Love Like the Stars

My face turned pale. I pressed one hand tightly against the wound on my forehead, while the other gently moved toward my abdomen.

Theodore hadn’t noticed. Instead, he turned around and reached for the car keys to take me to the hospital.

But just then, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, and in an instant, seemed to abandon his plan.

Without a second thought, he picked up the call.

Whatever was said on the other end of the line made his expression suddenly serious, yet his voice was soft, unusually tender.

"Don’t worry. I’ll be right there."

He hung up, grabbed his keys, and rushed to the door.

As he reached the entrance, I called out to him.

"Theodore!"

He didn’t stop moving, but when he looked at me, his eyes were filled with disgust.

"Something’s happened to Emi. Can’t you, just for once, stop being so needy and understand what’s going on?"

I stood up, one hand holding my forehead, the other clutching my abdomen.

The intense pain made it hard to breathe, but I pushed through the agony and forced myself to speak.

"I know. I won’t stop you from going to her," I said, my voice weak. "But can you please call an ambulance for me first? I don’t think I can hold on much longer."

Theodore’s expression darkened as he glared at me.

"You’ll say anything to keep me from seeing Emi, won’t you?" he sneered. "It’s just a little blood on your head. What’s the emergency?"

With that, he left and slammed the door behind him.

The pain was overwhelming, almost unbearable. I forced myself to stay conscious as I slowly made my way toward the dining table.

What usually took a few steps now felt like an impossible journey. By the time I reached it, blood had already pooled beneath me, forming a trail across the floor.

I bit my lip hard, trying to keep myself from blacking out. Grabbing my phone, I barely managed to give the dispatcher my address before everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already night.

The first thing I saw was a doctor standing over me, concern in his eyes. Noticing I had regained consciousness, he asked me a few routine questions and then spoke gently.

"Miss Sands, the blood test results show that you are six weeks pregnant," the doctor said gently.

"However, your forehead injury is quite serious, which complicates the situation for your baby. You need to take precautions to protect your pregnancy."

I sat on the bed, momentarily at a loss as I stared at the doctor.

"You mean I'm... pregnant?"

"Yes. You need to rest well," he replied before turning to leave.

Suddenly, I found myself alone in the vast hospital room. It took me a long time to process the news of my pregnancy.

I tried calling Theodore but the call would not connect.

Just then I received a notification for a new post on my Instagram account. It was Emily.

[You are my childhood sweetheart, my forever support.]

In the accompanying photo, she stood behind Theodore, fear evident on her face as she looked at a cockroach in front of him. Theodore held her protectively in his arms.

They looked so sweet together, and many of her followers commented on the photo.

[Couple goals!]

[Are they squashing a cockroach or showing off their love? My heart can’t take it…]

I let out a hysterical laugh.

I wasn’t going to bother trying to reach Theodore, so I called the best divorce lawyer in the city.

"Hello, I’d like to inquire about getting a divorce…"

By the time I hung up, it was already late at night.

Gazing up at the starry sky, I was surprised to feel a sense of relief wash over me.

A week went by before my condition stabilized.

During that time, Theodore hadn’t called me once.

I didn’t think much of it but on the day of my discharge, I saw his name on my caller ID.

As soon as the call connected, I heard the edge in his voice.

"Do you even care about this family?" he asked.

I remained silent for a long moment before finally responding.

"I'm in the hospital."

It was his turn to be silent. No doubt he had forgotten about the time he had struck my forehead with a vase.

Just as I was about to hang up, Theodore spoke again.

"I'm coming to see you. Wait for me at the hospital."

I frowned, ready to refuse, but before I could voice my objection, he had already hung up.

Looking out at the pouring rain, I had no choice but to sit in the hospital lobby and wait.

An hour passed, then two, and still, he did not show up.