His face turned bloodless. He bit his lower lip, which just began shaking.
“Then I started to cramp and lost the baby.” She hugged herself, her vision blurring with tears. The flight had been atrocious. Her belly had twisted all day, and she’d just assumed she’d eaten something bad. But when she sat down to pee, she’d started hemorrhaging. There had been so much blood, and she couldn’t even make a sound from the pain shooting through her womb.
A cabin attendant knocked on the lavatory door. “Hello?” came a male voice. “We’re about to land. Please return to your seat and fasten your seat belt.”
Ginger gasped. Her hair stuck to her sweaty face, and she pressed her hand against her opening, willing the baby to stay inside. More hot blood gushed down. “C-can’t,” she panted.
“Ma’am? Are you all right?”
“I’m bleeding.”
“Ma’am?”
“My baby. I think I’m losing my baby.” Oh no, no, no.
A female cabin attendant unlocked the door from the outside and slipped in. Her hand flew to her mouth as she took in the scene. She immediately went outside. And everything else was a blur until Ginger opened her eyes at a hospital.
“My baby?” she whispered at the first nurse who came to check in on her.
“I’m sorry,” she said, genuine concern coming through despite a heavy accent. “I’m so sorry.”
Ginger covered her mouth to stifle a sob.
Tears glistened in Shane’s eyes. “I should’ve known. I should’ve been there.”
“Don’t think about it anymore. I’ve come to peace with it.” Debbie had helped. Her mother had also had a few miscarriages, and she’d done everything she could to comfort Ginger while they were in Amsterdam.
Babies are heaven’s gift. Sometimes the gods feel sad about life’s suffering and take them back before they reach this world. It’s never about you or your circumstances. Your baby’s back in heaven, sound and happy. When it’s your time, you’ll see him. Or her. And they’ll recognize you and love you because you’re the only person they’ve been intimately connected to.
“You’re a cruel woman, Ginger,” Shane said. “It’s like you know all the ways to punish me.”
“Shane, I didn’t do this to punish you.”
“I remember the photos,” he said, his voice wooden. “I tried to verify them. Everyone said they were authentic. But I had no idea they would trace back to me if anybody were to check.” His jaw bunched. “I didn’t think to check. I couldn’t even acknowledge their existence without wondering what if. What if you told me they were real or that you wanted to leave me? That you didn’t think it would work anyway. That I would end up like my dad. And if I begged you to stay with me, you would, but only to be like my mom—with all those other men to give you what I couldn’t.”
She reached out. He pulled away.
“I want to rest,” Shane said, his voice without inflection. “The doctor said I should relax and focus on recovery.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong.” He stared resolutely out the window. “Just…go.” He turned, his shoulders angling away from her.
Tears flowed silently down her cheeks. She couldn’t seem to draw in any air as the memory of her loss and the image of Shane with his back turned away from her cut into her heart like a shard of diamond.
It was over. There was too much hurt and pain and regret, and she just didn’t know how to go back and undo it all.
She pulled off her engagement ring and put it on the bedside table. She’d known it would come to something like this when he regained his memory…and the truth about why he left was exposed. But this was so much worse. It wasn’t because they didn’t love each other or care. The pain and hurt and circumstances just made it impossible for them to stay together.
Ginger managed to walk out. The door closed behind her with a soft click. Her knees felt like rubber, and she started to collapse. A pair of strong arms caught her.
“You okay?”
She looked up. Iain. Of course. Vanessa and Justin stood next to him. Tear tracks were ruining Vanessa’s perfect makeup, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“I’m fine,” Ginger said. “Thank you.”
“Ginger, I can’t even…” Vanessa covered her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m such a bitch.”