Chapter 9: Abandonment
The sterile hum of the hospital lights seemed to echo in the small room where Lía lay. The nurse's words had barely registered as Lía struggled to process what had just happened. She was no longer carrying the child she had secretly hoped would bring some joy, some purpose, to her strained existence.
Her hand trembled as it rested on her abdomen, the place where she had started to imagine life taking root. Now it was empty, and the emptiness stretched into her heart.
Hours earlier, as the ambulance rushed her to the hospital, Lía had tried to call Alejandro. Her fingers, shaking from exhaustion and fear, dialed his number over and over again.
The first time, it went straight to voicemail.
The second time, it rang twice before disconnecting.
The third time, she finally left a message. Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper: "Alejandro, I'm in the hospital. Something's wrong. Please... I need you."
She clutched the phone against her chest as tears streamed down her face, silently willing him to call back. But the screen stayed dark. Alejandro was hundreds of miles away, on a business trip with Sofía, and her pleas seemed to vanish into the void.
By the time Camila arrived at the hospital, Lía had already been given the devastating news. The stress, the lack of care, and the emotional toll had taken too great a toll on her body. The doctor's voice was soft yet clinical as he delivered the verdict:
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Reyes. The pregnancy couldn't be sustained. Your body was under too much strain."
Camila burst into the room just as the doctor finished speaking, her expression a mix of worry and anger. She rushed to Lía's side, enveloping her in a tight embrace as Lía broke down completely.
"I'm here, Lía," Camila whispered, her voice steady even as her eyes brimmed with tears. "You're not alone."
But Lía couldn't speak. She clung to Camila as though her life depended on it, sobbing uncontrollably.
Across the country, Alejandro sat in the corner of a luxurious hotel bar, his phone buzzing incessantly on the table. He glanced at it, noticing a series of missed calls and a voicemail notification from an unfamiliar number.
The message from Lía had been forwarded to him through one of Julio's assistants, accompanied by a curt note: *"Lía is in the hospital. Call her."*
Alejandro's jaw tightened. He stared at the phone for a long moment before placing it facedown on the table.
"She's probably fine," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Sofía, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"
Alejandro shrugged. "It's nothing. Probably another one of Julio's manipulations to try and control me through Lía."
Sofía tilted her head, her lips curving into a sympathetic smile. "You've been under so much pressure lately. Maybe it's time to start thinking about what you really want, Alejandro. Not what your family expects of you."
He nodded, swirling his glass of whiskey. "You're right. I just need to focus on what's important."
Sofía leaned forward, her hand brushing against his. "You've always known what's important."
Back at the hospital, Camila's patience had worn thin. After hours of comforting Lía, she excused herself and stepped into the hallway, her phone gripped tightly in her hand.
She dialed Alejandro's number, her temper flaring when he didn't answer.
"Coward," she muttered under her breath.
Determined, she left a voicemail, her tone sharp and full of disdain. "Alejandro, this is Camila. Lía just lost your baby. She's been calling you, crying for you, and you're nowhere to be found. I don't care what excuse you have. You've crossed a line."
Hanging up, Camila returned to Lía's room, vowing silently to protect her friend from anyone who dared hurt her again—even if that meant taking on Alejandro herself.
Lía stared at the ceiling, her body still and her mind numb. Camila sat beside her, holding her hand in quiet solidarity.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Lía finally whispered, her voice breaking.
Camila squeezed her hand gently. "You take it one step at a time. You don't have to face this alone, Lía. I'll help you. But you need to stop waiting for someone who won't show up for you."
Lía turned her head, her tear-filled eyes meeting Camila's. "I thought the baby would change everything. That maybe... maybe Alejandro would care."
Camila's expression softened, but her voice remained firm. "You deserve more than someone who only cares when it's convenient. You're stronger than this, Lía. You've always been stronger than you think."
Lía nodded slowly, though the weight of her grief still bore down on her.
Alejandro's phone buzzed again as he sat in his hotel room, this time with a message from Camila. The contents were short but cutting:
*"You had a choice to be there for her, and you failed. You'll regret this one day."*
For a moment, Alejandro hesitated. Guilt flickered in his chest, though he quickly buried it beneath his usual armor of indifference.
"She'll be fine," he muttered to himself, tossing the phone onto the nightstand.
But as he tried to return his focus to the business documents in front of him, Camila's words lingered in his mind like an unshakable shadow.
Unbeknownst to him, back in the hospital, Lía had made a silent vow: if she was going to survive this, she would have to stop waiting for Alejandro to save her.
And for the first time, she began to imagine a life where she didn't need him at all.