Some relationships don’t end cleanly. They leave behind echoes—memories, regrets, and scars that don’t fade easily. But sometimes, the strongest thing you can do… is walk away and never look back.
Five months after the breakup.
I ran into Sebastian in the Obstetrics Department.
I was a mess.
My hair was disheveled, and I was drowning in a cheap, oversized maternity dress.
In stark contrast, he stood there in an impeccably tailored suit.
Beside him stood his fiancée. Exquisite. Beautiful. Glowing.
The second Sebastian’s eyes landed on my swollen belly, he froze.
Completely froze.
Like someone had nailed his polished leather shoes to the floor.
I was alone. I only gave him a calm little nod, like he was just another stranger I had once known. The nurse came out and called my name, urging me into the exam room. I slowly pushed myself up from the chair.
Behind me, Sebastian’s voice broke through the silence.
“Natalie.”
I paused for half a second.
Then he said, hoarse and strained, “About what happened back then… I’m sorry.”
I kept walking.
I didn’t look back.
Later, though, he called me with desperation in his voice, swearing that he would treat my baby as his own, begging me to come back to him. I smiled as I hung up. I leaned into my pillow, one hand resting on my stomach, when the mattress beside me dipped unexpectedly.
I turned my head.
And crashed, without warning, into a pair of dark, unreadable eyes.
I was startled.
I hadn’t expected to run into Sebastian again.
His gaze swept over my face, then locked onto my stomach like he couldn’t tear himself away. His throat moved slightly. He looked like he wanted to say something, but whatever words rose to his lips, he held them back.
I stared straight ahead.
I had no interest in reminiscing with him.
After a long silence, he forced out a low question.
“You came alone?”
I didn’t answer. I only gave the smallest nod.
Right then, the nurse stepped out again. “Ms. Carter, please get ready.”
I pushed myself up carefully, one hand on my belly. A hand reached over from the side to steady my arm.
I pulled away at once.
“Thanks. I’m fine.”
Sebastian went still.
His fingers curled slightly in midair, like even they didn’t know what to do.
“I’ll walk you over.”
I ignored him and kept moving.
Behind me, his voice came again, low and controlled.
“Natalie—”
I acted like I hadn’t heard a thing.
Inside the exam room, the doctor asked the usual questions in a routine voice.
“Any history of miscarriage?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
Three years ago.
On New Year’s Eve.
That was the night I lost Sebastian.
And the night I lost our baby.
Now, even seeing him again didn’t make my chest ache the way it used to.
After the appointment, I met my best friend, Chloe, for dinner. She stared at my calm face for a long time before her eyes suddenly turned red.
“Natalie… I still can’t believe you really made it out,” she whispered. “Back then, you were so obsessed with him that you scared me.”
I lowered my eyes to the steak on my plate.
Back then, I really had been out of control.
From eighteen to twenty-five, I had spent seven years tangled up with Sebastian.
And in the end, all it got me was ruin in America.
I had once pointed a gun at his forehead.
And he had once grabbed my throat with bloodshot eyes.
We both wanted to win.
In the end, we both lost everything.