Divorced : My Ex-Begs for My Return

I ran my fingers over my slightly swollen belly, feeling a bitter irony settle in my chest. The illegal underground clinic had terrible reception, so I sat staring at the TV, watching as it lagged and glitched its way through the grand engagement ceremony of a powerful, wealthy family. The father of my child was there, standing beside his first love, accepting the congratulations of friends and family, announcing to the world that he was finally with the woman he had loved all along. And here I was, forced into this shady clinic to get rid of his baby. My phone vibrated in my bag. It was Ellentt. His call felt like fingers tightening around my throat, choking me. What had I been to him for the past five years? Surprisingly, my voice was calm when I answered, "What do you want?" He didn't acknowledge my question, cutting straight to the point. "Where are you?" My heart clenched. There was no way I could tell him I was at an underground clinic, ready to get an abortion. "I'm outside." "Meet me later." His voice was emotionless, cold. Before I could say anything, he hung up. He wasn't asking me—he was telling me, and whether I agreed didn't matter. "Aurora Harper, 23 years old, three months pregnant. Are you here voluntarily for the abortion?" The doctor walked over with my test results in hand. "Of course she is! What do you think she's here for? Sightseeing?" A woman—Nasar Yeager—snapped, answering for me before I could even open my mouth. The doctor hesitated, then lowered his gaze. "Madam, even though this is an underground clinic, abortion is a serious matter. We still need both the patient's and a family member's signature." Nasar snatched the consent form from his hand, scrawled her name across it, and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "There. Done. This dump is really something else—like a damn rat hole." Before I could protest, she signed my name, too. A suffocating pain clamped down on my chest. I didn't want this. I didn't want to give up my child. This baby was the only proof that Ellentt and I had ever been together. How pathetic. I couldn't have his love, and now I couldn't even keep our child. Nasar was already pushing the doctor to start the procedure. She shoved me toward the operating table, and panic surged through me. I struggled to sit up, but she pinned me down. Desperate, I blurted out, "This baby is Ellentt's! At least let him know before you do this!" She let out a cold laugh. "And then what? You think he'll suddenly want to be with you?" Her eyes were filled with contempt as she sneered, "A nobody like you? Ellentt waited five years for his fiancée. Now that they're finally engaged, do you seriously think he'd throw that all away for you?" Her words sliced through me like a knife, sharp and merciless. His fiancée was his first love, the girl he had never been able to forget. And me? I was just a passing distraction. A toy he could toss aside whenever he wanted. Tears slipped down my face, silent and unnoticed. The cold, sterile lights of the operating room burned above me as the surgeon reached for the waistband of my pants. Instinctively, I grabbed at them, holding on tight. "The procedure requires it," the doctor said flatly. I stared at his emotionless face. This was just another routine job for him, nothing more. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "A three-month-old baby... will it feel pain?" The doctor hesitated. "At this stage, it's not as bad. If it were later, yes, but right now..." A lump formed in my throat. My voice cracked. "I couldn't protect the baby. Then at the very least, I'd save him the pain." He didn't reply but just prepped the anesthesia. As the dizziness kicked in, I instinctively grabbed his wrist, my grip weak but desperate. "Please... be gentle. I don't want my baby to feel pain." But was it really my baby's pain I was worried about? Or mine? I didn't know anymore. All I knew was that I had to do everything I could... to make sure it didn't suffer. The world faded into darkness. In those last few seconds before I lost consciousness, I clung to one impossible hope— That when I woke up, my baby would still be there. That all of this would have been just a terrible dream. But it wasn't a dream. When I opened my eyes, barely twenty minutes had passed. I reached for my stomach. It was flat. Empty. The last fragile connection I had to Ellentt—gone. I sat up weakly, and pain shot through me like a knife. I let out a bitter laugh. If not for the pain, I might've thought that emptiness was all in my head. Then my phone rang. I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to stay calm. Ellentt's deep, low voice came through the speaker, sharp with a warning. "Are you trying to disappear again? Aurora, don't test my patience." The ache in my chest became unbearable. I wanted to scream, to lash out. And then I heard him say, "Where are you? I'll come pick you up. Let's go home." Pain twisted through my gut, raw and relentless. I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Don't bother." My voice shook with anger and grief. "Pick me up? For what? What 'home' are you even talking about?" There was silence on the other end. Then his tone dropped even lower, ice-cold. "Send me the address. Now!" The door swung open, and Nasar walked in, looking smug. "Aurora, now that the abortion's done, pack your things and get out of Ellentt's place. Don't get in the way of his relationship with his fiancée." My heart skipped a beat. There was another pause on the phone, and then Ellentt's voice came through, low and dangerous— "What abortion? You were pregnant? Aurora, answer me!" I sensed the anger in Ellentt's voice as he pressed me, "Where are you now, exactly?" I trembled. Five years of obedience had trained me well—before I even realized it, the words spilled from my lips. "Underground clinic... five kilometers outside Suburban Garden..." The call cut off. Nasar's face drained of color. She didn't need to ask who had been on the line. Panic flashed across her face as she snatched my phone from my hands. "You called Ellentt?!" Before I could speak, a sharp slap landed across my face. "You little b***h! Why the hell did you call him?!" My ears rang. My cheek burned. I barely heard my own voice when I said, "He called me." "Liar!" Her panic morphed into rage. "He's with his fiancée. Why the hell would he be calling you?" Something inside me twisted painfully. Still, I clung to one last shred of hope. "What if... what if he still cares about me?" But another voice—colder, crueler—whispered back, 'He doesn't. He never did.' Nasar's eyes burned with fury. If looks could kill, I would have died a thousand times over. And then— The clinic doors slammed open. A tall figure strode in with long, furious steps. Ellentt. My heart nearly stopped. His breathing was heavy, his broad chest rising and falling rapidly. But I couldn't lift my head. I couldn't look at him. Nasar stepped up, her face a mask of fake regret as she hooked her arm through Ellentt's. Her eyes were icy, staring at me like I was a traitor who'd abandoned her own child. But I loved that child more than anyone. No one could fathom the torment I was enduring! She turned to me with mock pity in her eyes. "Ellentt, I'm so sorry... I tried to stop her. But she insisted on getting rid of your baby."