The year I got pregnant was the year they found the cancer.
The technology at the time couldn't cure me.
Kieran held me, his eyes rimmed red. "I have azoospermia. Getting you pregnant was a one-in-a-million miracle. Please don't terminate. Please. Just delay the treatment."
"I've spent five years researching human cryogenic technology. The moment there's a cure for you, I'll wake you up. I promise."
I endured the agony of the illness and carried the baby to term. I got one single look at my child before they wheeled me into the cryogenic chamber.
But now, Kieran had a new wife. A new home.
Everything I'd sacrificed felt like a joke.
My tears finally fell, landing silently on the cold hospital sheets.
Angelica sighed and handed me a tissue.
"There were three of you in this round of the cryogenic trial. The families of the other two came to the hospital right away."
"Don't be too upset. Focus on getting better, and your family will come take you home soon."
A sharp pain lanced through my chest. I shook my head. "I don't think I have a family anymore."
Angelica's hand stilled for a moment. She set a business card on the bedside table with a look of pity.
"That's rough. If you ever need help with anything, give me a call."
She gathered her things and turned to leave.
I stared at her retreating figure, then spoke before I could stop myself. "Could I visit your home?"
Angelica turned back, surprise written across her face.
I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. "I'd like to thank Professor Pruitt in person. He saved my life."
Angelica considered it for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Sure, why not. He should be getting off work soon. Come with me."
The car pulled up in front of a two-story house.
I followed Angelica inside and froze in my tracks.
A family portrait hung in the entryway. A family of three.
By the floor-to-ceiling windows, an orange tabby lounged in a patch of sunlight.
"Make yourself at home." Angelica set her purse down and walked over to the window, stroking the cat. "Butterball, we have a guest."
I stared at that cat, and the blood drained from my body.
The year we got married, I told Kieran I wanted a cat.
He frowned and said he was allergic to cat hair. Said it made him sneeze, made his eyes water.
So I let it go.
Now I knew the truth. It wasn't that he couldn't have a cat. He just didn't want to bother. Not for me.
Angelica went to fill the cat's bowl. My gaze drifted to a photo album on the coffee table. My hands trembled as I opened it.
Page after page of their life together.
Kieran and Angelica at the beach. Kieran riding a carousel with her. On Angelica's birthday, Kieran had cooked an entire spread.
In every single photo, his smile was so tender. So adoring.
When I was with Kieran, he was always busy.
Too busy to eat dinner with me. Too busy to remember our anniversary. Too busy to come to a single one of my prenatal appointments.
I'd told myself that was just who he was. A workaholic. Not the romantic type. Not good at showing affection.
Turns out he was perfectly capable of making the effort. Just not for me.
Angelica dialed a number, a sweet smile blooming across her face.
"Professor Pruitt, that patient you saved came by to thank you. Come home early, okay?"
Kieran's voice came through the phone. Even from where I sat, I could hear the warmth in it. "Got it, babe. I'll be right there."
"I'll pick up some of that sweet osmanthus cake you love on the way."
Angelica hung up and smiled at me. "That man. He's in his thirties and still can't stand being apart from me."
"A while back, Graystone wanted to transfer him to Harbor City for a stretch. He turned it down flat because he couldn't bear being away from me. Said no matter how busy work got, he had to come home to me and our son every night."
Bitterness flooded my mouth. A sour, hollow ache spread through my chest.
When I was his wife, business trips were routine. Sometimes he'd be gone for two weeks straight, and he barely even called.
