IT’S GONE

NIA.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Vaughn. You have been confirmed three weeks pregnant." The doctor informed me, and I could feel the joy radiating from within, my face on its own accord, crumbling into a smile.

"Thank you so much!" I appreciated getting up hurriedly, just wanting to get back to the company and inform Nate right away. He was going to be so happy.

Though our married life wasn't so perfect, I could already envision this baby making it even more blissful. 

"Be careful; you don't want to stress it," The doctor called out after me as I dashed out of the hospital, into my car, and straight to the office.

"Nate, Nate, Nate." I chanted happily as I pushed open the door, ready to jump into his lap and share the awesome news, but what I saw next made me drop my bag, my eyes widening in disbelief.

"N-nate?" I stuttered, blinking and trying to absorb the scene in front of me. On Nate's lap was Ashley, her arms wrapped around his neck, his around her waist as they engaged in a passionate kiss.

I could feel my heart shattering as tears rushed to the brim of my eyelids.

"Impossible," I muttered, shaking my head sideways, refusing to believe.

Just then, they broke from the kiss, and when Nate saw it was me, he just rolled his eyes before claiming Ashley's lips in his again, giving no regard to me.

My hands holding the doorknob trembled, and I felt my legs wobbling. I collapsed to the floor with a loud thud before I could stop myself, distracting them again.

'How come she was here? Didn't she leave like a year ago?' I pondered, trying to hold back my pending tears.

"Get off the damn floor, Nia, and stop being a drama queen." Nate snapped, and I could hear the disgust laced in his tone. My chest tightened.

"Take it easy, Nate; it's a shock to her." Ashley scolded amidst giggles, bursting into laughter, and Nate joined. I struggled to stand on my feet and watched as they looked so happy together, making a fool out of me.

"What is going on, Nate?" I demanded, a tear already dropping, but I held back the rest. It wasn't needed.

'I was still the wife, and she was just an ex.' I thought, trying to calm myself.

At my question, Nate scowled.

"What does it look like?" He demanded, his grip on Ashley's waist tightening as she relaxed into him, his chest, while playing with his shirt buttons. The shirt I lovingly ironed this morning.

"Why is she on your lap, and what is she doing here?" I enquired, furrowing my eyebrows at him, waiting for an explanation.

I would understand if she was the one who forced herself on him, and since she was his ex, he couldn't resist. I just needed an explanation, for things to be set straight.

"Surely you are not that dumb. I came to claim what is mine." Ashley replied instead, and I turned to glare at her while waiting for Nate to say something to refute what she said, but he never did.

Rather,

"She is right, Nia, so please excuse yourself, for as you can see, we were in the middle of something before you came in." He said nonchalantly, and Ashley hid a grin before burying herself deeper into his embrace.

I stood there dumbfounded, my mouth hanging open as both pain and rage filled me at the same time. Without thinking, I charged over to Ashley and dragged her off Nate's lap.

She didn't belong there.

"Nate, help." She shrieked as she struggled to release herself from me, but I didn't allow that. 

"Are you out of your mind?" Nate roared at me, the thin lines of his brows jumping in surprise at my actions, but I didn't care.

Who the hell did she think she was to just come out of nowhere and try to take my husband away from me?

We were still struggling, and Nate was about to get up from his chair, still hurling insults at me furiously, when I felt a painful kick to my tummy.

I screamed, my eyes bulging in shock as it felt like I was given a stab wound. I released my hold on Ashley immediately to clench my throbbing stomach as I fell to my knees, letting out a groan and breathing heavily.

My vision began to go blurry as I sat on my butt, feeling the pain increase and something wet trailing down my thighs.

"No, no, no." I managed to whisper, dropping a tear before slipping into unconsciousness with just one thought.

'Please be safe.'.

"Beep, beep, beep." I flicked my eyes open to the sound of the hospital monitor beeping and looked around immediately to find myself in the hospital ward.

I was confused at first, but then memories hit me immediately, and I gasped, looking at my tummy and struggling to place my hand attached to a drip on it.

'How did I get here?' I pondered because the last thing I remembered was Ashley giving me a sharp kick to the tummy.

I stiffened. I don't know why, but I felt empty, and my heart started racing immediately, my hands trembling as fear clawed at my heart.

"Oh God! Please". I muttered, pressing my lips together when he spoke.

"Too late." I turned to see the doctor standing near me, his hands folded across his chest as he gave me a pained look.

"I warned you to be careful." He reminded me, and I went numb immediately, finding it hard to breathe as all pent-up emotions came flowing.

I didn't want to believe it, so I shook my head sideways, searching his gaze for any reassurance but found none.

"The baby is gone." He dropped the bomb, and I froze at first, feeling everything around me fade before realisation hit me, and I burst into a loud cry immediately, feeling like my world just crumbled, like a knife was being twisted into my guts.

The doctor rushed to console me, patting me on the back as I wept in his arms, trying to gather strength but feeling pale. The pain was just too much, unbearable.

I barely even got to bond with it. As soon as I found out about its existence, it left.

The thought of that just made me cry more as I felt my heart squeezing in pain.

"What is the ruckus all about?" At the sound of his familiar voice, glee filled me instantly, and I turned to reach for him, tears in my eyes.

"Nate, the baby is gone." I told him and busted into a loud wail again, still reaching for him and his warm embrace. His consolation would be enough, but Nate just stood, rooted to the spot, his expression blank.

"So you were pregnant?" He asked, but it seemed more like a careless saying.

I reared backward in shock, and so did the doctor, who squinted his eyes at him.

"Sir, she just lost your baby; you should be consoling her." The doctor reminded him of his duties, but he just snorted, walking closer, and then I noticed a document in his hand.

I don't know why, but I began to have this sense of dread, as my tummy turned, and my palms were going sweaty.

"Sign it." He ordered and flung the document into my lap. With shaky hands, after some moments of silence, I turned it over to see it was a divorce agreement.

'How cruel can he be to serve me a divorce on the hospital bed after losing our baby?'