Ashes in Hand, Divorce in Tow

No going out at night.

That rule? Only for me.

Gerard could sneak off to Peggy at 2 a.m. and no one blinked.

I bit down hard, tears streaming.

"Raphael, look at her—she's having a real reaction. She needs a hospital. Please, just take us. We'll come right back, I swear."

I was about to drop to my knees.

But Raphael? Cold as stone.

He blocked the door like a robot and told me to ask Gerard.

I called. Again. And again.

Each one declined.

When someone finally picked up, it wasn't Gerard.

"Danielle, do you even know what time it is? Can you not? If it's so important, wait till Gerard wakes up."

Peggy.

Already hanging up.

I screamed and begged, lowering my voice as much as I could. "Peggy, please. Wake him up. My daughter's having a severe allergic reaction. Just ask him to let Raphael drive us to the hospital."

"Hospital?" she snorted. "Danielle, don't think playing the pitiful mom card is gonna win Gerard over. He loves me."

I was begging now. "Peggy, I know. I'm not trying to change that. I just need to save my daughter. She's really not okay."

She paused, then shrugged like it was nothing.

"It's just an allergy. She's not gonna die. I've seen her like that before—give it two hours. And even if Gerard did wake up, he wouldn't leave me for you. Bye."

Click.

***

Gerard didn't care.

Outside, rain pounded the windows while I knotted sheets and curtains into a makeshift rope, tied it to the bedframe, and climbed down with Nadine in my arms.

It was pitch black.

I hit the ground hard, twisting my ankle on a rock.

Didn't matter. I limped toward the road, pain screaming with every step.

When I finally stumbled into the hospital, soaked and shaking, a doctor took one look at Nadine and froze.

"Emergency team—get ready!"

A crowd of adults rushed off with my baby, barely ten pounds, straight into surgery.

The OR light blinked on—then off way too soon.

The same doctor came back out, eyes heavy.

"Ms. Astor, she was brought in too late. Honestly... she might've already been gone before you even got here."

His lips kept moving, but I didn't hear a thing.

Just this sharp ringing in my ears and the unbearable weight crashing down on my chest.

Then nothing.

I passed out, and the doctors scrambled to catch me.

When I finally came to, the pain hit like a freight train—raw, relentless.

Nadine was gone.

Out of habit, I reached for my phone to text Gerard.

But the second I opened the app, Peggy's new post smacked me in the face.

[I'm pregnant! Just thinking about it makes me nervous. Good thing my boyfriend banned me from drinking—I almost hurt you, little one.]

[Welcome to the world, my baby. Daddy and I have been waiting so long for you.]