003

Sophia

I woke up to the sharp smell of antiseptic, my stomach twisted into nots.

My hand flew to my abdomen instinctively, but a dull pain greeted me. Everything felt off—blurry, like I was stuck in some kind of fog.

What happened? I tried to think, but nothing came. My body felt heavy, my mind felt even heavier.

I forced myself to sit up, but the room spun violently, and I dropped back down, breathing hard. The faint creak of the door made me look up.

Someone in a doctor 's lab coat stepped in through the door, her expression was both concerned and hesitant, like she wasn’t sure what to say.

“Where… where am I?” My voice came out rough, like it belonged to someone else.

“You’re in the hospital,” she said, her tone was gentle but serious. “You were brought in critically injured five days ago. It’s a miracle you survived. Do you remember anything?”

Five days? I fumbled through my thoughts, trying to grab onto something, anything. But it was all fragments. I blinked, trying to steady myself. “The person who brought me... was it Alexander? My husband?”

Her brow furrowed, the crease deepening as she shook her head. “No. A man brought you in. He wasn’t listed as a family member. He registered as someone who found you.”

I couldn’t even speak for a moment, but I had to ask. “Did anyone else come? Has anyone been here?”

She paused, her eyes softening with pity. “No. Just him. He’s been visiting daily, though. I think he really cares.”

A bitter laugh tried to escape my lips, but it got stuck in my throat, replaced by a raw, hollow ache. Five days. Five days, and Alexander hadn’t come, not even once.

The doctor must’ve noticed my face. “How are you feeling?” she asked, carefully breaking the silence.

“Tired.” The word barely left my lips. When my hand shook as it immediately drifted back to my stomach, dread suddenly pooling deep in my chest as I asked, “My baby…” my chest was thumping loudly, “Is my baby okay?”

She froze for a moment. But her silence told me everything before she even said a word.

When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, but the weight of her words crushed me. “I’m so sorry. We did everything we could, but we couldn’t save it.”

A gasp ripped from my throat, and tears blurred my vision immediately, “No,” I choked out, the word falling from my lips again and again. “No… no… no…”

“I’m sorry madam. I will send a nurse to you. And, I'm really sorry.” The doctor slipped out quietly, leaving me alone with the weight of her words.

I stared at the ceiling, my chest felt so tight I could barely breathe. The pain wasn’t sharp anymore—it was heavy, spreading through me, swallowing me whole.

Three years. Three years I had given Alexander—my love, my trust, my future. I gave him everything.

I still remembered the way the media tore me apart, turning me into a headline. And I took it. I took it all, thinking it was worth it. Thinking he was worth it.

But In the end, I was nothing to him. Just a placeholder while he pined for her, leaving me to bleed to death as he went for his Zoey.

She didn’t just take him. She took everything else from me. My baby. My happiness. My life, almost.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms, grounding me in physical pain. It was better than the emptiness in my chest.

The betrayal cut deeper than anything else. It hollowed me out, leaving nothing behind but raw, aching anger. Anger at him. At her. At myself for loving him at all.

I was barely starting to breathe again when there came a soft knock at the door before the person stepped in. My heart skipped when I saw who it was.

“Sophia…” she trailed off, standing at the door with shock and surprise, “I heard from the media..” She asked, coming closer slowly as she bent by the bed and kneel touching my face, “What happened to you? Where is your husband?”

I turned away feeling ashamed of myself as I let my tears flow freely, soaking the bed and the pillow, “I lost the baby… my baby's gone.”

“Oh, Sophia…” Her voice cracks, and she bites back her own tears. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. What about Alexander... What did he have to say when this happened?”

I couldn’t meet her eyes, ashamed of what I was about to admit. “He... he” I trailed off, my voice broke again. “He wasn’t there, Hannah. I was bleeding...He left me... for her.”

Hannah’s expression froze, her soft features hardening into something steely, “For her?” she repeated.

“I saw her. Zoey. He… he brought her to the house.” I stopped as I recounted Zoey’s cruelty, and Alexander’s indifference, including the moment he chose her over me. Over us.

Hannah closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to suppress the anger building within her. When she opened them again, they were blazing. “He left you. Bleeding. Alone. For her?” she asked again, her voice shaking with barely contained fury.

I nodded, unable to say anything else. My throat burned from the sobs, and my chest ached with every breath I took.

She stood abruptly, pacing the small hospital room. Her fists were clenched at her sides, “Son of a bitch…I fucking knew it. And I told you Sophia, I told you… but…” She sniffled, touching me lightly before coming to myself and took my hand, “It’s okay, it's all okay, he's not worth it, he's not worth your tears Sophia.”

“I…” I choked on what I'm about to say when Hannah's phone rang. She glanced at the screen and let out a small sigh.

"I have to take this real quick," she said, standing up and stepping to the side.

I stayed quiet, listening as she answered the call. Her voice shifted too focused, like the Hannah I’d always known when she meant business.

When she hung up, she looked back at me with an apologetic expression.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, sitting down again for just a moment. “I have to go. The company… Well, they changed the CEO, and the new boss just called for a meeting. It’s important, and I can’t skip it. But I’ll come back, okay?”

I nodded, not wanting to make her feel worse.

“Take care of yourself,” she said, giving me a small smile. “And don’t think too much, alright? Just… try to rest.”

She gave my hand a light squeeze before walking out the door, leaving the room quiet and a little too empty.

I glanced at the door, my thoughts drifting to the old memories.

Like me, Hannah grew up in the orphanage. I still remember the first time I won an award at the talent show. It was one of the few bright spots in those early years. I was recruited by a sports agency soon after.

And a year later, when I needed a manager, I chose her without hesitation. We were all each other had back then, leaning on one another to get through everything.

Then Alexander came along. I lost my best friend and, not long after, my career.

I never imagined she’d come back into my life, let alone be here for me after all that happened.

I sighed, trying to push the memories away as I shut my eyes. Feeling broken, completely ruined.

And yet… My mind suddenly drifted to the man the doctor said had helped me, and had been coming constantly. I could now remember the kind of worry and pain in his voice as he called my name, saying I should not close my eyes. Who was he anyway?