My voice broke in the darkness.
“Julian… what did you do to me?”
I came to with the sharp sting of disinfectant in the air and blinding white light pressing against my eyelids.
For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. Then everything rushed back all at once, hitting me so hard it felt like I’d been thrown.
My throat tightened as I blinked slowly and forced my eyes open. A nurse noticed immediately and moved closer.
“Oh, you’re awake,” she said softly. “I’ll go get the doctor.”
I tried to push myself up, but pain spread through my body in waves. My hand went straight to my stomach without thinking.
The baby.
Before fear could fully take over, the door opened and the doctor came in, flipping through my file as he walked.
“You collapsed because of incorrect medication,” he explained calmly. “But the baby… is still alive.”
My breath caught.
Part of me expected relief. Maybe even happiness. But there was nothing like that—just a strange emptiness sitting heavy in my chest.
Because that baby… I didn’t even know who I was supposed to be carrying it for anymore.
Julian or Kieran. Either answer felt like poison.
The doctor studied me closely. “Would you like to listen to the heartbeat later?”