Drawn Blood, A Broken Promise

reatments, my fiancé Blake and I were

held us together through years of

ed he was faking am

ospital to end the pregnancy

rushed into the ER, bleeding out. Sh

down, and forcibly dre

esitating, twisting my pai

you, Eliza," he sneered. "

oment the woma

ed wedding where he begged for

the child he denied, and a record

pte

za

f antiseptic clung

le, my legs in stirrups, the fl

d by the surgical tray, her face etched with a mix

erform the abortio

l, brutal act of severing what remained of my six-year relat

t this?" Dr. Reeves' voice w

his is a difficult decision, and it

roat tight. "I'm c

emotion, a stark contrast to

but this decision, born of desperation and a

, approached, her ey

a child for so long. Are you t

ds were like tiny shards of g

untless fertility treatments, the endless

ars, had indeed been a miracle, a

arned, could be tainte

proved himself a monster," I arti

g Sarah's sympathetic gaze. "T

e might feel immense guilt if he knew. This chil

's supposed amnesia, the convenient medical con

d my lips. It was a h

He understands convenience and fleeting pleasure. He's

aimed amnesia, but his cruel

my lost child-none

a man like him would only bind me

r excuse to play the victim, to fur

relishing every moment of it. My exis

ature, Eliza," Sarah in

or the procedure. We've tried contacting

ility as the father

about acknowledging his part in this.

aze fixed on a distan

more to say, no

lung to a sliver of hope that he would appea

farewell to a child he had once

shed conversations about baby names, the quiet

ardiothoracic surgeon,

lity appointments, held my hand through every invas

oving fiancé, a partner who

er years of heartache, should have be

the final nail in the cof

room phone ran

ed, her voice low

a hint, a flicker of emotion. He

e was sharp, her professional

ur presence is legally requir

ing. Her grip on t

This is about a human life, a

distorted, echoed from the

ith me, old woman," Blake sneered,

o act like a victim. She's always been this

The air thickened ar

ore," Blake continued, his

. I don't know whose it is, bu

ars, the ruthless denial of our ch

last fragile frag

t and mocking, drifted throu

urred, "don't let that old hag

ublicly confirming his betrayal, his utt

clicked as

laced the receiver

filled with sorrow

pe. There was only t

ocedur

ll, distant, overshadowed by th

as if a part of my very soul

clinical movement, solidifie

being peeled away, leaving behind only an e

d to wear off, a dull thro

n. Sarah was there, a co

side table, buzzed. A text

scene, Eliz

e followed alm

to be out by then. Don't think you can cling on

he most cal

place anyway. New beginnings, right? Consider

een, the words sear

hint of regret. Just cold,

mbling slightly

ers

thing was unders

range, dark relief

very pretense, every l

eparture simpler, freeing me from the bur

e of me that had been connected to him,

in the hospital, re

ed again, never

afening, yet it co

truly lost to the m

ery, I noticed

curated reflection of our shared life, now displayed

always smiling, always in opulent se

elor's life he had apparently felt depri

eck if these posts were public, a deli

it-to witness his triumphant

my pain was his freedom