4: 4
The force of it whipped my head to the side.
My ears rang, and half my face went numb and hot at once.
Black swam across my vision. I stumbled back two steps and dropped straight down onto the tile.
"Blake! Why would you hit Muriel! I... I'm not hurt at all."
"Blake, I'm preg—"
Before I could finish, Blake strode over, bent down, and blew gently on the raw spot on Muriel's skin, his touch light, as if he were afraid of breaking something fragile.
"Still saying you're fine? Look how broken the skin is."
I sat on the floor, staring blankly at the two of them.
Something inside me was draining away, piece by piece, caving in.
"I'm taking her to clean and dress this first."
"I'll be with her on the trip these next few days. We'll be back after the promotion party the day after tomorrow. You use the time to think about what you've done!"
More than once I'd wanted to go on a business trip with him. Every time he'd turned me down with "it wouldn't be appropriate."
The dragging pain low in my belly grew heavier, and something warm slid slowly down the inside of my thigh.
Blake had already swept Muriel up into his arms. He didn't look back at me once.
Before I lost consciousness, I heard a panicked scream near my ear:
"Blood—"
...
The night of Muriel's promotion party, the room was full of guests, everything blazing with light.
The two of them stood together in matching business suits, a strikingly well-matched pair.
Someone at the table teased,
"Mr. Gilbert, you dote on Director Pruitt far too much. No wonder everyone says the two of you never got over each other."
Blake gave a low laugh, his tone cool and distant.
"It's just professional courtesy."
His eyes swept the room. He didn't find me anywhere.
He found Jamie, a colleague I was close to. "Have you seen Georgia?"
Jamie had just opened her mouth when a hotel server stepped quickly to Blake's side and handed him a package.
"Mr. Gilbert, this is a rush delivery from the hospital. They said it had to go into your hands personally."
Blake's face went still for a second, and an uneasy premonition crept up from somewhere he couldn't name.
Before he could tear the package open, Muriel gave his arm a little shake, her voice soft.
"Blake, it's time to toast the executives. Oh... a file from the hospital."
She spread her hands and gave a helpless little laugh.
"It's been three days already. Georgia still hasn't gotten over it? She really is just like you said. Such a child."
Pulled back by her, Blake set the file down without a thought, tapping his fingertip against the surface, full of certainty.
"The hospital called me a couple of days ago and I didn't pick up. She's probably still sulking at me."
"I'll take some time off later, take her to Disneyland, buy her the things she loves. A couple of soft words and she'll come around."
In his eyes, all of this was just me acting up to get his attention, throwing a little tantrum.
Through the toasts that followed, he kept checking his watch.
He left early, going out of his way to stop at a dessert shop for the strawberry cake I loved most.
Then he bought a bouquet of the sunflowers I loved best.
"Georgia, I'm home."
"Stop being angry. Look what I brought you."
No answer.
An inexplicable dread rose in him. He walked quickly into the bedroom and shoved the closet door open, and his heart skipped a beat.
Inside it was empty.
Panic shot up from the soles of his feet through his whole body and clamped down hard on his heart.
The sunflowers and the cake hit the floor. He tore the package open roughly, and when he saw what was inside, his pupils shrank to points.
