When I lost the baby, Ethan wept outside the delivery room. Even the nurses were touched, whispering enviably, "Your husband loves you so much. You’re lucky." I looked at Ethan, who was carefully blowing on a spoonful of soup to cool it down for me. "Yeah, I am." But later, I saw a field of red roses covering an entire hillside. And I saw him standing there, shouting, "I love you!" to the girl who killed our child. 01 Ethan had been incredibly busy lately. Busy meeting clients, busy with board meetings, busy with "networking." He’d come home in the middle of the night, reeking of alcohol. "Chloe, I’m so tired." He would kiss me on the forehead. "But when I think of you and the baby, it’s all worth it." I would gently stroke my belly, looking at him with heartache as he passed out from exhaustion. This was our third year of marriage. Finally, we were having a child. Ethan and I met in college. Relying on his sharp business acumen and my unwavering backend support, we built our startup from a garage project into a thriving company. Two years ago, we actually conceived. But back then, the company was in a critical growth phase. We were running ourselves ragged, flying across the country every other day. "Let's not keep it," I had said, cupping Ethan's face, my voice firm but shaking. "We can have children later. But this opportunity for the company... it’s once in a lifetime." Ethan’s eyes had turned red. I knew how hungry he was for success. We had poured our blood and sweat into this business. I couldn't let my personal desires destroy the hard work of so many employees. Even though I loved kids, for the sake of our future, I gave up that first pregnancy. Now, "Ethan & Co." was stable. We were finally getting our wish—soon to be a family of three. Even though I was only four months along, Ethan had banned me from doing any work or chores since the day the stick turned pink. Buzz. My phone lit up on the nightstand. I quickly silenced it, terrified of waking Ethan. It was a picture message. I clicked it open. It was a photo, taken at a tilted, secretive angle. Across a candlelit table sat a man. The photographer was clearly a woman—her hand was visible in the corner, slender, with an intricate manicure and a distinctive crystal charm bracelet. But my eyes were glued to the man’s hand across from her. On his wrist was the diamond-encrusted Cartier watch I had given Ethan for his birthday just days ago. My heart started hammering against my ribs. I zoomed in. On the man's index finger, there was a faint, white scar. It was Ethan. That scar was from our first year of marriage. I couldn't mistake it. Back then, the company was just starting, and we needed every penny for capital. We lived in a cramped studio apartment on the outskirts of the city to save on rent. The building was ancient, and the wiring was shot. One night, the power cut out while Ethan was chopping vegetables. He sliced his finger open in the dark. I scrambled to find the first aid kit by the light of my phone screen, bandaging him up with trembling hands. We sat in the dark, eating cold sandwiches because the electric stove wouldn't work. "Chloe," his voice had been dry and raspy. "I'm sorry I'm making you suffer like this." "One day, I promise, I’ll give you the happiest life imaginable." I had leaned my head on his shoulder. "I know." I believed in that future. And true to his word, we eventually got that life. Until that hand appeared in another woman's photo. 02 When Ethan woke up the next morning, I had already made oatmeal. Watching him scroll through his phone with a faint smile, I asked, casually as I could, "Who was the dinner with last night?" Ethan glanced at me. "The General Manager of OmniCorp. You’ve met her." I had met her. The GM of OmniCorp was indeed a young woman. I nodded and didn't say anything else. Ethan put down his spoon. "What’s wrong?" "Nothing," I said softly. "Just try not to drink so much next time." "I know. The Omni contract is still up in the air. I have to go meet her again today to finalize terms." I cleared the table. "Okay. I have my prenatal checkup this afternoon. Are you free?" Ethan walked over, wrapped his arms around me from behind, and kissed my cheek. "Babe, this partnership is make-or-break. Can you drive yourself to the clinic this one time? I’ll go with you next month, I promise." I looked up at him. "But the doctor said these first few months are crucial. I really wanted you there." Ethan looked me in the eye. "Chloe, please. Be reasonable." That phrase. It sounded so familiar. A few months ago, when we found out I was pregnant, he used that same tone. "Chloe, I want you to step back from the company for a while." "The stress is too much. I’m worried about you." I was surprised. I had weathered the stormiest days of our startup; I wasn't fragile. "It's fine, I can—" "Chloe," he had looked at me with intense seriousness. "I don't want anything to happen to our baby." "Please. Be reasonable." Seeing his determination, I had agreed. Just like today. He smiled, coaxed me into eating a few more bites, and left for the office. I got dressed and headed to the hospital. That drive would change my life forever. 03 I was waiting at a red light when the car behind me slammed into my bumper without braking. The impact was massive. Inertia threw me forward, and despite the seatbelt, my lower abdomen slammed hard against the steering wheel console. A sharp, tearing pain ripped through me. My vision blurred. The driver of the other car ran up and tapped on my window. I used every ounce of strength to pop the door open. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking at the light..." It was a young, pretty girl. Her sweet, apologetic smile vanished instantly, replaced by horror. "Oh my god... you're bleeding..." she shrieked. I looked down. Blood was soaking the beige car seat. My baby! Panic, cold and sharp, woke me up. "Call 911! Now!" I screamed. "No, wait, the ambulance will take too long. Get in my car, I'll drive you to the ER! It's two blocks away!" The girl hesitated, looking terrified. "I... I'm scared to move you..." I roared at her, "Drive! My baby is dying!" Frightened by my hysteria, she helped me into her passenger seat. She was sobbing as she started the car, but instead of focusing, she called her boyfriend. "Babe, I accidentally hit a pregnant lady's car... she's bleeding a lot... I'm driving her to the hospital, what do I do? I'm so scared..." She listened to the voice on the other end, calming down slightly. I was frantically trying to call Ethan. Line busy. Again. Line busy. Pick up, Ethan! Our baby! I dialed the office line in desperation. "Put Ethan on the phone! It's an emergency!" My assistant sounded confused. "One second... wait, he was just here. Where did he go? He literally just vanished." "Find him and tell him to call me!" I yelled and hung up. We arrived at the ER. Nurses rushed me onto a gurney. The diagnosis came quickly: severe trauma caused a placental abruption. I had lost the baby. Lying on the hospital bed, moments before surgery to remove the tissue, I heard the girl whining to her boyfriend on the phone in the hallway. "Can you hurry up? I'm really scared. What if she tries to sue me for everything?" The anesthesia kicked in. A single tear rolled down my temple. I'm sorry, baby. 04 When I opened my eyes, Ethan was sitting by my bed, eyes rimmed with red. "Ethan..." My voice was a croak. He quickly poured me water. "Chloe, I'm so sorry. I was in a meeting..." I paused for a long time before finding the strength to speak. "The baby... the baby is gone." Ethan took a deep breath and forced a pained smile. "I know. Chloe, it was an accident. Nobody wanted this. Don't worry, we can have another one." "Where is she?" I suddenly remembered the driver. "The girl who rear-ended me." Ethan stroked my hair. "I told her to go home. The police contacted me about the accident report. It'll depend on their investigation. Having her here would just upset you, so I sent her away." Tears began to fall again, soaking the pillow. "Why? She should pay for this!" Ethan was silent for a moment. "In these cases, it's usually just financial compensation." I closed my eyes. "I wish she could go to jail..." "Chloe, jail won't bring the baby back. It's pointless to fixate on punishment." I opened my eyes, looking at him in disbelief. "Pointless? She killed my child! She just pays a fine and walks away? What about me? Can money fix this?" Ethan frowned. "That's how the law works. Chloe, listen to me. We will have other children. That girl is in her early twenties. A criminal record would ruin her entire life." He sighed. "I know you're grieving. I'm hurting too. Just focus on getting better. Don't think about the messy stuff." I stared at Ethan, trying to find the man I married. He looked the same. But his words... they didn't sound like him. Was I just overwhelmed with grief? Was I being unreasonable to want someone to pay for their mistake? Seeing my expression shift, Ethan gently took my hand. "Chloe, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
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