Chapter 132
Chapter 132
“Sorry, I stumbled upon it by accident.”
Mark’s voice was gentle as he apologized and then explained how he came to know.
It all started when Christine posted about my car accident and hospital stay on Facebook. He asked for my room number, planning to visit me today.
But when he arrived at the hospital, he happened to overhear a nurse talking about me. Not only was I injured, but I had also miscarried, and shockingly, I was discharged on the same day.
I pressed my lips together, “So, you got into a fight with him…”
“It was just a heat of the moment thing.”
Mark brushed it off lightly, giving me a warm glance, “How about you? How have you been these past few days?”
“It’s hard to say.”
I looked down, suddenly finding the words, “I used to dream of a perfect marriage with him. Then, when I got pregnant, I couldn’t wait for the baby to arrive, to become the center of my world, my only family. But now.”
I gave a bitter smile, “I don’t even know what’s left worth holding onto.”
Everything felt meaningless.
My hand instinctively touched my stomach, where no child would ever call me “Mom” again.
Mark’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he pulled the car over to the side of the road, looking at me intently, “Jane, are you sick?”
I was taken aback for a moment before shaking my head, “No, just feeling a bit emotional,”
I had lost so much in just a few days. Timothy, my child, they were the most important to
1.
But Mark didn’t seem to relax..
Once we got to the office and I came down with a storage box, he helped me put it in the backseat and handed me a fast-food combo meal.
“A quick bite on the way. I’ll take you to a place, Shall we?”
“Where to?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” Mark’s voice was clear and soothing.
10:03
“Better apply some ointment first.”
I handed him some bruise cream I had picked up from the office’s medical room, pointing to his cheekbone and the corner of his mouth.
He didn’t say, but I guessed his fight with Bryant was somehow because of me.
Mark smiled gratefully and began to apply the ointment in the mirror.
Once done, he carefully stored the cream back in the car.
“It’s nothing.”
He had helped me a lot, so this was the least I could do.
I remembered how, during my college days, fast food was my-to for venting negative emotions.
There were burgers, fried chicken, fries, but instead of soda, he got me hot chocolate. After finishing the meal and tidying up the trash, I realized we were headed towards the suburbs. The quiet of the outskirts was more calming than the city’s noise.
Leaning my head against the window, I gazed out, unaware of the tears that had started to form.
I couldn’t let go of the child, and what made it harder was knowing they could have been.
part of this world.
As the night deepened, we drove up a mountain road, where cars were rare.
Finally, near the summit, Mark stopped at a lookout point and said, “Wait here for a moment,” before getting something from the trunk.
He came back with a long overcoat, men’s size, big enough to cover me from head to toe, “It gets chilly at night, better stay warm.”
Dressed and stepping out, I was greeted by a breathtaking view of the star-filled sky!
He leaned casually against the car, “Reminds you of the starry nights when we were kids?” I thought back, “Yes, exactly. I haven’t seen stars like this in years since living in the city.” “When I
was eight, my mom passed away.”
Mark looked up at the night sky, his thoughts wandering far, “After she left, I’d sit in our yard waiting for her to come back, but she never did.”
“Until, a little girl from next door told me that those who leave us become stars in the sky, watching over us, wanting us to be happy.”
That idea felt familiar, comforting even though it was a widely known sentiment.
10:03 Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
Mark’s eyes reflected the night sky as he looked at me, “So, Jane, you gotta keep your chin up and live your best life, remembering all the love your folks showered you with, okay?”
10:03