For him, I had been someone he genuinely loved, once upon a time.
In truth, his parents were never fully supportive of our marriage. Now that I was the one to initiate a breakup, they seemed relieved.
However, Mrs. Peterson, Charlie's mother, still hesitated. Her gaze lingered on my stomach before asking, "How about the baby?
I remained calm as I replied, “I lost it. I slipped and fell on my way to a prenatal checkup a few days ago.”
They said nothing more. They just stood aside and waited for me to leave on my own.
Before I walked out the door, I made one request from them, which was to keep the miscarriage a secret for now. They agreed without question.
Three hours before I departed from the city, I received a rare call from Charlie. "Rose," he said. "I'm sorry. Might need to stay here for another couple of weeks. There’s still some work to finish, so I probably won’t make it back in time for your next prenatal checkup.”
He said again, "Next time, I promise I’ll be there."
I heard him exhale heavily, but I continued packing without any change in my tone when I opened my mouth, "It’s fine. You take care of your work."