Chapter 1
December 24th, Christmas Eve. Snow was falling heavily outside.
Calista Marchand woke up in the emergency department at the hospital downtown, blood everywhere as they wheeled her toward surgery. All she could think about was her baby.
She grabbed the doctor’s hand, her voice barely a whisper. “My baby… Please save my baby.”
The doctor’s expression was grim as he leaned down. “Ma’am, we’ve been trying to reach your husband, but he’s not picking up.”
Calista couldn’t believe it. She asked for a phone from the doctor and, with trembling, bloodstained fingers, used what little strength she had left to call Lucien Fenwick.
The phone rang forever before someone finally answered. Fighting through the pain, she gasped, “Lucien, please—”
A cold voice cut her off immediately before she could finish speaking. His voice was thick with irritation and indifference as he asked, “Calista, how long are you planning to keep this up? I’m on a business trip. Can’t you be more understanding?”
She bit her lip hard, tasting blood. “I’m hurt, Lucien. Really hurt. Please come back…”
He had run out of patience and interrupted her again. “Whatever it is can wait until I get back. I’m hanging up now. I’m busy.”
But Lucien didn’t hang up. That’s when Calista heard it—the soft, sultry voice in the background.
“Lucien, was that Cali? Is everything okay?
“I left your towels on the bed. Your phone! Lucien, she didn’t overhear us, did she?
“Maybe I should call and explain…”
“What’s there to explain?” Then he hung up.
Listening to the dial tone, Calista felt her heart breaking piece by piece, as if needles were stabbing through it. Indeed, there was nothing to explain. After all, they’d been together all along, hadn’t they?
If she hadn’t called, they would probably already be in bed. Still, why did it have to be that day of all days?
That day was her and Lucien’s third wedding anniversary!
He had promised to take her to Eldoria for New Year’s, but when it was time to leave, he called her a hassle and took Ophelia Marchand instead. She had pleaded with him, assured Lucien over and over that she wouldn’t be any trouble, that she’d keep to herself, but he still chose Ophelia.
Devastated, she had fallen down the stairs. She called the ambulance herself, but then got into a car accident on the way to the hospital.
A single tear rolled down Calista’s cheek and disappeared into her hair. Her chest ached with raw pain. After three years of marriage, she was nothing but a burden to him.
Suddenly, the heart monitor started beeping frantically.
“She’s crashing, Dr. Lester! There’s a massive uterine hemorrhage! We can’t get it under control!”
“Get her to surgery now!”
…
When Calista woke up, more than two weeks had passed. A nurse was adjusting her IV drip.
“You’re finally awake, ma’am!”
Calista’s voice came out hoarse and rough as she asked, “Am I in the hospital?”
“Yes, and you’re incredibly lucky to be alive. You just woke up, so you need to stay still. But… we still haven’t been able to reach any of your family.”
Calista’s hand immediately went to her stomach. “My baby… Where’s my baby?”
The nurse quickly tried to calm her. “Slow down. You can’t get worked up right now. Dr. Lester did everything he could to pull you through.
“I’m so sorry, but… the baby didn’t survive. I know this is heartbreaking, but there’s always hope for the future…
“I truly am sorry for your loss.”
She couldn’t bring herself to tell Calista the complete truth that the vehicular pile-up had killed several people. One of the paramedics in the ambulance that brought her to the hospital had died in the crash. Calista was one of the few survivors.
Calista stared blankly ahead, tears streaming silently down her face. She felt like her heart was being ripped from her chest.
It was as if countless sharp blades were slicing through her, each cut deeper than the last. The pain was so suffocating that she could barely breathe.
If only Lucien had looked back at her before leaving that day, maybe the accident never would have happened. Perhaps she wouldn’t have lost their baby.
Maybe her little one would still be safe inside her.
Tears slipped down her cheeks and disappeared into her dark hair. For three years, she had thought about divorcing Lucien countless times. But then this baby came along unexpectedly, filling her with hope she hadn’t felt in so long.
But now…
The only thing left connecting her to Lucien was gone. Her baby was gone!
In the two weeks she’d been hospitalized, no one from the Fenwick family even knew about the accident. She could have died, and probably no one would have noticed.
If that was the case, what was the point of staying in this marriage? Thus, Calista decided that it was time to end this charade once and for all.
