No response. My throat tightened. The tears I had held back since he left began to spill, hot and bitter. “Why aren’t you here, Ethan? I need you,” I whispered to the empty room, my voice cracking under the weight of my solitude.
The doctor’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Rebecca, focus on me. We need to prepare for delivery. I know it hurts, but you’re almost there.” I could feel the pressure building within me, a fierce urgency that demanded release.
Suddenly, I heard it—sirens blaring in the distance. My heart sank. “What’s happening?” I managed to gasp, panic rising as the realization hit me. The police were coming. Were they here for Ethan?
“Stay with us, Rebecca,” a nurse urged, her face close to mine. I wanted to scream, to ask what they wanted with him, to understand why the world felt like it was collapsing around me. But the pain seized me again, forcing every coherent thought from my mind.
