Too Late to Hold Her, Too Late to Love HerChapter 1
When I lost my baby in a car accident, I called Hugo Alistair.
But the one who answered was my eight-year-old son.
"Dad took me to tutoring. If it’s nothing important, don’t bother us."
Then, he hung up and blocked me.
I forced myself to call an ambulance, but Ava Sinclair’s latest post appeared on my screen just as I did.
[If I had never left, would I be the one married to you now?]
The picture showed her and Hugo standing under a sky bursting with fireworks.
Hugo’s reply was quiet but firm. [Yes.]
I tapped the like button casually. The next second, the post disappeared.
That night, the system that had been silent for ten years was reactivated.
"Send me home."
"Understood. Official detachment will begin in three days."
——
As the mechanical voice faded, the door swung open.
Hugo stood there, tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp, calm features. His white shirt stretched over lean muscles, and his gaze stayed locked on his phone.
"Why did you call me today?" His lips curved in a faint smile, but his attention never wavered from the screen.
"I wanted you to take me to the hospital."
"Oh."
His response was indifferent, absent. He barely seemed to hear me.
It wasn’t until a long silence passed that he finally looked up. His smile faded, replaced by his usual cold expression.
"The hospital? What happened to you?"
I thought of the child I lost, the tiny life that had slipped away.
But the words wouldn’t come out.
Seeing my indifferent expression, Hugo uncharacteristically took the initiative to explain.
"The reply on Facebook… Jasper took my phone and…"
Before he could finish, Ava suddenly rushed in and threw herself into his arms.
"Hugo, my room’s lightbulb is broken. It’s so dark, I’m really scared."
He held her gently, his voice soft with reassurance.
"Don’t be afraid. I’ll change it for you."
He glanced at me, his lips parting as if to explain.
But seeing that, for once, I did not react; he only said, "I’ll be right back."
That right back lasted the entire night.
If it were before, I would have thrown a fit, screamed at him, and demanded answers.
But tonight, I slept soundly without him.
Lying in bed, a dull ache spread through my lower abdomen.
"How could you be so careless? After everything you went through for this child, was it easy?"
The doctor’s scolding still echoed in my ears.