What he wants
1262 Words
Scott's brows furrowed.
"What didn’t you tell me?"
Michael hesitated and for a moment, he didn't answer.
Then he exhaled slowly and lowered the file in his hands.
"She was pregnant."
Scott blinked.
"...Was?"
"The impact caused complications."
Scott slowly turned toward the hospital bed.
Ruth had bruises marking her pale skin.
She looked like she had been suffering.
Michael's voice was quiet when he spoke again.
"She lost the baby."
Silence filled the room. Scott stared at her. It shouldn't matter.
She was a stranger, someone he had pulled from a wrecked car on a rainy road.
Nothing more but yet his eyes drifted to the wedding ring on her finger.
Something tightened in his chest.
Not pity, something else that he couldn't name.
Michael spoke again.
"Judging by the ring, her husband should probably be informed."
Scott tore his gaze away.
"I'll handle it." He said flatly as he walked out.
**
The next day pain woke Ruth before consciousness did.
It settled deep in her bones.
Her head throbbed and her body ached.
Slowly, she opened her eyes to see a white ceiling above her.
A lump formed in her throat when she heard the beeping machine.
The door opened immediately.
A nurse hurried inside.
"Oh, you're awake."
Ruth tried to sit up.
Pain shot through her body.
She gasped.
"Easy," the nurse said gently. "You've been in an accident."
Accident.
The word triggered her memories.
Ruth swallowed. "What happened?"
The nurse checked her chart.
"You were brought in after a hit-and-run. A gentleman found you and brought you here."
"A gentleman?"
"CEO Scott Rowland."
"You are very lucky," the nurse continued. "He paid for everything."
Ruth leaned back weakly. stranger saved her and paid her bills, it felt strange to her.
"We also contacted your husband." The nurse added
Ruth froze.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Hope tried to rise despite everything.
Maybe Caleb would come, maybe he would see her lying here and realize what he had done.
The nurse looked uncomfortable and said.
"He declined the call."
Ruth blinked.
"What?"
The nurse lowered her eyes.
"His response was he was busy."
For a moment, Ruth couldn't breathe.
Then she laughed, a small broken sound.
The nurse looked startled.
Ruth lifted her hand slowly.
Her wedding ring caught the light.
The symbol of three years.
Three years of hoping, waiting and believing things would get better.
With trembling fingers, she removed it.
The metal felt strangely cold.
She placed it on the bedside table.
"He’s not my husband anymore."
The nurse said nothing.
Ruth forced herself upright.
"I need to leave."
"You can't."
"I said I'm leaving."
Her voice cracked.
But she pushed herself off the bed anyway.
Pain exploded through her body.
Still, she kept moving. She had to get out before Caleb changed his mind.
Before he came here, she didn’t want to see his face again.
She barely reached the door before her knees weakened.
The nurse caught her arm.
"Ma'am, please stop. You haven't been discharged."
"I'm fine."
"You are not fine."
"I don't need anything."
Another nurse rushed over.
"You lost blood ma’am. You need rest."
"I can't stay here."
Her voice broke.
"I can't let him see me like this."
The nurses exchanged confused looks.
"Who?" one asked gently.
That was all it took. The tears finally came. "He didn't help me."
Her voice trembled.
"He watched me suffer."
The tears rolled down her cheek.
"I kept thinking if I tried harder... if I loved him enough..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"But he never loved me."
The nurses stood frozen.
Neither knew what to say.
At that moment, Michael appeared.
"I'll take it from here."
“Ok Dr Michael.”
The nurses immediately stepped back.
Doctor Michael gently guided Ruth toward a nearby chair.
"You need to calm down."
"I need to leave."
"No."
His voice wasn't harsh, just firm.
"Your body isn't ready."
Ruth looked away.
Michael was silent for a moment.
Then he said quietly,
"There's something else you need to know."
Something in his tone made her look up.
His expression softened.
"The tests showed you were pregnant."
Everything stopped.
Ruth stared at him.
"What?"
"You were approximately eight weeks along."
The words echoed in her head.
Pregnant.
She had been pregnant. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
Of course life would do this.
She had finally carried his child and she had lost it before she even knew it existed.
Fresh tears slid down her face.
Michael quietly handed her a tissue.
Neither spoke for a while.
Eventually, he stood.
"Try to rest and as for your husband, he won’t see you unless you want him to. I’ll make sure of it."
Ruth nodded. “Thank you doctor.”
After he left, she laid back in bed staring at the ceiling.
Her mother was gone.
Her marriage was over and now this.
She didn't know whether to mourn the baby or be grateful that there was nothing left connecting her to Caleb.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
The door opened and a man stepped inside.
Ruth’s eyes roamed over him.
He walked to her side.
"Good thing you’re awake."
She stared at him confused.
Upon noticing, he added
"I’m the man who brought you here.”
Finally, Ruth looked away.
"I'm sorry about the hospital bills, I'll pay you back, I promised"
Scott raised an eyebrow.
"Most people start with thank you."
Ruth blinked.
Then whispered,
"Thank you."
A corner of his mouth twitched.
"That sounded painful."
For the first time in days, something close to a smile appeared on Ruth's face.
It disappeared just as quickly.
Scott's eyes drifted toward the bedside table.
Toward the wedding ring then back to her.
"Anyone who says he's too busy to come after hearing his wife was in a car accident isn't worth crying over.”
Something inside Ruth shifted.
For the first time, someone had looked at her pain and called it what it was.
Wrong.
Scott turned toward the door.
"I'll have someone arrange whatever you need when you're discharged."
Then he left, leaving Ruth staring after him.
Something in her chest tightened.
*******
Green Moon Mansion
"What do you mean she left?"
Mrs. Winfred's voice echoed through the study.
Caleb rubbed his temples.
"Mom, how am I supposed to know where she went?"
"She's your wife."
"Well not anymore." He replied.
The room fell silent.
Mrs. Winfred slowly stood, her eyes widened.
"What did you just say?"
Caleb exhaled.
"She signed the divorce papers."
For a moment, his mother simply stared at him. Then her face hardened.
"You served her divorce papers?"
"Technically, I didn't force.."
"Enough."
The sharpness in her voice cut him off.
"Do you remember why you married her?"
Caleb looked away.
Mrs. Winfred's eyes flashed with anger.
"Her father died saving your father's life."
Caleb stayed silent
"This marriage wasn't a business arrangement. It was a promise."
Caleb clenched his jaw.
"Mom I did ask for any of this, I love someone else.."
"I don’t care, find her." She uttered
The order was final.
"The board must never hear about this, in fact that divorce never happened."
Caleb frowned.
"What does the board have to do with anything?"
Before Mrs. Winfred could answer, his phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
Caleb opened it casually and the color drained from his face.
Three words stared back at him.
“She was pregnant.”
His fingers tightened around the phone.
Pregnant?
The message blurred for a second.. What has he done?
- Writer
