My Fire Captain Husband Locked Me In To Attend Her Birthday Chapter 02

My Fire Captain Husband Locked Me In To Attend Her Birthday Chapter 02

“Mrs. Vance? You’re awake.”

I opened my eyes to harsh white light. A doctor stood at my bedside with a clipboard.

“You’ve got a hairline fracture in your right arm, soft tissue damage in your left leg, smoke inhalation, blunt abdominal trauma, and multiple lacerations and abrasions. You’re stable now.”

My mouth was bone-dry. My voice came out scraped raw.

“We discovered during resuscitation that you were six weeks pregnant. I’m very sorry. The pregnancy could not be saved.”

I stared at the ceiling and my ears filled with static.

Pregnant. I’d actually been pregnant.

Three years of trying. Fertility treatments, endless doctor’s visits, cycle tracking, elimination diets, I’d tried everything. Every month, disappointment. Every time, I told myself next time.

I’d finally gotten pregnant. And now the baby was gone. 　　Killed by his own father.

I turned my head, grabbed my phone off the nightstand, and called Dominic.

It rang long enough I almost gave up. Then he picked up. Music and laughter crashed through the speaker. Tessa’s voice rang out right next to him, sharp as glass. 　　“Dom, come cut the cake already!”

I gripped the phone and spoke through the raw ache in my throat. “Dominic, I’m in the hospital.”

“And?” His tone was bored. “Are you done now?”

“I was pregnant.”

One beat of silence.

“The baby’s gone.”

He let out a cold laugh.

“Willa, you’re something else. First you call the fire department. Then 911. Now you’re faking a pregnancy and a miscarriage?”

His voice went hard with sarcasm. “Should you brace yourself for the part where you tell me you almost died?”

I closed my eyes. “I jumped from the second-story window.”

“Keep it up.” He scoffed. “It’s Tessa’s birthday and you can’t stand it, can you?”

My voice came out very quiet. “Come to the hospital. See for yourself.”

“I don’t have time for this.”

He hung up.

I lowered the phone and opened Instagram.

Tessa had just posted a new Story. She was beaming at the camera from behind a birthday cake, and Dominic stood right behind her, his hands adjusting the little party crown on her head, looking at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

The caption read: [someone promised me forever birthdays.]

I looked at it for two seconds. Then I closed the app and texted Lenore Kim. 　　[Draft a Divorce Settlement Agreement for me.]

She replied immediately. [You’re finally ready?]

[As fast as you can.]