Chapter 1 - The Cold Rehearsal
The private maternity hospital room was completely silent, filled only with the rhythmic hum of medical equipment and the soft, cool winter daylight pouring through the frosted window. A small Christmas tree glittered weakly in the corner, its warm holiday lights and evergreen garlands creating a sickening, deeply devastating contrast to the absolute nightmare unfolding in the hospital bed.
Natalie, a beautiful early-thirties woman with her brown hair tied into a loose messy bun, lay perfectly still against the pillows. She wore a pale pink floral hospital gown and a plastic hospital wristband, her pale hand resting protectively over her covered pregnant belly.
She gripped her smartphone tightly against her ear, her natural micro-expressions conveying a profound, suffocating grief that was completely shattering her soul.
"Our baby's gone," Natalie whispered into the phone, her voice cracking into a devastating, breathless plea. "Please come."
A tight close-up captured Natalie squeezing her eyes shut. Leaking through the speaker of her phone wasn't the sound of a terrified husband rushing to his car. It was the loud, upbeat sound of formal wedding-rehearsal music, clinking champagne glasses, and distant, joyful laughter.
She waited, barely breathing.
Owen, her mid-thirties husband, finally answered. His thick wavy brown hair was perfectly styled, and he was wearing a heavy dark navy suit with a white pocket square.
"The rehearsal's starting," Owen whispered sharply through the phone, sounding deeply annoyed rather than heartbroken. "My sister is about to walk down the aisle. I can't just leave, Natalie. You're at the best hospital in the state. I'll come tomorrow."
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He didn't wait for her to respond. The line went completely dead.
👉 Natalie slowly lowered the phone, entirely alone as her entire world completely collapsed into darkness.
