn't move. "Not now, Isla." Jane giggles, loud enough for the room to hear. "Ugh, she's ruining the party." Alex jerks his chin at security. "Get her out." What? Hands grab me from behind. I thrash, screaming, "Alex!" He doesn't even look at me. Jane smirks. "So dramatic." They drag me toward the exit. My heels scrape marble. "Alex, I'm having your BABY!" Nothing. The doors slam behind me. Winter air punches my lungs. The guards dump me onto the pavement like garbage. I'm alone. Snow soaks through my dress. Another contraction bends me in half. I sob, clutching my stomach. People walk past-partygoers in glittering dresses, men in tuxedos. No one stops. I grab a stranger's sleeve. "Help me-" He yanks his arm back like I'm diseased. My phone. Where's my- I fumble for it, fingers numb. The screen blurs. Ring. Ring. "911, what's your emergency?" "I'm- labor-" I gasp. "Blackwood Hotel- please-" Another contraction. I scream. Fireworks explode overhead, painting the sky in gold. Happy New Year. The world fades to black. Somewhere inside, Alex is laughing. And my baby- Oh God, my baby- The first thing I notice is the smell-sharp, sterile, the kind that clings to the back of your throat. Antiseptic. Death. My body feels hollowed out, like someone scooped out my insides and left the shell. I blink against the fluorescent lights. White walls. Beeping machines. Stiff sheets that don't smell like home. Home. Does that even exist anymore? I try to speak, but my throat's raw. "The baby..." Silence. A nurse glances up from her clipboard. Her face does that thing-the pressed lips, the too-quick smile. Pity. No. No, no, no- I lurch upright, and pain rips through me. The memories flood back-New Year's Eve. Alex's smirk. Jane's laugh. The pavement, the blood, the nothingness after. "Where's my baby?" My voice cracks. The nurse hesitates. That pause-God, that pause-it's worse than anything. "I'm so sorry," she says softly. Something inside me breaks. I stare at her, waiting for the lie, the "Just kidding!", the "We moved them to another room!" But no one comes. No tiny cries. No doctor with a bundle wrapped in blue. Just silence. A scream builds in my chest, but it never comes out. Instead, I shatter silently, tears dripping off my ch