Chapte 4
Chapter 4
At the funeral, I carefully arranged a memory talde by the altar.
baby clothes I’d once Isided with an much love now lay neatly beside a tiny stuffed bunny and a framed ultrasound photo.
The flickering candles cast long shadows, their warmth doing nothing to ease the cold ache in my chest.
By afternoon, Roman still hadn’t shown up.
It wasn’t until evening that my phone finally rang
y didn’t you go to your prenatal checkup?” he barked as soon as I answered.
The doctor’s office called me! Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is? Do you even care about the baby? How could someone like you be a
mother?”
That’s when it hot me I’d completely forgotten today was supposed to be my prenatal appointment.
Since the termination was done at a different hospital, the doctor had no idea, and when I didn’t answer, they called Ronan
I took a shaky breath
“There’s no need for checkups anymore,” I said quietly,
“You’re right. I’m not fit to be a mother.”
My tone must’ve tipped him off because his voice softened, shifting from anger to concern,
“Look, today was Arden’s baby’s one month celebration. I had to be there,”
“But it’s over now, and I can come by, Can you stop throwing these tantrums? I can handle it once in a while, but I can’t keep doing this forever.”
He paused, then added, “Maybe you should think about whether this is all… your fault.”
1 glated down at the small charm I was holding, tracing the grooves of the design with my thumb,
aybe he was right.
Maybe this was all my fault–for choosing the wrong person, for trusting him for so long.
Instead of responding, I changed the subject.
“Ronan, winter’s almost here. Don’t forget to pay the heating bill, or the house will freeze.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued.
“The fridge needs cleaning too. The milk’s been there for weeks–it’s bad by tomorrow.”
“And I’ve moved your winter clothes to the closet…”
My voice faltered as tears threatened to spill over.
“And this Christmas,” I whispered, “I won’t be spending it with you.”
I hung up before he could respond, my hands trembling as I stepped back into the shadows.
From my hiding spot, I watched him pace with his phone pressed to his ear, calling out, “Eve! Where are you going? What do you mean, not spending Christmas? What do you mean goodbye?”
His voice wavered, his hands shaking as he gripped his phone tightly.
He was still shouting when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
41:90
Butchered by Love
32.6%
Chapter 4
“Sir,” a jphitor said hesitantly.
“Is the funeral next door finished? We need to start cleaning up.”
Ronan frowned.
“Funeral? Whose funeral?”
“Someone named Aurora,” the janitor replied with a sigh.
“Poor thing, just a little kid. No parents around either.”
The color drained from Ronan’s face.
roze for a moment, then bolted toward the next room, ignoring Arden’s protests behind him.
I followed quietly, staying out of sight, watching him as he reached the memory table.
He fell to his knees, his hands covering his face.
His shoulders shook as he cried out, “Is it you? Is it my baby?”
A phone rang.
He answered with shaky hands, and I knew from his expression that it was the hospital.
“Yes,” they confirmed.
“She went through with the termination.”
Ronan’s eyes turned red as he dropped his phone and frantically dialed my number, his voice breaking with each word.
“Eve, I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me. I made a mistake–I made so many mistakes. Just… just don’t go, okay?”
He paused, his voice barely a whisper.
“You’ll come back for Christmas, won’t you?”
Chapter 5
