The Stars No Longer Shine for You

The moment those words left Chloe's mouth, Ethan's grip on the steering wheel faltered. The car swerved sharply, coming to a sudden, slanted stop in the middle of the road.

A loud screech of tires followed as the cars behind us were forced to brake abruptly.

A furious driver jumped out and stormed over, shouting, "Do you even know how to drive? You can't just turn like that here!"

Ethan's forehead veins bulged as he clenched his jaw, taking a few moments before opening the door to argue with the man. He didn't even glance at me—still curled up in pain in the passenger seat.

The abrupt stop had slammed my abdomen against the car's interior.

I could barely speak. A warm, distinct sensation spread beneath me, accompanied by an unmistakable scent.

It was the other driver who noticed first. "Hey, isn't that your wife? She doesn't look good. Did she get hurt?"

Only then did Ethan finally turn his gaze to me. Both hesitated as they approached, but neither dared to touch me. Their eyes were fixed on the dark red liquid pooling beneath me.

Ethan's expression twisted with panic. His voice trembled as he crouched beside me. "Honey, it's going to be okay. Our baby will be fine."

He reached out to touch my abdomen—then froze. His eyes widened in shock as realization dawned.

My stomach was already flat.

His hands shook uncontrollably. "Honey—" His voice cracked. "Where's our baby?"

My consciousness began to drift, pulling me into a haze where memories surfaced—memories of a time when Ethan had just graduated, back when we were still deeply in love.

Until Chloe came along.

When did I first start to notice the signs?

Perhaps when Ethan, who never cared for photography, suddenly became skilled at taking pictures.

Perhaps it was when he would vanish for weeks, unreachable, only for me to later learn he had been hiking Mount Rainier at night with Chloe, watching the golden sunrise together.

Or perhaps it was when, despite knowing how much it would hurt me, he gave Chloe my wedding dress and made me wear the bridesmaid's gown instead—just to amuse her.

A gentle voice pulled me back to consciousness.

A sharp, burning pain seared through the spot between my nose and upper lip.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the head nurse who had taken care of me during last night's shift.

She let out a sigh of relief the moment I woke up, quickly wiping away her tears. "I was so worried about you!"

Then she shot a fierce glare at Ethan.

"Are you out of your mind? Why the hell did you suddenly switch lanes like that?

"She just lost her husband and her child—her body and mind are already fragile! Do you have any idea that because of your reckless driving, she almost lost her life too? What kind of family member are you? How could you be this careless? Did you bring her out of the hospital just to watch her die?"