---

---

After they left, I filled a watering can and went out to water the plants on the balcony.

My mom was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables.

"That girl Natalie — is she your old classmate?"

"Yeah," I answered, not really paying attention.

"How come you never mentioned her? Is she pretty?"

"Pretty. Drop-dead gorgeous."

The chopping stopped.

"Figured as much. Handsome pilots always end up with the beautiful flight attendants."

"Can you imagine how gorgeous their kids would be?"

I drifted for a moment. That's what Jason thought too, probably.

The month before, at a class reunion, Jason had deliberately sat as far from me as possible at the long table — all for the sake of appearances.

The moment Natalie walked in, she'd talked the person next to Jason into switching seats.

"Heard you made captain?" She'd leaned in, eyes bright. "Let me get a good look at you. All the captains at our airline are old men."

They had so much to talk about — layovers, control towers, hotel recommendations. They could go for hours.

Someone egged Jason on: "I heard pilots always end up marrying flight attendants. True?"

He'd answered with complete seriousness. "There's definitely some... internal circulation."

I'd shot him a look across the table and typed out a message.

Don't push it. I'm serious. 😤

After the party, I walked ahead with Sophie. Jason and Natalie were somewhere behind us.

I heard her laugh — the bright, uncontained kind that meant she was genuinely delighted — and without thinking, I glanced back.

And missed a step.

I went down the outdoor stairs fast, ankle twisting under me before I could even reach for the railing.

"Vivian!" Sophie lunged for me.

My ankle swelled almost immediately. The pain was blinding.

"Jason..." I called out without thinking.

He ran toward me, but stopped just a few steps away.

I looked at him, pleading. Even so — he chose to keep his distance.

Sophie was frantic. She had her husband carry me to his car and rushed me to the hospital.

I gripped her hand the whole way, shaking.

"Sophie, I'm scared..."

She held me close. "It'll be okay. Your bones are probably fine."

I pressed my hand to my stomach and started to cry.

"I... I'm pregnant."

I'd confirmed it with an ultrasound a few days ago. I hadn't had the chance to tell Jason yet.

And now this.

They put a cast on my ankle. A cold probe moved slowly across my abdomen.

I prayed, silently and desperately, for everything to be okay.

But in the end, I heard the doctor say the words I'd been dreading:

"I'm very sorry. There's no heartbeat."