Lost Our Baby, Found His Betrayal

egnancy test we' d prayed for. I cooked his favo

of his cold texts and her smug Instagram post sent a sharp, twis

hospital, he accused me o

he?" he sneered. "You'll do any

eryone, he tried to force whiskey down my throat. The stress, the fall...

c to pepperoni. It was the first thing I ever told him on our first date. H

dn't deserve our child.

sk of fake concern, I looked him dead in

pte

Todd

one we' d prayed for over five long years, on th

ed potatoes. A single candle flickered between two glasses of Cabernet, casting a war

king the meal look like something o

: Happy Anniversary.

excitement tightened in my chest. Maybe he' d reme

re finalizing the transport initiati

l knot in my chest dissolved, re

ur annivers

e' ll celebrate this weekend. I pr

mportant. More important than five years of marriage. More important than t

ate-the perfectly cooked steak, the creamy potatoes-into the trash can. The scrap

to ignore it. Just like he' d ignored my birthday last m

llergic to shellfish, that her favorite pen was a Pilot G2, 0.5 millimeter, black ink. He knew these tiny,

undeniable. After years of clinical appointments, invasive procedures, and heartbreaking negativ

first bite of steak. I imagined his face lighting up, the surprise and joy washing away the ti

ante. It was an Instagram notifica

papers. Dante was smiling, a genuine, relaxed smile I hadn't seen directed at me in months. The caption read: Burning

e one I' d bought him for Christmas. The one

Maybe not physically, not yet. But emotionally, he had already left me for her.

a so intense it made my head spin.

cold and unappetizing. I picked up my fork and took a bite. The rich flavor

ly became overwhelming. I pushed my chair back, my han

the dull ache of neglect I was used to; this was a physical,

nother cramp, more vicious than the last, sent me crashing against

saw it. A slick, warm wetness seep

r of c

o, no

Our one-in-a-

it. I had to ge

was a relentless wave, pulling me under. I reached for my phone, my fi

n crested again, and a scream tore from my throat, raw and animalistic

efully prepared wafted from the kitchen, a cruel

allway. I clawed at it, trying to pull mysel

wallow me whole, the door to the apa

Are yo

I barely knew him, just po

im, my eyes pleading, as another wave of agon

ic and the rhythmic beep of a machine. A d

iscarriage. We've given you something to stop the contractions, but y

ealized I was crying sliding d

her gaze sweeping the empty room. "He s

ing sob esc

ways is. Somewhe

e doctor said, her voice g

-