Two Pink Lines
598 Words
The icy rain continued to pour as Aria’s unconscious body lay motionless on the sidewalk.
A passing taxi screeched to a halt.
“Oh my God!” the elderly driver exclaimed as he rushed out with an umbrella. “Miss! Can you hear me?”
There was no response.
Without wasting another second, he carefully lifted her into the back seat and sped toward the nearest hospital.
When Aria slowly opened her eyes, the bright hospital lights made her squint.
Her head throbbed.
She looked around the unfamiliar room before noticing the IV attached to her hand.
A middle aged female doctor smiled gently.
“You’re awake.”
Aria struggled to sit up.
“What… happened?”
“You collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration,” the doctor replied. “You’ve been under a lot of stress.”
Memories of Ethan.
The divorce papers.
Vanessa.
Everything came rushing back.
Fresh tears rolled down Aria’s cheeks.
The doctor handed her a box of tissues.
“I’m sorry.”
Aria forced a weak smile.
“I’ll be fine.”
The doctor hesitated before glancing at the medical report in her hand.
“Actually… there’s something else we need to discuss.”
Aria frowned.
“Is something wrong?”
The doctor smiled warmly.
“No.”
She paused.
“Congratulations.”
Aria blinked in confusion.
“For what?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Silence.
The words echoed in her ears.
Pregnant?
She stared blankly at the doctor.
“No…”
The doctor nodded.
“You are approximately five weeks pregnant.”
Aria instinctively placed a trembling hand over her stomach.
Her heart raced.
Five weeks…
That meant…
The baby was Ethan’s.
A tear escaped her eye.
She had just signed divorce papers only hours ago.
Now she was carrying the child of the man who no longer wanted her.
The doctor noticed her silence.
“Is everything okay?”
Aria forced another smile.
“Yes…”
But inside, her heart was breaking all over again.
Later that evening, Aria sat alone on the hospital bed staring at the ultrasound request form.
A tiny life was growing inside her.
A tiny life that had done nothing wrong.
She gently rubbed her stomach.
“I’m your mommy,” she whispered through tears.
“And I promise…”
“No matter what happens…”
“I’ll protect you.”
At that very moment, her phone vibrated.
The screen lit up with Ethan’s name.
Her heart skipped.
For one foolish second, she believed he had discovered the truth.
Maybe he wanted her back.
Maybe he was sorry.
With shaking fingers, she answered.
“Ethan…”
His cold voice came through the speaker.
“You left some of your belongings at the mansion.”
Aria closed her eyes.
“I’ll send someone to pack them.”
Not…
“Don’t come back yourself.”
Her chest tightened.
“There’ll be no reason for us to see each other again.”
The line went dead.
Aria lowered the phone slowly.
She didn’t cry.
She couldn’t.
She had run out of tears.
Instead, she looked down at her stomach.
“You heard him, didn’t you?” she whispered sadly.
“He doesn’t know you exist.”
“And maybe…”
“It’s better that way.”
Outside the hospital window, the rain finally stopped.
A faint ray of sunlight broke through the dark clouds.
Aria took a deep breath.
That was the moment she made the biggest decision of her life.
She would disappear.
She would raise her baby alone.
And Ethan Kingsley would never know he had a child.
- Writer
