Chapter 1
The rain was coming down hard as I sped down the road, the windshield wipers barely able to keep up. My fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white as I glanced at the time on the dashboard. I was late. Landon hated it when I was late.
The container of food in the passenger seat shifted as I made a sharp turn.
I pressed my foot down on the accelerator, trying to make up for lost time. Just a few more blocks and I’d be at his office. I could imagine him already there, seated behind his desk, looking at the clock, checking his phone… probably with that woman beside him–Daisy.
Suddenly, a truck–huge and fast–barreled through the intersection, heading straight toward me. I barely had time to react. The sound of metal crunching against metal. was deafening, the impact throwing me. violently to the side. My head slammed
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against the window, the world spinning in a dizzying blur of motion.
Pain shot through my body. My abdomen felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside, and when I looked down, I froze. Dark, thick blood gushing from between my thighs, soaking the seat beneath me. My breath caught in my throat as a horrifying realization clawed its way into my mind.
Am I….. pregnant?
I hadn’t thought about it. I hadn’t felt anything different, but as the pain twisted my hand instinctively went to my belly, pressing against the searing ache. Tears welled in my eyes, panic rising like bile in my throat.
With shaking hands, I fumbled for my phone, my vision blurring as I tried to dial Landon’s number. The phone rang in my ear as I blinked through the tears, praying he would answer.
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And then, through the shattered
windshield, I saw him.
Landon was just across the street, supporting Daisy as they walked toward the
car.
“Landon!”
I tried to call out, but my voice was barely a whisper. The pain in my abdomen was unbearable, each breath a struggle. I raised my hand weakly and tried to wave, but he didn’t see me.
No, no, no….. please look my way.
I tried calling him again, my fingers slick with blood as I pressed redial. The ringing echoed in my ears, but he didn’t pick up. I could feel the world slipping away, the pain pulling me under, deeper and deeper. My vision darkened, and as I drifted into unconsciousness, the last thing I
remembered was the sight of him–walking
away.
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When I opened my eyes, the bright lights of the hospital room made my head spin. Everything felt distant like I was floating in some kind of numb haze. My body ached, a dull, persistent throb, but there was a deeper emptiness, one that I couldn’t place at first.
It wasn’t until I saw the doctor standing by the bed, his face carefully neutral, that the dread settled in my chest.
“How are you feeling, Ms. Callie?” he asked.
I blinked up at him, my throat dry.
“What… what happened?”
He took a breath, his eyes full of pity. “You were in an accident. We managed to stabilize you, but…” He paused, and the weight of that silence crushed me. “You were pregnant.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of my lungs.
Pregnant…
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I’d already known–somehow, deep down, I’d known. But hearing it, having it confirmed… it was like the ground was ripped out from under me.
“There was a lot of trauma from the accident,” the doctor continued gently, his voice distant as though it were coming from far away. “We did everything we could, but… we couldn’t save the baby. I’m so sorry.”
I stared at him, my mind unable to process the words. I felt cold all over, a numbness creeping through me.
My baby. It’s gone.
Even though I hadn’t known, the loss was there, heavy and unbearable. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I couldn’t let them fall. I couldn’t let myself break. Not yet.
The doctor gave me a few more words of sympathy before he left, but I barely heard him. All I could hear was the hollow sound of my own heartbeat echoing in the empty
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space inside me. All I could feel was the
pain of something lost before I even knew I had it.
I turned my head to the side, staring blankly at the empty chair in the corner of the room.
Landon wasn’t there.
Inhaling sharply, I grabbed my phone and dialed Landon’s number again. After a few rings, the call was connected.
“Landon…” I murmured hoarsely.
“Oh Callie, it’s you. Landon is in the bathroom, do you have something to say?” A coquettish voice sounded at the other end of the line.
As soon as I heard Daisy’s voice, my grip around the phone tightened.
