Eventually guilt pushed him to search for Angela, but by the time he tried, she had vanished completely. Her apartment was empty, her phone number inactive, and her company was now managed by senior executives.
She had erased him from her life with careful precision.
The night everything changed, heavy summer heat pressed against the walls of Angela’s cabin.
Angela walked slowly down the hallway with one hand supporting her lower back while the other rested protectively on her stomach. The false contractions that had frightened her during previous weeks suddenly became something far more intense.
Pain twisted through her body like a violent storm.
“Melissa,” she called weakly before the pain forced her to bend forward.
Warm liquid ran down her legs and when she looked down she saw blood spreading quickly across the floor.
“No, Matthew, please,” she whispered in panic.
Melissa rushed into the hallway and froze when she saw the blood.
“Oh God, I am calling an ambulance right now,” she cried while dialing her phone.
Angela struggled to stay conscious while the world around her blurred into gray shadows.
“Hold on, my baby,” she murmured with fading strength. “Your mother will not lose you.”