Broken
1041 Words
chapter 2
The pen felt heavier than it should.
Aria stared at the signature line for a long time.
Tell him.
Don’t tell him.
Her mind battled with her heart.
If she told him about the pregnancy now, would it change anything? Or would he think she was using the child to trap him into staying?
He had just made it clear.
He didn’t want this marriage anymore.
Didn’t want her.
Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
If he didn’t want her in his life, she would not force herself into it.
She could leave.
She would leave.
She would raise this child on her own if she had to.
Her fingers tightened around the pen.
Slowly, deliberately, she signed her name.
Aria Bennett.
The ink barely dried before her vision blurred.
A sharp ringing filled her ears.
The room tilted.
She tried to steady herself, but her body gave in.
The pen slipped from her fingers.
And everything went dark.
“Aria!”
Adrian caught her just before she hit the floor.
Panic — raw and unfiltered — surged through him.
“Aria, wake up.”
No response.
He lifted her into his arms without another thought and rushed out of the house.
For the first time in years, Adrian Cole drove recklessly.
At the hospital, the white walls felt suffocating.
He paced outside the examination room, his hands restless in his pockets.
Minutes felt like hours.
Why did she faint?
She looked pale this morning.
Was she sick?
Was it stress?
Guilt crept into his chest.
Had he pushed her too far?
The termination document suddenly felt like a weapon.
After what felt like forever, they moved her to a private room.
She was still unconscious but stable.
Adrian sat beside her bed.
For once, there were no business calls. No meetings. No distractions.
Just her.
He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he muttered quietly, though she couldn’t hear him.
He had stayed there for nearly an hour.
Silent.
Waiting.
The door clicked open, and a doctor stepped in holding a file.
“Mr. Cole—”
Before the doctor could continue, Adrian’s phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen, irritation flashing across his face.
Unknown number.
He ignored it.
It rang again.
He answered with a clipped tone. “What?”
“Adrian.”
The voice was familiar. Soft. Confident.
“I’m at the airport. Come and pick me up.”
His expression hardened.
Anna.
His childhood friend.
The girl who had grown up beside him. The one their families had once joked would become his future wife.
“I’m busy,” he replied flatly. “Get a cab.”
There was a brief pause on the other end.
Then another call came through.
His father.
Adrian closed his eyes briefly before answering.
“Yes?”
“Go and pick Anna from the airport,” his father ordered. “She just returned. Don’t be rude.”
“I’m at the hospital,” Adrian said coldly.
“For what?”
He glanced at Aria’s still figure on the bed.
“It’s nothing serious.”
“Then you can leave for an hour,” his father replied dismissively. “Anna is important.”
The line went dead.
Adrian stared at his phone in frustration.
Important.
The word echoed bitterly in his mind.
He looked back at Aria.
Her face was pale against the white pillow.
He didn’t want to leave.
Something about walking away right now felt wrong.
But his father’s tone left little room for argument.
He stepped outside and called his assistant.
“Stay at the hospital,” he ordered. “Make sure she’s taken care of. Call me immediately if she wakes up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Adrian hesitated before turning back toward her room one last time.
The doctor was still standing nearby with the file, waiting.
“Is she stable?” Adrian asked quickly.
“Yes,” the doctor replied. “There’s something you should know regarding her condition—”
“I’ll be back shortly,” Adrian interrupted, already glancing at his watch. “Discuss it with my assistant for now.”
The doctor frowned slightly but nodded.
Adrian left.
Inside the room, Aria stirred faintly.
Her fingers moved slightly against the bedsheet.
The assistant stepped out briefly to answer a call.
The doctor opened the file again, preparing to explain the results.
Unaware that the most important person who needed to hear it had just walked away.
At the airport, Anna stood confidently near the entrance, sunglasses perched on her head.
When Adrian approached, her smile widened.
“It’s been years,” she said warmly.
He nodded stiffly. “Welcome back.”
But his mind wasn’t there.
It was in a hospital room.
With the woman he had just asked to leave his life.
Aria’s eyelids fluttered open slowly.
The first thing she noticed was the unfamiliar ceiling.
The second was the silence.
For a brief moment, she was disoriented. Then everything came rushing back — the document, the signature, the dizziness.
Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach.
The door opened gently and the doctor stepped inside, holding a file.
“You’re awake,” she said kindly. “How are you feeling?”
“Dizzy,” Aria admitted softly. “But I’m okay.”
The doctor hesitated before handing her the report.
“There’s something important you need to know.”
Aria’s heart pounded as she opened it.
She already knew.
Positive.
Three weeks pregnant.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the paper.
“Congratulations,” the doctor said gently. “However, you must reduce stress. Your fainting was caused by emotional and physical strain.”
Aria swallowed.
Then she looked up quickly.
“Please,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t disclose this information to anyone.”
The doctor blinked in surprise. “Your husband should know.”
“Not yet,” Aria insisted. “Please. I’ll tell him myself.”
After a moment, the doctor nodded. “Very well. The information remains confidential.”
Aria exhaled shakily.
She needed time.
Time to think.
Time to decide.
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