Too Late—You Cost Me Both Our Babies

A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. I pressed a hand against the wall, biting my lip. Tears had already blurred my vision without me realizing it, and a girl's grateful voice drifted through the c***k in the door. "Mr. Ward, thank you. Without you, I would have dropped out of junior high long ago. I would never be where I am today." Yes, if it weren't for Julian Ward, I would have been forced to leave school. I would have spent my days feeding pigs and working the land, married off before I was even of age. Trapped for life in that poor, remote village—I would have stayed Lauren Tylor forever. I would never have graduated from university and become Delilah Tylor—a lawyer. Julian didn't speak. He simply wrapped his arm around the girl's waist, kissing her passionately. I didn't disturb them. I turned and left quickly. The pain in my lower abdomen grew even worse. My face was deathly pale, and I was swaying on my feet. Matt found me and was startled, quickly reaching out to steady me. "Ms. Tylor, what happened?" "I'm fine." I took a breath and spoke in a hoarse voice, quickly walking out of Julian's offices. Wetness spread between my legs. I looked down, pale-faced, and saw blood trailing down my calf. I couldn't stand any longer—I blacked out and crumpled. When I woke again, the white ceiling stung my eyes. All the strength in my body had been drained away. Waves of pain radiated from my lower abdomen. The doctor stood by the hospital bed and said helplessly, "I'm sorry, but the baby didn't make it. It was barely a month old. The implantation was never stable to begin with. And the emotional shock made it impossible to keep." I lay rigid in bed, so overcome with pain that my entire body went numb. My baby was gone. Barely two short hours had passed from the moment I joyfully confirmed my pregnancy to losing him completely. This was the baby I had longed for over five whole years. I squeezed my eyes shut, scalding tears pouring out uncontrollably. Right then, my phone rang. It was Julian. My fingertips trembled. I could barely hold the phone steady as I struggled to answer. Julian's steady, gentle voice came from the other end of the line. "Where are you? Why aren't you at the office? I have something very important to discuss with you. Hurry back, will you?" The moment I heard his voice, I thought of the baby I had just lost. It felt like a giant hand was crushing my heart, squeezing until I could barely breathe. My voice came out hoarse and broken, "I can't come." "Stop making a fuss." Julian's tone instantly darkened, carrying a hard edge that brooked no argument. "Delilah, this matter is extremely important. You're a sensible person, aren't you?" I didn't argue further. I gave a calm assent and hung up. I stared at the ceiling, my tears long since dried, leaving only a hollow, dead silence. The nurse overheard me and hurried over to stop me, "Ma'am, you absolutely cannot leave right now. You just had a miscarriage. Your body is extremely weak. You must stay for observation and rest." I shook my head, pushed aside the blanket, and slowly sat up, using what little strength I had left. The dull, dragging pain was still intense. Every movement sent pain radiating through my entire body. My face went pale, and my body shook. "That won't be necessary. I'm leaving." Ignoring the repeated protests of the doctors and nurses, I insisted on discharging myself. I walked out of the hospital with unsteady steps, a cold wind blowing straight into my face. It bit into my face, yet I couldn't feel a thing. The moment I pushed open the office door, I froze. Julian was lounging at my desk, his back straight, dressed in a suit. Standing quietly beside him was a young, slender girl—Ruby Phillips. The same student who'd been in his arms, kissing him at his company just moments before.