When My Groom Chose Her Over Our Dying Baby

When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was a sea of white.

I was in the hospital room. The surgery was over.

My flat abdomen told me the child... was gone. The child who had once carried so many of my hopes and dreams was no more.

I was alone, my surroundings empty. Predictably, Jonathan was with his beloved. How could he find time to care for me? Especially when he always thought I was just pretending to be ill.

A wave of despair washed over me, threatening to suffocate me.

As soon as I unlocked my phone, I received a friend request from Zahra. She seemed to be constantly watching; the moment I accepted, she messaged, "Rhea, don’t get the wrong idea, Jonathan and I are just friends."

Yet her social media posts painted a different picture. In a video, she and Jonathan sat together at a cozy café, their closeness unmistakable, with lively jazz music in the background and people egging them on to kiss. Her caption read, "Someone's whole world is back!" followed by a cute emoji.

How laughable.

Zahra was his whole world.

Then what was I? What was our child?

With trembling hands, I scrolled through Zahra's posts. She was skiing in the Alps, watching the northern lights, always with someone by her side. I could recognize that silhouette even if it was just a shadow.

So all those times he claimed to be on business trips, he was really abroad with Zahra.

A piercing pain clenched my heart, causing my entire body to shiver.

I was just a fool, kept in the dark.

Jonathan didn't care about me or our child.

Just then, my phone rang—it was Jonathan. I didn't want to answer, but he kept calling, leaving me no choice but to pick up. His voice, already annoyed, came through, "Rhea, how dare you ignore my calls? You're getting bold!"

In the past, I would have immediately offered explanations to calm him. Now, all I felt was weariness. "Jonathan, let's get a divorce."

He paused on the other end, disbelief echoing in his tone, "What do you mean?"

Before he could say more, I hung up.

But tears still betrayed me, slipping down my cheeks.

“Rhea, I was gone for just a moment, and you let yourself end up like this?” A cool, distinct voice made me instinctively look up.

He... was here.

Quinn Rogers entered the room, his stature tall enough to cast a shadow over me. His deep-set eyes conveyed a mix of intrigue and unapproachable danger.

I was frozen in bed, unable to speak for a long while.

Seeing my silence, Quinn let out a mocking laugh, "I thought you’d regret making that call. What, still not giving up?"

I bit my lip, wanting to say something, but all that came out was a sob.

Seeing my tears, Quinn’s expression softened. He wiped them away, saying, “Rhea, I left the country, but I didn’t disappear. If you're suffering, why not reach out to the family?”

The Quinn of today was almost a different person from the quiet boy in my memory. In the years since I left, he had grown so much. Yet his familiar tone soothed my chaotic heart.

But... do I have a family?

My parents died in an accident when I was young, and the Rogers family took me in. Uncle and Aunt treated me decently but were often distant. Raising me felt more like they were keeping a pet, and they repeatedly warned me not to get too close to Quinn or have any foolish ideas.

This was why, upon turning eighteen, I left the Rogers, quietly leaving the coastal city behind. When I called Quinn this time, I was prepared for him not to respond.

But unexpectedly, he came.

Looking at Quinn beside me, I was able to sleep soundly that night for the first time in a while.