It was my final night shift on the maternity ward. I was pregnant myself.
The last time I was in a situation like this was three years ago, when I was seven months along and had to be induced — it ended in a stillbirth that nearly destroyed me. This time, I was quitting to give this new life every chance. I wanted a healthy pregnancy, a fresh start.
An ambulance rolled in with a college kid, barely twenty. She'd fallen and miscarried; she needed a D&C. As she lay on the operating table, she clutched at my scrub top with nervous fingers. "Please, be gentle. I'm so scared of the pain."
I gave her a reassuring nod.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Can I tell you a secret? I fell on purpose. Because I'm in love with my boss."
I blinked, caught off guard.
She kept going. "I'm Kenna Jenkins, junior at Oxford University. Almost a year ago, my parents racked up these insane gambling debts, and I wound up being sold to some club. Then he saved me."
She smiled, a little dreamy. "He's drop-dead gorgeous, works in real estate, kind of a big shot in London. He told me I was beautiful, said my education and my genes were top-tier, and that he'd love me to have his baby."
"We've been together almost a year now. The luxury car and jewelry he's given me? I could fill a whole room with that stuff."
"I get the worst cramps, but no matter how swamped he is — even when he's closing million-dollar deals — he always comes home to take care of me. He even does my laundry."
Kenna's eyes went glassy. "He's the best person I've ever met, and I'm completely, utterly head over heels for him. But I know what he really wants is a kid. I've been secretly on the pill, but I slipped up while we were at a spa overseas."
"When I found out I was pregnant, I panicked. Once the baby's here, I'm terrified he'll just... leave."
She choked back a sob and looked right at me. "Here's another secret: he's got a wife back home. Her name's... oh yeah, Emely. Just like yours. Crazy coincidence, right?"
My hand shook so badly I nearly dropped the instruments.
"He says his family forced him to marry her, and he couldn't care less about her," she went on, her voice syrupy. "He calls her heartless. Told me she terminated their pregnancy and bailed on him three years ago when he was fighting for his life."
The color drained from my face. I could feel the blood leave my cheeks.
"So, do you have a husband?" Kenna asked, all wide-eyed innocence.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
She gave me a sly little smile and let the subject drop.
After the procedure, as I was getting ready to leave, Kenna slid a business card into my pocket. "I'll reach out if I need you again."
I watched her walk away, her words echoing in my head.
Real estate in London. A wife with my name. Left him three years ago when he was ill. It all pointed to Eugene Martinez.
But I couldn't wrap my head around it. Eugene, tangled up with another woman? Wanting a child with her? No. It couldn't be.
My nails dug into my palms until they hurt. Finally, I tore off my scrub top, asked a colleague to cover for me, and bolted outside to hail a cab.
"Follow that black car," I told the driver.
We raced through the city until we pulled up at some exclusive club.
I shadowed Kenna up to the second floor and watched her slip into a suite.
Standing just outside the door, I could hear voices I knew all too well.
"Eugene, you lucky son of a bitch. Drop-dead gorgeous, smart wife at home and a sweet little mistress on the side?"
"Does your wife even know you're planning to knock up someone else? She'd lose her damn mind!"
Eugene's voice cut through the smoke, dripping with contempt. "What right does she have to be pissed? After she killed our baby and walked out on me when I needed her most, she should've seen this coming. I want Kenna to have my kid, and then I'm going to rub them both in Emely's face. Prove I'm moving on without her. She's not irreplaceable."
"So you still love your wife, Eugene?"
His tone turned to ice. "I'd sooner love a stray dog. I just want her to feel the same betrayal and abandonment she put me through."
My blood turned to ice water. Hot tears burned behind my eyes.
I couldn't process how the man who'd sobbed while holding me after I came home could spit out such venom.
But I had ended that pregnancy to save his life. And I'd left to heal.
I wanted to storm in there, to tell him everything. But love had already died. What was the point?
I turned and walked away, refusing to hear another word.
Somehow, I ended up back at the hospital, finishing my last shift like a ghost.
The next morning, I left my white coat hanging and went straight to the Martinez family estate to see Frederick.
"Grandfather, I want a divorce from Eugene."
He set his coffee cup down so hard it clattered. "Did that boy do something to you? I'll have him dragged here to apologize."
I forced a tight smile. "No. We've just... we've hit the end of the road."
He stared at me for a long moment, then sighed heavily. "Does he know you saved him back then?"
I shook my head, my voice barely a whisper. "It doesn't matter anymore. Grandfather, please. Just let me go."
He finally nodded. "Alright. I'll take care of the divorce. You go take care of yourself, for a few days at least."
