The Nightmare

Violet’s eyes fluttered open to an expanse of stark white. The walls were sterile, the air filled with an antiseptic smell that stung her nostrils. Confusion clouded her mind as she tried to focus, the world around her a hazy blur. She blinked several times, desperately trying to piece together the fragments of her reality.

Panic surged through her as she felt a dull ache radiating from her abdomen- a tightness, a hollow emptiness that sent her heart racing. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, one that twisted her insides and filled her with dread. She instinctively reached down, her trembling hand brushing against her stomach, only to find… nothing. 

How could this be?

She pushed herself upright, gasping for breath as the truth hit her like a freight train. Her once-swollen belly was gone, replaced by the flatness of her skin, pale and lifeless. The realization crashed over her, an unforgiving wave that left her breathless.

“No… no, no!” Violet cried out, her voice cracking in despair. The sound echoed in the sterile room, but no one came. 

“Where is my baby? Please… where is my baby?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she felt an overwhelming urge to scream, to lash out against the cruel universe that had taken everything from her. Everything. The child she had longed for, the hopes and dreams she had woven around that tiny life- they were all gone in an instant.

“Please!” she shouted again, her voice rising in desperation. “Somebody! Help me! I need to know what happened!”

Her heart raced as her thoughts spiraled out of control. 

Was it a nightmare?

She shook her head violently, trying to wake herself from this hellish reality. 

It can’t be true! I can’t be alone!

In her frantic state, she tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed, but a wave of nausea hit her, and she stumbled. That was when the door burst open, and several medical staff rushed in, concern etched across their faces.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” one of the nurses called, moving quickly to her side. 

“Where’s my baby?” Violet demanded, her voice trembling. “What did you do? I was pregnant! I had a baby!” The words tumbled out of her mouth in a frantic rush, a desperate plea for understanding.

“Ma’am, please try to calm down,” a nurse said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’re in the hospital. You lost a lot of blood, and we need you to breathe, okay? Just breathe.”

“Breathe?” Violet echoed, disbelief etched across her face. “How can I breathe when my baby is gone?” 

She felt the edges of sanity fraying as she fought against the panic threatening to engulf her.

 “You have to tell me what happened! I need to know!”

“Ma’am, you were in a critical condition when you were brought in,” the nurse continued, her tone soothing yet firm. “The doctors did everything they could, but… there were complications. You-”

“Complications?” Violet interrupted, her voice rising again, laced with desperation. “What do you mean? I need to see my baby! I need to know my baby is safe!”

Just then, Dr. Archer Clyfford entered the room, his expression serious and solemn. He scanned the scene before him, his eyes landing on Violet. The sight of her distress tore at him, but he steeled himself, knowing he had to deliver the harsh truth.

“Violet,” he said, stepping closer, his voice steady but gentle. “You need to understand something important.”

“What is it?” she demanded, her heart racing as fear coursed through her veins. “What is it? Please!”

Archer took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. “You lost the baby, Violet. There were severe complications, and we couldn’t save it.”

The words hit her like a slap to the face, and for a moment, she could only stare at him, disbelief clouding her mind. 

No. No. No.

“Liar!” she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her anguish. “You’re lying! You have to be lying! This can’t be happening!” 

She clutched her abdomen, as if willing her baby to return, to break through the cruel void that had taken its place. Archer stepped closer, concern flickering in his eyes. 

“Violet, listen to me. I wish it weren’t true. I wish I could give you better news, but I can’t. I’m so sorry.”

Her breath hitched, and she felt as if the ground had shifted beneath her. The world began to spin, and her chest tightened painfully. 

“I can’t… I can’t do this,” she gasped, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. “Everything was supposed to be okay! I was supposed to be a mother! The baby is the only thing I have right now.”

“I know,” Archer replied softly, his voice filled with compassion. “And it’s not fair. You deserved so much more. I wish things had turned out differently.”

But Violet couldn’t hear him. All she could hear was the deafening silence that followed his words, echoing in her mind. 

Gone. Everything was gone.

She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her, a feral rage directed at the universe for taking away her child. 

“What do I have left?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“You still have people who care about you, Violet,” Archer replied, his voice firm yet tender. “You’re not alone. We’re here for you. You’re going to get through this, I promise.”

But as she looked into his eyes, all she could see was the void that had opened up inside her- a chasm that threatened to swallow her whole. She felt the pain twist inside her, a raw, jagged edge that made her want to scream. 

“I lost everything!” she yelled, her voice cracking with despair. “My baby! My marriage! My husband! My father’s company! I have nothing left!”

Dr. Archer reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. 

“You haven’t lost everything, Violet. You still have your life. You can still find a way to heal. It won’t be easy, but you’re strong. You’ll find a way through this.”

Violet pulled her hand away, the rawness of her grief making it impossible to accept comfort. 

“What do you know about strength?” she spat, her voice trembling with fury. “You don’t understand what it’s like to lose everything!”

“No,” he replied quietly, his eyes locked onto hers. “I don’t. But I know what it’s like to lose someone you care about, to feel that emptiness inside. And I know that it’s okay to grieve. You need to let it out, Violet. You can’t bottle this up.”

Violet’s heart raced, her emotions swirling in a tumultuous storm. 

Let it out?

How could she let it out when every breath she took reminded her of the child she would never hold? 

The tears flowed freely now, each sob tearing through her as she struggled against the weight of her loss. 

“I can’t do this,” she gasped, her body wracked with sobs. “I can’t face the world without my baby. I don’t want to!”

“I know,” Archer said, his voice low and steady. “But you have to try. You owe it to yourself and to the memory of your child to find a way to keep going. It’s what they would have wanted.”

Violet shook her head, overwhelmed by a wave of grief so profound that it felt insurmountable. She pressed her hands to her face, muffling her cries as the weight of her loss crushed her. The reality of her situation crashed down around her, leaving her breathless. In that moment, surrounded by the sterile walls of the hospital, she felt completely and utterly alone.

Archer stood by, watching her as she succumbed to her sorrow, his heart aching for the pain she was enduring. He wanted to reach out, to pull her from the depths of despair, but all he could do was stand there, helplessly witnessing the shattered dreams and hopes of a woman he cared for, wishing desperately that he could erase her pain.

And he swore to punish Christian.