Midnight Rose

Chapter 2

I sat in my car forcing myself to relive the events of the night. Scenarios and what-ifs flooded through my head, making me wish there was something else we could've done to save her life.

But that was silly. What's done is done, and I can't change the past, at least that's what I was telling myself over and over, almost like a mantra. It didn't help much though.

I unlocked and stepped into the apartment I shared with my husband Nick.

I weaved my way through the kitchen to grab something to eat before heading up to bed. Upon reaching my bedroom door, I found it was closed. Which is unusual but I thought nothing of it as I stepped into the room.

"Oh, Ella! I thought you were working night shift tonight?" Nick asked me.

"I was supposed to, but my supervisor let me come home early," I said.

"Nice."

I walked into the bathroom and saw lingerie on the floor that wasn't mine. An uneasy feeling rose in my chest.

With the utmost care, I picked up the lacy garment and showed it to Nick. I could see the shame in his eyes almost immediately.

"What the hell is this?"

"I bought it," he stammered

"For who? It's certainly not my style or size," I said, tapping my foot on the carpet.

He said nothing, which only confirmed my worst fear. Tears welled in my eyes as I threw the lace onto the floor and stormed out to my car.

"Ella, wait! I can explain!" Nick called, racing after me. He stood in front of me and prevented me from closing my car door.

"There's nothing for you to explain, now move out of my way. You'll be hearing from my lawyer in the morning," I said, my anger seething, about to boil over.

"For what?" he asked.

"I want a divorce." I nudged him out of the way so I could close my door before driving off.

And so, I drove through the night, I didn't have a destination in mind, but I wanted to get as far away from that house as I could.

As the sun rose, I crossed into Virginia state lines. I could feel exhaustion sinking into my bones, so I decided to drive to the nearest hotel to rent a room.

"Can I have a name for the rental?" the receptionist asked me.

"Ella Harrison." I said, smiling at her. Though internally, I cringed at the name, hoping to be free of it soon.

"Alright, Ms. Harrison, your room is three ninety-six, enjoy your stay with us."

"Thank you."

I took the key card from her and headed to my room. I considered crashing on the bed, but a sudden wave of nausea overcame me, becoming priority over everything else.

"Oh!" I dashed to the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet bowl. After a few minutes, it seemed that the worse had passed. I stood up and rinsed my mouth out, still feeling slightly uneasy.

"I wonder what brought that on?" I murmured, trying to think of what had made me sick. I don't think I've eaten anything bad recently, so it's not food poisoning.

I tapped my foot on the tile floor while waiting for the eureka moment to hit me.

When it did, I was almost afraid of the answer it presented. Trying to prove myself wrong, I pulled out my phone to open the cycle tracker I had been using. And sure enough, that betrayed me, too. My period is over four weeks late. One thought came to mind.

I'm pregnant.

The small voice in the back of my head chanted the phrase repeatedly. Without a thought, I lifted the hem of my scrub top and pressed my palm against my abdomen. My skin was hard to the touch.

My baby.

Never in a thousand years had I imagined myself as a mother, but this new reality slammed me in the face, demanding all my attention.

I have a few phone calls to make.