The caption was only a few words: "With you, to the ends of the earth."
I stared at that photo for a very, very long time.
When we got married, I'd made a list of all the places I wanted to visit with Dustin. Every time I brought it up, he'd say the same thing: "Sure, Cecily. Once I close this deal, we'll go."
"Cecily, just let me get through this busy stretch, and we'll go."
"Once the project launches, I promise I'll take you."
"Once..."
So I waited. And waited. I waited past our wedding anniversary. I waited through a pregnancy and a miscarriage. I waited as time slipped through my fingers like water and love dissolved like smoke, and still, not once did we take that trip for two.
The first place on my list had been Antarctica. To see the penguins.
He'd gone to Antarctica after all. With Alice Dotson.
How absurd.
I closed out of Alice's page and tossed my phone onto the bed. A notification popped up on the screen: Your scheduled termination procedure is today at 3:00 PM.
I rushed to the hospital. The nurse glanced around when she saw me alone, professional concern settling across her face. "Where's your family? You may need someone to look after you post-op."
"My husband is dead."
I said it calmly. She blinked, then her expression softened into sympathy.
She helped me change into a surgical gown, her hands gentle as she guided me onto the gurney.
The ceiling tiles slid past overhead, one by one, as I was wheeled down the corridor. Harsh white light carried me into the operating room.
The surgical lamp blazed down, so bright it made my eyes ache. I closed them. Cold instruments probed inside me. A tiny life, scraped away from my body. Tears blurred my vision once more.
The next time I surfaced, it was the sound of voices outside my room that pulled me back.
"To help Mrs. Delgado carry the baby to term, Mr. Delgado actually flew in the best specialists from all over the world to our hospital. I heard he even got certified as a nutritionist, just to make sure the Delgado heir is born healthy."
A second woman's voice dropped to a whisper. "But I heard this 'Mrs. Delgado' is actually his sister-in-law? So what about his real wife? That poor woman..."
"Shh! Do you want to get fired? That topic is off-limits at this hospital. Keep your mouth shut!"
Footsteps retreated. The corridor fell silent.
I lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. Motionless.