"Madam, Im sorry, the child... is gone."
A bolt of lightning on a clear day.
Sarah stared blankly at the lifeless infant in Dr. Andersons arms, her eyes tightly shut as a tear fell from the corner of her eye.
Her child...
The child she had longed for and thought about for ten months, was gone!
And her husband, Mason, stood indifferently in the distance, his face devoid of any sorrow.
Sarahs mind suddenly recalled the events just moments ago, feeling a chill run through her body.
...
"Mason, quickly! Take me to... the hospital..."
The contractions in her swollen abdomen were so painful that Sarah could barely breathe.
"Does it hurt?"
The deep pain in her abdomen made Sarah tremble all over, and she nodded through gritted teeth.
She was too weak to speak, and even breathing was an agony.
"Bear with it, it will be over soon."
His voice was as gentle as ever, but to Sarah, it was like ice.
Sarah looked at him in disbelief, unable to pull herself out of her shock despite the pain.
What did he say?
She was about to give birth, but her husband had no intention of taking her to the hospital and told her to endure it?
Recalled from her memory, Sarahs lips curled into a sarcastic smile, not knowing if it was directed at herself or Mason.
She opened her eyes and looked at the man she had been married to for two years, a stranger in her eyes.
"Why?"
Sarah stared into his eyes, her voice trembling as she asked, "Mason, tell me, why?!"
Why did they, who once loved each other so much, treat her this way?
Why could he stand by and watch her face childbirth without any reaction, when the child could have been saved!
"Be good, this child wasnt meant to come at the right time, wait a little longer..."
Sarah stood there in disbelief, tears streaming down her face.
Three days later.
"No——"
Awakened from a nightmare, Sarah instinctively reached for her abdomen, but the pain that radiated from it clearly told her it was not a dream!
"Sarah, are you awake?"
A female voice came through, and Sarah looked up to see her best friend, Hailey, standing at the door, worriedly looking at her.
"Why are you here?"
"Mason told me about the child and asked me to come take care of you."
Hailey said, walking to Sarahs bedside and placing her hand on her forehead, "What happened between you two?"
Hearing this, Sarah fell silent.
After a while, she spoke, "Tell me, would a man who truly loves you, watch his child die in your womb?"
"...Dont think too much, he might have been forced into it."
Haileys words were forced, and Sarahs lips curled into a bitter smile.
She woke up not knowing when.
Sarah got up and got out of bed, every movement filled with endless pain.
"Hailey..."
Standing at the stairway, all her words were swallowed, choking silently.
She stared blankly at Hailey at the door, taking the coat and briefcase from Masons hand and hanging them on the coat rack as if she had done it countless times.
Sarah retreated to the bedroom as if escaping, her heart pounding in her chest, filled with surprise, which eventually turned into a hint of self-mockery.
Really, what was she thinking?
Hailey was her best friend, and Mason was her husband.
They had known each other for years, and it was natural for their relationship to be close!
They... should just be friends, right?