No Second Chances, Ex-husband

LAUREN'S POV

Beep. Beep. Beep.

 That was the first sound I heard as I slowly began to regain consciousness. For a moment, I didn't recognize it. I didn't recognize anything. My mind was foggy, floating somewhere between confusion and panic. I had no idea where I was, and my body felt heavy, like it had been dipped in cement.

 As my eyelids fluttered open, a flood of bright white light stung my eyes. I winced and turned my face to the side instinctively. That's when the smell hit me - antiseptic, sharp and sterile, mixed with a faint trace of something metallic. The beeping beside me became more consistent now, matching the rhythm of my unsteady heart.

 Then it hit me.

 I was in a hospital.

 The moment that realization clicked, I sat up quickly - but instantly regretted it. A sharp, splitting pain surged through my head, forcing a gasp from my lips. My hands flew to my temples as I leaned forward, trying to ride out the wave of pain. It felt like my skull was being cracked open from the inside out.

 I stayed like that for a few long seconds, eyes squeezed shut, until the ache began to ease. Finally, I allowed myself to breathe. When I opened my eyes again, the lights didn't sting as badly, and my vision - though still slightly blurry - was beginning to return to normal.

 Everything around me was white or light gray. The ceiling tiles, the sheets, even the walls. The monitor beside me blinked slowly, keeping time with the beeping I now recognized as a heart monitor. I looked down at myself - IV needle taped to my arm, hospital gown loosely draped over my body. My mouth felt dry, like I'd been sleeping for days.

 Where... What happened?

 I searched my brain, trying to piece the last few hours together. Then, the door creaked open, and a nurse in light blue scrubs stepped into the room. She looked down at her chart before glancing up at me.

 "Lauren? Lauren Black?" she asked gently, as if unsure whether I was even conscious.

 I stared at her for a second, disoriented. 

 "...Yes," I answered, my voice rasping. It didn't even sound like me. "Why am I here?" I added, barely above a whisper.

 The nurse walked closer, checking the monitor beside me. "You passed out due to an extremely high level of stress. According to the doctors, the stress triggered something in your brain - causing you to collapse. You're lucky someone found you when they did."

 Her words hung in the air for a moment. Then, like a dam breaking, everything rushed back into my mind.

 I was walking. That much I remembered. The sidewalk beneath my feet, the weight of the day pressing heavily on my shoulders. Then - dizziness. My steps faltered, and I leaned against something maybe? And just before the world faded out, someone caught me.

 A man.

 Yes, there was definitely someone there. I could still feel the strength of his arms lifting me, holding me like I weighed nothing. But his face... it was a blur. The sun had been so bright behind him, it washed out his features completely. I couldn't tell if he was young or old, familiar or a stranger.

 So... he brought me here?

 I scanned the room again, this time more carefully. No one was sitting in the visitor's chair. There were no personal items, no half-drunk coffee cups or jackets on the backrest. No sign that anyone had been here waiting for me.

 "I was brought here by someone, right?" I asked cautiously, turning to the nurse.

 She nodded. "Yes, you were."

 A sense of relief rushed through me. I hadn't imagined it. I wasn't going crazy. Lately, the world around me had felt like it was tilting sideways, like nothing made sense anymore. At least this one thing was real.

 "And where is he now?" I asked.

 The nurse looked at me with a curious tilt of her head. "He brought you in, waited while you were checked in, paid your hospital bill... and then left."

 "Wait - he paid for me?" I blinked, trying to process that.

 She nodded again. "Everything. And he didn't leave a name, at least not with us."

 I stared at her, stunned. "He didn't tell you who he was?"

 "I assumed you would tell us, ma'am," she said softly, her tone not unkind.

 Great, so this person brings me here, pays for my hospital bill, and runs off without even leaving a note of who he is?

 Despite what he did that is still very rude, at least he should have waited for me to wake up so I could pay him back, I thought to myself 

 I looked down at my hand and noticed the clear tube connected to the back of it, snaking up to the drip bag hanging beside the bed.

 "You said I passed out because of stress... so is this really necessary?" I asked, lifting my hand slightly and gesturing toward the IV.

 "Yes, ma'am. They're painkillers - for the headaches," the nurse replied calmly as she noted something on the clipboard she held.

 I stared at the drip again, watching the slow rhythm of each drop falling. It felt surreal, lying here hooked up to fluids like I was made of glass and barely holding together. But maybe I was.

 The nurse looked up again. "Since you don't know the good Samaritan who brought you in, is there anyone we can call for you? A loved one... a family member?"

 My eyes instinctively scanned the room. That's when I saw my purse sitting on the couch near the window.

 "Yes, I do. Can you please help me with my purse?" I asked, trying to sit up straighter.

 She nodded and crossed the room, gently picking it up and handing it to me. I held it in my lap and slowly unzipped it, my fingers fumbling as if the simple motion required great effort. I pulled out my phone, the screen lighting up instantly as I unlocked it and scrolled to my contact list.

 My finger hovered over one name - Ethan.

 I was about to press it when everything from earlier came rushing back like a slap to the face.

 The office.

 The silence.

 The betrayal.

 Not only had he dismissed me, pushed me away like I was nothing, but he had also cheated. He had chosen another woman. And not just that - he had gotten her pregnant.

 A sour taste rose in the back of my throat as my grip on the phone tightened. Did he not feel even a flicker of shame? Did he think I wouldn't find out? What exactly was I supposed to tell Elena? That her father had moved on with someone else and made her a sibling overnight?

 My jaw clenched as I stared at his name glowing on the screen.

 "Excuse me, ma'am," the nurse said gently, breaking through my thoughts. Her voice brought me back to the present.

 I blinked, realizing my hand was still hovering over the call button. A soft sigh escaped me. As much as I didn't want to call him, he still needed to know I was in the hospital.

 He still had the right to know, didn't he?

 I pressed the call button. The phone rang once... twice...

 No answer.

 I cleared my throat and tried again, forcing down the tight feeling in my chest.

 It rang longer this time. Still, the same outcome.

 No answer.

 I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of chasing him down, but I dialed a third time anyway. In my mind, I was practically begging him to pick up.

 Still nothing.

 Each unanswered call felt like another wound, deeper than the last. 

 Why wasn't he answering? I didn't have to guess. He was probably with her - Sofia Crane. Of course, he wouldn't answer. He was too busy playing house with the woman who shattered mine.