Left on the Road

On the day I went into labor, my husband got a call from his first love while we were racing to the hospital.

He didn't hesitate for a second before pulling over and dumping me on the side of the road. Riley has an emergency, and I have to be there for her. You know she can't handle things without me, he said.

Because he left me, I didn't make it to the operating room in time. My baby was stillborn.

While I was grieving, his obsession posted a status on social media.

"My sweet little girl is finally here. I'm so lucky you were by my side."

The photo showed my husband with a look of pure tenderness, bottle-feeding a newborn kitten.

I wiped away my tears and left a comment under the post.

"Tell him to come sign the divorce papers. I'm stepping aside so you can be the happy family you've always wanted."

...

After learning my baby didn't make it, I lay in the hospital bed feeling utterly hollow. My body wouldn't stop shaking.

The doctor didn't want me to see the body, fearing it would break my mental state. I screamed like a madwoman, forcing myself upright to see my child.

"My baby... I need to see my baby..."

He was healthy and kicking inside me just yesterday. Today, he was gone.

I had waited so long for him, praying for his arrival. No one had the right to keep me from him.

Seeing my desperation, the doctor finally brought him to me. My tears fell like rain onto his silent, still body. I held him gently and wailed.

If being abandoned on the road made me lose hope, this made me lose my soul.

I hated Silas Vaughan. We had been married for years, and while it wasn't always a fairy tale, I thought we had mutual respect.

Yet, he threw his pregnant wife out of a car just because Riley Zeller called him. It was the most evil thing a man could do.

Once my body recovered slightly, Lexi helped me walk to the incinerator. I had to watch them take him away.

He was so small. He didn't cry or move, looking like he was just taking a nap.

I was so numb with pain that the tears had finally run dry.

The doctor patted my shoulder with a heavy sigh. "I'm so sorry for your loss. You're young; you can have another child someday."

Another child? I let out a cold laugh in my head. The grief felt like a massive boulder crushing my chest.

I would never have another child with that man. Just the thought of his face made my stomach churn with disgust.

When I got back to my hospital room, someone was waiting for me. It was Lexi Lane, my best friend since we were kids.

My nose stung, and I collapsed into her arms.

"Lexi, he's gone. It's my fault. I didn't protect him. He was so perfect, a beautiful little boy. He should have seen the world. I'm a horrible mother."

My tears soaked her shirt as I sobbed. Lexi held my shoulders tightly, her own eyes turning red with rage.

Once I calmed down, she looked like she wanted to hunt Silas down and end him.

Before I could stop her, she let out a scream of frustration and nearly smashed her phone.

I turned my head and saw the notification on my own screen.

It was a post from Riley Zeller. The photo only showed Silas's hand, but I knew it instantly.

Ever since Riley came back to town, he had stopped wearing his wedding ring. He claimed that a happy marriage didn't need symbols to prove it.

I hadn't felt like arguing with him then. But he had started wearing a vintage watch.

I knew without asking that Riley had given it to him.

Now, he was wearing that token of their love on the day our son died. He was flaunting their happiness for the world to see.

My heart twisted into a knot. Riley's caption read, "My sweet little girl is finally here. I'm so lucky you were by my side."

The next photo showed Silas's face clearly. He was gazing lovingly at a tiny kitten in his arms.

What a sick joke. He couldn't be bothered to see his own son enter the world, but he rushed off for a cat.

My son's life was worth less than a kitten to him. My vision went black from the pain, and I bit my lip until I tasted blood.

Lexi pulled me into a tight hug, her voice trembling as she tried to soothe me.

"Nora, I'm here. I've got you. Don't be afraid."

She was shaking just as much as I was, yet she was trying to be my rock.

I reached for my phone with a trembling hand and whispered, "Lexi, I'm okay."

But I wasn't okay. Nothing would ever be okay again. My son was never coming back.

I wiped my eyes and typed out the words that would end my marriage.

"Tell him to come sign the divorce papers. I'm letting you two be a family."

I shut the phone off immediately. Every time I thought of that cat, I thought of how my son died for it. I wanted to scream.

Lexi was crying openly now. Suddenly, a phone started ringing loudly. It was Silas.

I picked up, and his voice immediately started barking through the speaker.

"Are you losing your mind, Nora? It's just a birth. Every woman goes through it. There are hundreds of doctors at that hospital. What difference does it make if I'm there or not?"

"Riley's cat is different. If I hadn't been here, she would have died. Stop being so dramatic and show some empathy!"

Empathy? I couldn't hold back the fire in my chest anymore.

"It's a damn animal, Silas! Was a cat really worth more than your own child? Or are you just a beast yourself? Do you even hear yourself right now?"

I had always been the quiet, gentle wife. I never raised my voice at him. My sudden outburst left him stunned for a long moment.

"You're being completely irrational," he spat before hanging up.

My son is dead, and he expects me to be rational?

Lexi saw that I was finally done with him. She looked like she wanted to set off fireworks in celebration. She grabbed my phone and saved the screenshots of Riley's post.

She stood up, looking more serious than I had ever seen her.

"Nora, if you want this, I will make sure he leaves with nothing. Every cent he spent on that girl will be paid back. I'll make sure he's ruined."

Lexi's father was one of the most powerful attorneys in the city, but she usually kept that quiet. Silas always thought she was just a girl from a normal family. He was about to find out how wrong he was.

I nodded, feeling the last bit of love I had for him wither away.

If a cat's labor was more important than me, I didn't owe him any more of my life.

Hours later, Silas finally showed up at the hospital. He hadn't even changed his clothes. He looked exhausted but happy.

"Where's the baby? Let me see him. I'm finally a dad."

He was living in a fantasy world. I touched my empty belly, my voice like ice.

"Go look for him in hell, Silas. I didn't want him to be lonely down there, so why don't you go join him?"

I looked him dead in the eye with pure hatred. Silas flinched and stepped back, his face turning red with anger.

"I've told you a dozen times. Riley's cat was having a medical emergency. You've been going to check-ups every month. I'm not a doctor, so why does it matter if I was here?"

"Have you had enough of this tantrum yet, Nora?"

He reached for his jacket, threatening to leave. I didn't blink as the tears fell.

I was so sorry, my sweet baby. I was sorry for picking a father who didn't care if you lived or died. I promised right then that I would get justice for him.

I didn't ask him to stay. Silas slammed the door so hard the walls rattled as he left.

After he left, the room felt like a cold, dark void. I felt a chill deep in my bones.

A few days later, I was discharged. Silas never came back to check on me. Instead, he kept posting photos of Riley and the kitten. He even named the cat Bibi.

That was the name we had picked for our baby. It was supposed to mean our little treasure. Now, my son was dead, and he gave his name to a cat.

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to provoke me, waiting for me to crawl back and beg for his attention.

I sat on the sofa in our empty house and let out a broken laugh.

Lexi had already prepared the divorce settlement. I texted the file to Silas with a simple message.

"Come sign this. I don't want to make this uglier than it already is."

Silas was just starting to see success with his investment firm. He hadn't contributed a dime to our household expenses in years.

I suspected all the money he spent on Riley actually came from my earnings. The settlement was more than fair.

But for him, it meant losing his lifestyle.

He called me almost immediately, sounding furious.

"Nora, enough is enough! The baby was just born, and you're talking about divorce? You want him to grow up without a father?"

"I've told you a thousand times, Riley and I are just friends. You have no right to ask for everything in the divorce."

I looked over the financial records and scoffed.

"A father? Silas, the baby is dead. He died the same day your precious kitten was born. Are you happy now? I'm getting out of your way so you can be with Riley. What else do you want?"

"And as for the money, tell me, has a single dollar in this house ever come from your pocket?"

His bravado vanished. It took him a long time to find his voice again.

"When did you become so heartless? How can you curse your own child like that? I'm not listening to this. I'm not signing anything."

He hung up, but I just shrugged.

If I were cursing him, I'd wish him a long life with Riley, forever trapped in their own mess with no one to carry on their name.

Silas thought I was joking. He thought this was just another way to get his attention.

In our marriage, I had always been the one who compromised. I had married him against my parents' wishes.

I had worked myself to the bone, drinking until my stomach bled at business dinners just to fund his dreams.

I loved him once. But love is a fragile thing. Once it's gone, it's gone for good.

I told Lexi to serve the papers officially. If we couldn't end this quietly, we would do it in a courtroom.

The moment he got the legal notice, Silas came charging into the house.

It was pathetic seeing him like this. He looked energized, his eyes bright, until he saw me. Then he forced a scowl.

He grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

"Are you trying to destroy Riley? She didn't do anything! She was just a scared girl whose pet was dying. You're really going to sue to get back every penny I gave her? You're being a monster."

He was actually defending her. He was worried about her bank account while I was mourning a grave.

I looked him in the eye and spoke clearly.

"If you're so worried about her, go get a job and earn the money back. Why is it my problem?"

Silas raised his hand to strike me. I didn't flinch. I stared him down.

My heart was already in pieces. I had nothing left to fear.

"Go ahead, hit me. If you touch me, I'll sue you for every last cent you have left."

Silas knew I didn't get angry often, but when I did, I meant business.

He swallowed hard and dropped his hand. He tried a different tacticDthe guilt trip.

"Nora, think about the baby. Remember how excited we were? We even had the name picked out. Riley is just a friend. I'll stay home more, okay? Just stop being so mad."

He was only acting humble because Riley's lifestyle was at stake.

During my pregnancy, Silas had been a ghost. I saw other couples at the clinic, holding hands and laughing. I was always alone.

Even when I was sick in bed, Silas would tell me I was being annoying and leave to hang out with Riley.

I remembered begging him to stay once. He had pushed my hands away with a look of pure disgust.

"Riley's having a panic attack, Nora. Stop being so needy. It's just a cold. Take a Tylenol and get over it," he'd said.

I didn't want to remember those things anymore. I pushed him toward the door.

"If you're here to sign the papers, stay. If not, get out."

Every second I looked at him, I saw the face of the man who left me to die on the sidewalk.

Seeing that I wasn't backing down, Silas's mask slipped. He started screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Fine! You want to play this game? You're just a desperate woman who's obsessed with me. You don't want a divorce; you just want me to stop seeing Riley."

"Well, it's not happening. If you keep this up, I'll never acknowledge that kid as mine."

He thought he was holding a winning card. He stood there, waiting for me to break.

I started laughing hysterically, pointing my finger at his chest.

"The child is dead, Silas! He died while you were celebrating a cat! Are you deaf, or just stupid?"

I looked like a wreck. I hadn't slept in days. My eyes were swollen and red, and I had lost weight.

Silas froze. Even he wasn't dumb enough to miss the look in my eyes.

He grabbed my hand, his voice shaking.

"You're lying. You have to be. He was healthy at the last check-up. Tell me you're lying, Nora!"

I pulled out my phone and shattered his world.

I showed him the photo of the baby. He was tiny and pale. And then I showed him the photo of the metal door to the incinerator.

"No!" Silas screamed, clutching his head. Tears finally started streaming down his face.

I didn't feel a thing. My son didn't need his father's tears now.

He collapsed to the floor, crawling toward me and grabbing at my jeans.

"Where are his ashes? Nora, please. Tell me where he is. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."