The sound echoed through the empty house, leaving me alone in the deafening quiet. I sank to the floor, my hands shaking as I pulled my knees to my chest.
Half an hour later, my phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen and saw Mark’s latest social media post. He had uploaded a picture of himself paragliding, the wind in his hair, a carefree smile on his face. The caption read:
“Grateful to have paragliding when I’m feeling down.”
I stared at the screen, feeling my heart shatter all over again. The comments were flooding in, but the one that caught my eye was from Kath.
“Don’t worry, Mark. You’ll always have me. Paragliding heals the soul.”
The words burned in my chest like acid. I threw the phone across the room, my breath coming in ragged gasps. They had everything in common. Shared hobbies, shared passions, even a connection I could no longer deny. And what did Mark and I have now? Only the bitter remains of a broken home.
I felt the ache in my heart intensify, a pain so deep it left me gasping for air. But it was nothing compared to the cramping in my abdomen. I placed a hand on my stomach, whispering through the tears, “You came at the worst possible time.”
I stood up shakily, grabbing my bag and throwing on a coat. I couldn’t bear it anymore—the thought of carrying his child when his heart belonged to someone else. My feet carried me, almost against my will, out the door and towards the hospital.
At the front of the hospital, I hesitated, staring at the cold, sterile building before me. Could I really do this?
Inside, the doctor’s voice was firm but gentle. “Jane, have you really thought this through? Given your condition, this might be your only chance to have a child.”
Her words hung in the air like a death sentence. I thought of everything Mark and I had gone through together—living in that tiny, freezing apartment, eating instant noodles because we couldn’t afford anything else. The promises he had made to me back then, vowing to give me the best life possible. And he had, for a while.
But promises meant nothing if they weren’t built on love and loyalty.
“I’ve thought it through,” I said, my voice steady despite the tears in my eyes.