Chapter 18
Louie Fleming and I had been together for six years. When I found out I was pregnant by accident, we decided to move up our wedding plans. By the second month of my pregnancy, we had already scheduled to get our marriage license.§
We agreed to meet at the county clerk’s office today. But just before we left, he got a call from his “sworn sister,” Lindsay Snyder.
He quickly said, “You take a cab there first. I’ll meet you at the entrance after I take care of Lindsay’s situation,” and rushed out the door.
On my way to the place, I was unfortunately caught in a car accident. Shaken and in pain, I called him in a panic.
One of his college buddies is a hospital director–just a single call from Louie could’ve opened up an emergency fast–track for me.” But he ignored my call. Three times.&
Then he finally sent a voice message, sounding clearly annoyed. “What do you want now? I told you, Lindsay’s not doing well. Can’t you just let me be with her for a while in peace?“}
Holding my stomach in agony, I weakly recorded a reply. “Louie, I was in a car accident… My stomach really hurts. I’m scared something’s wrong with the baby.”
I hit send.
But the message wouldn’t go through.
That’s when I saw the notification on the screen that he had blocked me.§
Four hours later, I was wheeled out of surgery. I had just barely survived.
But the baby didn’t.
Lying there, staring blankly at the hospital room ceiling, my hands instinctively went to my stomach. Tears slid down the sides of my face, quiet and unstoppable.
I stayed in that daze until evening, unmoving, numb until I caught the smell of food from the next hospital bed. That’s when it hit me. I hadn’t eaten all day.
I picked up my phone to order delivery. But when I unlocked the screen, I realized I hadn’t exited the TikTok app, and the first video to pop up was Lindsay’s.
In it, she and Louie were having a candlelit dinner. He was gently kissing her on the forehead.}]
Her caption read: [As long as he’s here, l’il always have the courage Their happiness felt like a knife to my chest.
to
start over.]}
I couldn’t stop myself from commenting, (A bitch and a dog.
you
two love each other forever.]
-1
of rest, so I took sick leave from work and
The next day, I checked out of the hospital. The doctor warned I needed at least seven went home.
Back in our apartment, everything looked the same. But to me, it all felt like another lifetime.}
The past two days had changed everything. I saw things more clearly now.
19
Looking back on our relationship, I realized something painful. The reason it lasted six years was that I kept compromising. I gave up so much because I loved Louie.%
But losing the baby was the final straw.
Now that the baby was gone, I didn’t want him either.%
I decided to find a new place and break up with Louie for good.2
That night, around ten, i had just finished getting ready for bed when he came home.
He looked cheerful, like he’d had a great day. But the second he saw me, his face darkened,
“What the hell did you just do, Tamara?” he snapped.
I looked up, confused, meeting the fire in his eyes. I had no idea what I’d done wrong this time.
He walked straight to the bed and reached for my phone like it was his. But he froze when he saw I’d changed the password.
Annoyed, he tossed it aside and glared at me. “Delete that comment you left on Lindsay’s video. She just broke up with her boyfriend. She’s feeling down. What’s so wrong with me being there for her?*
Then, he continued, attacking, “You’re a woman, too. Was it really necessary to humiliate her like that? Besides, she’s my godsister, not some stranger If anything had happened between us, it would’ve happened long ago. You wouldn’t even be in the picture!”
