“She didn’t get the care she needed,” I overheard a pair of doctors whispering nearby. “Her blood pressure—this could have been avoided.” Each word felt like a knife twisting in my gut, revealing the truth I had long ignored.
“He didn’t care enough,” I thought bitterly. “How could he let this happen?”
Suddenly, darkness closed in around me. The images of our life together felt like slow-motion snapshots — him scrolling through his phone while I begged for help, the way he rejected my concerns as mere dramatics.
Then, chaos erupted. Alarms blared, jerking me back to the stark reality of the operating table. “Code blue! We’re losing her!” I heard a voice shout, but the world began to fade away again.
“No, please,” I thought, desperately fighting against the pull of unconsciousness. “Not now. I need to see my baby.”
The bright lights blurred into dark pinpricks, and then—silence. I felt myself slip away, flatlining on the operating table, leaving my fate uncertain.
Awakening to Uncertainty
Rebecca blinked against the harsh fluorescent lights, her head pounding with confusion. A white ceiling loomed above her, sterile and indifferent.
“Where… where’s my baby?” she croaked, her voice barely a whisper.
A nurse quickly approached, her face a mask of professional concern. “You had a boy, but he’s in critical condition,” she said gently. “We need to monitor you first.”
Panic surged through Rebecca. “What do you mean, critical? What happened?”
“There were complications during labor. The doctors are doing everything they can.”
Each word felt like a dagger. She struggled to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over her. Ethan. Where was he?
Just then, the door swung open, and there he was—Ethan, looking as if he had seen a ghost. His face was pale, eyes wide with shock. She could feel a tumult of emotions swirling inside her: anger, betrayal, and a lingering fear.
“You came,” she said, surprised at the sharpness in her own voice. “After two days.”
“I—I had to—” he stammered, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know. I didn’t get the call until later.”
“And you thought leaving me was okay? I was alone!”
