Daisy’s POV
“I’m sorry Mrs Harlen, the baby can’t make it.” The doctor’s words hit me like a slap in my face. I stared at her lips, moving slowly as she repeated herself, but the words didn’t seem real.
I clutched my phone, staring blankly at the screen, willing the notification bar to light up, hoping Brian had responded to my texts yet nothing happened.
I hold back my tears, and took a breath in closing my eyes, I needed to be strong for my baby. I didn’t want to be weak so they won’t blame me for giving up on them so easily.
I felt the doctor’s hand on mine which made me open my eyes, “Take your time to think about it and make your decision. It’s either them or the both of you.”
“I’ll step out for a moment.” I nodded, though I didn’t know what I was agreeing to. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone in the sterile room. My phone sat heavy in my hand, its blankness taunting me.
I typed a quick message:
"I’M AT THE HOSPITAL. CALL ME."
I stared at the screen, waiting for a message. Nothing, Five minutes passed. Ten. Still nothing.
Of course. Why would he bother?
I sank back into the bed, my body aching, not just from the miscarriage, but from three years of loneliness.
Three years of being invisible to the man I married. Brian was a shell of a husband physically present but emotionally tied to someone who wasn’t me.
Selena.
I still remember the way he lit up whenever her name was mentioned. He didn’t even bother hiding it. She was his first love, the one who “got away.”
She went overseas to study, leaving him with nothing but promises to stay in touch. And me? I was the rebound. The second choice, the standin wife he had no choice but to get married to.
And now, she is back.
It had been all over the news just this morning. I glanced at the TV placed in the corner of the hospital room. The reporter’s voice echoed in my head as if taunting me again.
"Selena Anderson has returned to the country after years abroad. Her former love, Brian Harlen was seen greeting her at the airport with a brand new luxury car.
Sources close to the pair confirm they are back together and expecting a baby. An engagement party is reportedly in the works."
The image that followed was burned into my mind: Brian standing at the airport, his face placed with a smile like he hadn’t shown me in years, holding Selena’s hand as they descended from the plane stairs. She looked radiant, glowing in a way I hadn’t since or ever.
I was already void of emotions, this was who Brian had turned me into. I don’t seem to recognize myself anymore. Everything was covered in being the shadow of Selena.
I was nothing compared to her.
A message pinged on my phone. My heart leapt. Finally, Brian!
I opened the text.
"Terminate it. I don’t care. Selena and our baby are my only priority now."
The world around me went down as My chest burned, and tears blurred my vision. I dropped the phone onto the bed.
How could he say that? How could he? Even if we weren’t emotionally tied, a little sympathy for his own blood wouldn’t be so bad.
I wiped off the tears that dropped in my eyes quickly and called his number. The phone rang once, twice then cut off.
He’d busied me.
It wasn’t enough that Selena had taken him from me, now, he was erasing any chance I had of keeping something someone of my own.
The door creaked open. The doctor peeked in, her expression gentle but firm. "Mrs Harlen, have you decided?"
I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out, my lips were shaking and my voice cracked, “I’ll terminate it. Let’s do that.” The words finally came out.
“Do you wish to call anyone before we begin the surgery?” She asked. I wished there was someone i could contact but I am just on my own on this .
"No" I said
She nodded and gestured for the nurse. As they prepared me for surgery, I caught snippets of their conversation.
"Did you hear about Brian Harlen ?" one nurse whispered to the other. "He’s such a romantic guy. Waiting all these years for his first love. And that car he gave her wow, what a man."
I bit my lip to keep me from crying. Of course, everyone saw him as a hero. A devoted lover. No one knew the devastation he left behind. No one cared.
The hallway leading to the operating theater was cold and impersonal. The lights buzzed faintly above. My heart felt heavier with each step. By the time they laid me on the table, I was numb.
Three hours later, I woke up, tired and empty. The nurse wheeled me into the doctor’s office, where I sat waiting for my discharge papers and prescription.
I felt empty. Like a shell of myself. I stared out of the window, watching the rain streak down the glass. My phone buzzed again, but I didn’t bother checking it. What was the point?
The door burst open, slamming against the wall. My head snapped up, startled. It was Brian. He looked so surprised as he saw me there like he never gets my text or what .
He stood there, his face hard and cold, a storm brewing in his eyes. His eyebrow was raised in a questionable manner, his fist folded like he was holding himself.
"What the hell are you doing here, Daisy?" He shouts, I scoffed at the fake emotion on his face, who was he trying to fool?
I didn’t give him a response and faced the doctor again but he touched me making me face him which made me flinch in surprise.
“I said, what the fuck are you doing here, Daisy?” His voice was sharp, demanding, each word spilling through the air like glass.
I looked at him, my expression calm, my hands folded neatly in my lap. It wasn’t calm, though not really. It was empty. A total indifference. , I didn’t let him see how his words twisted something deep inside me.
Instead, I glanced at the window, pretending not to hear him. Pretending he wasn’t even there.
“Daisy,” he said again, his voice now starting to become soft, “Don’t act like you are not listening to me…”
Before he could press further, the door opened, and the doctor walked in. She barely glanced at him as she came to stand by my side.
“Mr Harlen, please,” she said firmly, her professional tone leaving no room for argument.
“Be calm. She’s just come out of the theater. She needs rest.”
She handed me a clipboard with discharge papers and a prescription slip. “Here are the documents, Mrs Harlen,” She said gently. “Sign here, and I’ll get everything finalized for you.”
Before I could pick up the pen, Brian voice came again, he was looking rather surprised this time.
“Wait, Daisy…” He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as if he were only now piecing something together. “Don’t tell me… Don’t tell me you terminated the pregnancy.”
I froze, the pen hovering over the paper. His words were like a slap, but I wasn’t about to let him see the impact. Slowly, I set the pen down and turned to him.
“You’ve got some nerve, Brian.” My voice was soft, steady, but every word carried weight. “You’ve been ignoring my texts for hours. Hours. You made it perfectly clear how you felt about this baby.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” He snapped, his confusion genuine, or at least it seemed that way.
I leaned back in the chair, my arms crossed. “I’ve been texting you since I got here. I even called you. And you told me, in no uncertain terms, that Selena and her baby were the only ones you cared about. That I should go ahead and terminate the pregnancy because it didn’t matter to you.”
“That’s a lie,” he said immediately, his tone sharp. “I never said that. I never texted you, and you never called me. Don’t put words in my mouth.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and shoved it in front of me, scrolling through his messages. “See? Nothing. No texts, no calls. Whatever you’re talking about, it didn’t come from me.”
But I didn’t even look at the screen. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of trying to defend himself. Instead, I turned to the doctor.
“Is there anything else I need to sign?” I asked her, my voice flat, ignoring the angry Brian just inches away from me.
She hesitated, her eyes flicking between Brian and me before sliding the clipboard back toward me.
“Just these, Mrs Harlen. You’re almost done.”
I signed the papers quickly, barely noticing my shaky handwriting.
“Do I need a family member to countersign, or is this enough?” I asked the doctor, trying to keep my voice even.
She shook her head. “No, you’re fine on your own.”
I handed the clipboard back, then turned to Brian. “Go back to Selena, Brian. That’s where you belong. That’s where you’ve always belonged.”
The words stung even as I said them, but I kept my face blank. I’m tired of having to beg him for treating me right, to love me right.
It was then that I noticed her. Selena. She was standing just outside the door, her hands resting lightly on her stomach. She winced, clutching her side, her face twisting in pain.
“Brian…” she murmured softly, her voice weak.
His head snapped around immediately, his attention shifting like a common habit. “Selena?” he said, rushing to her side.
I watched as he caught her before she could stumble, his hands steadying her as if she were made of glass. His touch was so gentle, so caring.
The way he looked at her, It was like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft now, full of concern.
“I think it’s just cramps,” She said, leaning into him. “I’ll be fine.”
“Let’s get you checked out,” he said, his arm around her protectively. He suddenly stopped and looked at me.
Realizing what he had just done, there was silence between us until I decided to break it, “Let’s get a divorce Brian.”