Evaline:
The moment the question left my lips, the entire room stilled.
I could hear the faint beeping of the heart monitor beside me. I could hear the distant chatter of nurses in the hallway. I could even hear the rhythmic drip of IV fluid sliding down into my veins.
But Oscar's silence was louder than all of it.
"I had to ask," I whispered. "I needed to know before I let you back in… before I risked my heart again."
"I understand," he finally spoke, shifting a little closer and sitting right beside me on the edge of the bed. His hand brushed mine, tentative and soft. "And I want you to know, I'm not just here for you. I'm here for both of you."
That made me blink. "Both?"
"You and the baby."
Something tightened in my throat as my brain tried to process his words and their meaning.
