Sophia
I woke to the sharp smell of antiseptic, my stomach twisted into knots.
My hand flew to my abdomen instinctively, but a dull pain greeted me. Everything felt off—blurry, like I was stuck in a heavy fog.
What happened? I tried to think, but nothing came. My body felt heavy; my mind felt even heavier.
I forced myself to sit up, but the room spun violently. I dropped back down against the pillows, breathing hard. The faint creak of the door made me look up.
A woman in a doctor's coat stepped inside. Her expression was concerned, hesitant, as if she wasn't sure what to say.
"Where… where am I?" My voice came out rough, sounding like it belonged to someone else.
"You're in the hospital," she said, her tone gentle but serious. "You were brought in critically injured five days ago. It's a miracle you survived. Do you remember anything?"
Five days? I fumbled through my thoughts, trying to grab onto something, anything. But it was all fragments.
I blinked, trying to steady myself. "The person who brought me... was it Alexander?"
Her brow furrowed, the crease deepening as she shook her head. "No. A man brought you in and with the name he left, he isn't Alexander. He wasn't listed as a family member either."
I couldn't speak for a moment, but I had to ask. "Did anyone else come? Has anyone been here?"
She paused, her eyes softening with pity. "No. Just him. He's been visiting daily, though."
A bitter laugh tried to escape my lips, but it got stuck in my throat, replaced by a raw, hollow ache. Five days. Five days, and Alexander hadn't come. Not even once.
I shouldn't have been surprised. I was only angry at myself for hoping.
The doctor must've noticed my expression. "How are you feeling?" she asked, carefully breaking the silence.
"Tired." The word barely left my lips as I felt like breaking into another sob. But all of a sudden my hand drifted back to my stomach, trembling, and dread pooled deep in my chest as I remembered something, "My baby…" My heart pounded against my ribs. "Is my baby okay?"
She froze. Her silence told me everything I needed to know.
When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, but the weight of her words crushed me. "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could, but we couldn't save the pregnancy."
A gasp ripped from my throat. Tears blurred my vision instantly. "No," I choked out, the word falling from my lips again and again. "No… no… no…"
"I'm sorry, madam. I really am sorry. I have to go now, I'll send a nurse as soon as I'm out, if you're feeling any pain, don't hold any information back from them okay?" The doctor slipped quietly out right after, leaving me alone with the weight of her words.
I stared at the ceiling. My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe. The pain wasn't sharp anymore, it was heavy, spreading through me, swallowing me whole.
Three years. Three years I had given Alexander—my love, my trust, my future. I gave him everything.
I still remembered the way the media tore me apart, turning me into a headline. And I took it. I took it all, thinking it was worth it. Thinking he was worth it.
But in the end, I was nothing to him. Just a placeholder while he pined for her, leaving me to bleed to death as he went for his Zoey.
She didn't just take him. She took everything else from me. My baby. My happiness.
Why did I survive? Why didn't I just die? Why?
The betrayal hurt more than anything else. More than my body, broken and weak. More than the way he had looked at me and walked away.
I didn't know how long I lay there, but eventually, the door opened again. I turned my head expecting a nurse, but when my gaze landed on the visitor, my heart began pounding.
Hannah stood there. Her face was pale with shock, but her eyes held something close to guilt. Maybe pity.
"Sophia…" she whispered. "The hospital called…" She walked closer slowly, then knelt beside the bed, touching my face. "What happened to you? Where is your husband?"
I turned away, ashamed, letting my tears flow freely into the pillow. "I lost the baby… my baby's gone."
"Oh, Sophia…" Her voice cracked, and she bit back her own tears. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry you're going through this. What about Alexander? What did he have to say when this happened?"
I couldn't meet her eyes. "He... He..." My voice broke. "He wasn't there, Hannah. I was bleeding... He left me for her."
Hannah's expression froze, her soft features hardening into steel. "For her?"
"I saw her. Zoey. He… he brought her to the house." I stopped, my hands trembling by my sides as I remembered Zoey's cruelty.
Hannah closed her eyes, trying to suppress the anger building within her. When she opened them again, they were blazing. "He left you? For her? That aside, please tell me he was here." Her voice shook with barely contained fury.
I shook my head negatively, unable to speak. My throat burned from sobbing, and my chest ached with every breath.
She stood abruptly, pacing the small hospital room, fists clenched at her sides. "Son of a bitch… I knew it. I told you, Sophia, I told you… but…" She sniffled, composing herself before taking my hand again. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. He's not worth it. He's not worth your tears."
"I…" I choked on my words, but Hannah's phone rang, cutting me off. She hesitated for a second before glancing at the screen, then she sighed.
"It's from the office. Can you give me a second? I have to take this real quick," she said, stepping to the side.
I stayed quiet, listening as she answered. Her voice shifted, becoming focused—the business-minded Hannah I'd always known. When she hung up, she looked back at me apologetically.
"I'm so sorry," she said, sitting down for just a moment. "I have to go. The company… well... they changed the CEO, and the new boss just called for an emergency meeting. It's important, and I can't skip it. But I'll come back as soon as we're done okay? We'll talk about this once I'm back."
I nodded, not wanting to make her feel guilty.
"Take care of yourself," she said, giving a small smile. "And don't think too much, alright? Just… try to rest."
She gave my hand a light squeeze before walking out, leaving the room quiet and empty.
I stared at the door, my thoughts drifting to old memories.
Hannah and I grew up together. We were best friends, inseparable from kindergarten through college. I still remember our graduation; it was one of the few bright spots in those early years.
After graduation, I worked at my father's company, while she chose to make her own way, refusing to rely on her parents. We were all each other had back then, leaning on one another to get through everything.
Then Alexander came along. I lost my best friend, and not long after, my family.
I never imagined she'd come back into my life, let alone be here for me after all that happened.
I sighed, trying to push the memories away as I shut my eyes. I felt broken. Ruined.
And yet… my mind drifted to the man the doctor mentioned. The one who brought me here and has been visiting daily. Who is he? Was he the same person who saved me that night?
Why does it matter? He could've just left me to die. That way, I wouldn't have to know about losing my baby. I wouldn't be feeling this pain.
But now that I'm alive… now that I'm here, all I feel is rage. Rage toward the two people who took everything from me.
I wasn't going to lie down and die.
I would burn them to the ground, even if it kills me.
I will make sure Alexander and Zoey regret everything they did. For every single drop of pain.