Part 1Summer Farewell

Six months pregnant, I decided to surprise my husband after he texted that he missed me. My best friend Joanna was driving me home through the mountains when a landslide struck.

A boulder shattered the window and hit my stomach. Blood soaked the seat.

Terrified, Joanna called my husband Nick. I cried for help, but he snapped, “I’m rescuing Lily—she twisted her ankle. Don’t bother me now!” and hung up.

Joanna called her husband, Nick’s brother. He yelled, “If Lily’s hurt, your friend miscarries? Call an ambulance! Don’t waste my time!”

A kind driver took us to the hospital, but it was too late. I lost the baby.

Lying weak in bed, I whispered, “I’m filing for divorce.”

Joanna replied softly, “Me too.”

* * *

As soon as I had a sliver of strength back, I texted Nick the two words: I’m divorcing you.

I waited all night. Finally, his call came through. The connection was terrible, his voice cutting in and out, but his fury was crystal clear.

"Jessica, I've been out in a damn storm all night, rescuing people, and you're pulling this crap with me? Divorce?"

"You're at your parents' house, safe and sound, and you're telling me you were hit by a rock in the mountains? Who are you trying to fool? Do you have any idea how critical the golden hour is in a rescue? The thirty seconds you wasted on the phone could have saved a life!"

"This is because you saw Lily's post, isn't it? You think something's going on between us? She was just camping with the team! We've known each other for twenty years. If something was going to happen, it would have happened long before you came along. The signal's crap out here. Don't bother me unless it's a real emergency!"

"And if I see you use divorce to threaten me one more time, don't expect me to be nice about it. I have no problem with my child not having a mother!"

Static crackled on the line.

A bitter smile twisted my lips. "So this is what you meant when you said you missed me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

His anger flared again. "What message? I'm swamped. Lily's been holding my phone for me. When would I have time to text you? Stop with the passive-aggressive act. Lily needs her dressing changed. I'm hanging up!"

Before I could even process his words, the line went dead.

I stared at the blank screen, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek. I remembered the text now, the out-of-character emoji that followed the words. No wonder the man who hadn't shown a flicker of concern for my six-month pregnancy had suddenly missed me.

The only tender message I'd received in three years of marriage, and it was courtesy of his childhood sweetheart.

And it had cost me my child's life.

The physical pain from the rock was nothing compared to the agony ripping through my heart. The tears flowed freely, but I couldn't bring myself to dial his number again. I was afraid of who might answer.

The incision on my abdomen throbbed, and my mind flashed back to the accident. The rock crushing my stomach, the last of my strength spent pleading with him for help.

All I could hear from his end was Lily's pained whimper.

I kept screaming Nick's name, telling him where I was. We were only three miles apart, but it felt like an ocean. Blood was pouring out of me, and I could barely breathe.

He didn't hang up. After what felt like an eternity, I heard Lily's sweet, lilting voice. "If it weren't for you, Nicky, I don't know if I'd ever walk again. Thank you!"

I looked at Joanna's pale, terrified face, and a wave of guilt washed over me.

Before I could end the call, Nick's cold voice cut in. "Why are you still on the line? I'm busy. Can you stop bothering me? There's a time and a place for your drama."

"You know the demands of my job! If you're going to be my wife, you need to learn to be independent!"

The line clicked.

For a fleeting moment, I thought it might be better to be dead.

Sensing my despair, Joanna snatched the phone and furiously sent Nick a voice message.

"You're a disgrace to your profession! You, a rescuer? The only reason you save people is to atone for your own sins! People like you should just die and go to hell!"

She sent the message, and tears streamed down her face. She tried to move the rock off me, but she wasn't strong enough.

So she ran out into the storm, standing in the middle of the road, flagging down cars.

Finally, a kind soul agreed to take us to the hospital.

I was saved.

But I lost my child.

And even then, I wasn't out of the woods.