Married My Ex-husband’s Father

3

Morana’s POV

For several seconds, I didn’t understand what the doctor said. I stared at him as though he had spoken another language, my fingers still resting over my stomach. There was nothing there. No movement or pain that could explain what he had just told me. Just an awful emptiness that seemed to spread through my entire body.

“I miscarried?” I repeated, my voice so quiet that I barely heard myself.

The doctor nodded slowly, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry. You were brought in after a significant impact and your body was already under considerable stress. We did everything we could once you arrived, but the pregnancy could not be sustained.”

I looked down at my hands. Pregnancy. My baby Now there was nothing to tell Julian about. The baby died before I could celebrate it. A tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly.

“Does my husband know?” I asked in a shaky voice, my eyes downcasted.

“No. We haven’t been able to reach him.” There was something off in his tone too.

“Okay.” I nodded as though that was perfectly reasonable.

The nurse moved closer but I turned my face away because I didn’t want her to see me crying. I didn’t want sympathy. I didn’t want anyone looking at me like I was something broken. I wanted Julian and that was the humiliating part. After everything, I still wanted him.

I stayed in the hospital that night because I couldn’t bring myself to go home. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say when I walked through those doors. I didn’t know how I was supposed to look at Julian after he had ignored nine calls from me while I was lying unconscious somewhere on the side of the road.

Sometime after midnight, my phone finally lit up. My heart jumped before I could stop it. Julian! I grabbed the phone immediately to find only one message.

Julian: Where are you? You missed the party.

I stared at the message my brain short circuiting. He is not serious is he?

Not Are you okay?

Or Why weren’t you answering?

Or I heard you were in an accident.

Not even What happened?

I read the message again, my lips began to tremble. A laugh escaped me but it sounded nothing like laughter. I pressed my hand against my mouth.

“You missed the party.”

I whispered the words to myself then guffawed again because really, what else should I do? That was what mattered to him after all. I dropped the phone onto the bed and covered my face with both hands.

Then I cried. I cried until my chest hurt. I cried for the baby I lost before I even got the chance to hold it. I cried because I had spent years loving a man who could not be bothered to notice when I disappeared. I cried because I stood in that kitchen that morning worrying about whether Lena would like her birthday decorations while nobody in that house thought twice about sending me away when I was already sick.

Most of all, I cried because some stupid part of me was still waiting for Julian to walk through the hospital door because if he did, I’ll forget everything yet again. He never did.

By morning, I made my decision. I refused to stay another night here rotting in bed and being helpless.

The doctor tried to convince me to rest longer but I insisted that I wanted to go home. My body hurt and my head was still pounding but the thought of remaining in that room and waiting for someone who clearly wasn’t coming hurt more.

When I finally left the hospital, I didn’t go to the Volkov house. I went to my best friend’s apartment knowing she won’t be there but she gave me her keys to stop by whenever I wanted. I dropped my bag beside the sofa and stood there for several minutes without moving. Then I called the only person I knew would answer.

“Tory.” My voice broke the moment she picked up.

“Morana?”

I pressed my hand against my mouth but it was too late. I started crying again.

“Morana, what happened?” Victoria asked immediately, her voice changing with concern. “Where are you?”

“I lost the baby.”

There was silence on the other end then I heard her inhale sharply. She knew what it meant for me. I wanted that baby like my lifeline because I thought having it would bring Julian back to me.

“What?”

“I miscarried.” I sat down on the sofa and bent forward, my hands shaking as I tried to hold myself together.

Victoria was quiet for a few seconds before she asked gently “Does Julian know?”

“No.” I laughed bitterly.

“Why?”

“Because he never came.” I wiped my cheeks. “He didn’t even call me. He only messaged me asking where I was because I missed Lena’s birthday.”

“Morana.” Victoria has gritted her teeth in anger.

“I’m done.” I said it before I could lose my courage. “I want a divorce.”

“Good.” There was no hesitation in her response because I know she’s been waiting for this. She endured all my rants.

“Tory.”

“No, I’m serious.” Her voice was firm now as she entered her mother-mode. “You’ve been talking about leaving him for months and every time you found another reason to stay.”

“Let me do what I should have done years ago. I’m getting you out.” She sounds like she won’t back out even if I do and I almost panicked. Do I even want this? Am I just hurt?

Victoria Hayes was a lawyer. She never liked Julian and she liked his family even less. She spent years telling me that I was giving too much of myself to people who treated me like I was disposable. This time, I didn’t argue.

“How fast can you prepare the papers?”

“Give me a few hours and I’ll bring them to you.”

“No.” I looked toward the window. “I’ll go to the house.”