When the nurse asked where my family was, I instinctively made an excuse for him.
\nI lay alone on the examination table, feeling a life silently slip away from inside me.<\/p>\n
I opened my phone, only to see his best friend Mark had just updated his Instagram:
\n\u201cLife is so much easier without the babysitter checking in. James is just the best to Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n
The photo showed James gazing tenderly at his childhood sweetheart Emily, who lay in a hospital bed.<\/p>\n
I liked the post. It was deleted almost immediately.
\nA text from James followed right after, carefully explaining.
\nI just replied calmly, \u201cHave fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
James panicked. \u201cLuna, why aren\u2019t you asking who I\u2019m with?\u201d
\n\u2026<\/p>\n
I\u2019d twisted my ankle falling down the stairs of my apartment building, rushing home for our wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d texted James, hoping he could pick me up from work.
\nI waited for him eagerly, wanting to give him the flowers myself.
\nBut he only replied coldly: \u201cWorking late. Get yourself something to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
As if afraid I\u2019d suspect something, he added, \u201cNo one sketchy. Just the same old friends from way back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt like I\u2019d been doused with ice water from head to toe. I threw the flowers in the trash and took a cab to the hospital.<\/p>\n
The doctor asked where my family was. Instinctively, I said, \u201cHe\u2019s in a meeting.\u201d
\nThe words sounded pathetic even to me.
\nSo I changed my answer. \u201cSorry. I\u2019m a widow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The abortion went smoothly. I didn\u2019t feel much physical pain, just an empty hollowness inside, as if a piece of me had been carved out.<\/p>\n
On the cab ride home, I saw his familiar SUV heading toward the hospital on the west side of town.
\nI instinctively wanted to text and ask if something was wrong.<\/p>\n
But then I saw Mark\u2019s post first: \u201cLife is so much easier without the babysitter checking in. James is just the best to Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the picture, James was looking tenderly at Emily in her hospital bed.
\nThat was his little crew, the one he grew up with. Four guys, one girl.<\/p>\n
In that group, he and Emily were the golden couple everyone expected.
\nIf Emily hadn\u2019t, in a moment of foolishness, married that speculator and moved out of state, it would never have been my turn to marry James.<\/p>\n
Later, Emily divorced and returned to town with her son. I became the villain who had broken up the fairy-tale couple.<\/p>\n
They never blamed Emily for leaving. They only resented me for coming between them.<\/p>\n
Their little group partied hard, often drinking until two or three in the morning. Worried about James\u2019s stomach, I\u2019d always call to urge him home.<\/p>\n
Over time, they grew to dislike me more and more, thinking my check-ins were a buzzkill. They secretly gave me the nickname \u201cthe babysitter.\u201d<\/p>\n
When they visited our home, they treated me like hired help.
\nToday, James chose them over me, yet again.
\nMaybe it was for the best. At least I wouldn\u2019t soften anymore.
\nI liked the post. It was quickly deleted, as if they\u2019d just remembered to block me.<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Time Paused Between Silent Moments by Aven Slate 1 When the nurse asked where my family was, I instinctively made […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-goodbye-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}