Please Come Back, My Love Chapter 19

Elena: POV

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as the nurse's words echoed in the sterile hospital room.

*A man who leaves his wife alone in a hospital after what you went through? That's not a man worth keeping.*

My hand moved instinctively to my stomach, pressing gently against the flat surface where a tiny life was growing—a life Julian would never want.

"The baby," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "The baby should be okay, right?"

I hadn't felt any cramping or pain since I woke up. That had to be a good sign. It had to be.

The nurse's expression softened. She pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, her hand covering mine.

"You were very lucky," she said gently. "The amount of drug in your system was relatively small. Dr. Jones said there's no indication of harm to the fetus. But we need to keep you here for observation—just for one day to be safe."

Relief flooded through me so powerfully I felt dizzy. My eyes burned with tears I'd been holding back for hours.

"Thank you," I managed. "Thank you."

The nurse squeezed my hand. "You rest now, honey."

She left quietly, pulling the door shut behind her.

I lay there in the dim room, one hand still pressed protectively over my stomach.

But what kind of future could I give this child? What kind of life awaited us in Julian's cold, loveless world?

---

The next morning, I was discharged with a stack of prenatal care instructions and a prescription for vitamins. Dr. Jones had been thorough, professional, and blessedly discreet.

"Take care of yourself, Mrs. Sterling," she'd said, though her eyes held questions she was too polite to ask. "And if you experience any cramping, bleeding, or unusual symptoms, call immediately."

I'd nodded, clutching the papers like a lifeline.

Now I stood outside the hospital entrance, staring at the city stretched out before me. Manhattan gleamed in the October sunlight—all glass and steel and false promises.

I should go home. Back to that mansion prison on Billionaire's Row. Back to waiting for Julian to maybe show up, maybe acknowledge my existence, maybe remember I was more than a convenient body to fuck when Victoria wasn't available.

My feet wouldn't move.

I couldn't face that empty mansion. Couldn't face those cold marble floors and floor-to-ceiling windows.

My phone buzzed, making me jump.

Sophia's name flashed across the screen, and I felt something in my chest loosen slightly.

"Hey," I answered, trying to sound normal. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Sophia's voice was sharp with concern. "Elena, where the hell are you? I've been calling since yesterday. Marcus said you left work early for a meeting and never came back. Then I heard some shit about you being at the hospital—"

"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Really. Just... had a rough day."

"Bullshit." I could hear her moving, probably pacing her apartment. "Where are you right now?"

I glanced at the hospital entrance behind me. "Just got discharged. I'm... I don't know where I'm going."

"Then don't go anywhere." Her voice softened slightly. "Come out with me. We'll go to that karaoke lounge on Bleecker—the one we used to hit up in college. Sing some sad songs, eat some terrible bar food, forget about the world for a few hours."

A karaoke lounge. Mindless fun. A chance to breathe without Julian's shadow suffocating me.

"Okay," I heard myself say.

"Good. Meet me there in an hour?"

"Alright. I need to change out of these clothes."

"Deal. And Elena?" Her voice cracked slightly. "I'm really glad you're okay."

My throat tightened. "Me too."

---

The karaoke lounge was exactly as I remembered—dim lighting, red leather booths, a small stage in the corner where drunk college kids belted out off-key renditions of pop songs. It smelled like beer and nostalgia.

I slid into our usual booth in the back corner and waited.

Sophia arrived forty minutes later, her designer bag swinging from one shoulder, oversized sunglasses pushed up on her head. She took one look at me and her face crumpled.

"Oh, honey." She slid into the booth and pulled me into a fierce hug. "What did that bastard do now?"

I hugged her back tightly.“ Nothing.” I bitterly said.

When I finally pulled back, her dark eyes were scanning my face with the intensity of a detective. "If anything happens, you have to tell me," she said firmly. "I'm always on your side."

"I know you are. Thank you for that."

"Let me get us some drinks," she said, starting to stand. "What do you want? White wine? That fruity shit you always order?"

"No!" The word came out too sharp, too panicked.

Sophia froze. "No?"

I forced myself to take a breath. "I mean... can you just get me something room temperature? Maybe juice or water? My stomach's still a little off."

She sat back down slowly, her expression shifting from concern to something else.

"Elena." Her voice was very quiet. "When's the last time you turned down wine?"

"I just—"

"When's the last time you had your period?"

My hands clenched in my lap. "Sophia—"

"Are you pregnant?"

The words hung in the air between us like a bomb waiting to detonate.

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

Then I started crying. Sophia was around the booth in seconds, pulling me against her shoulder and making soothing sounds while I fell apart.

"Shh, it's okay," she murmured, stroking my hair. "It's okay, I've got you."

"It's not okay," I choked out. "Nothing's okay. I'm pregnant with his baby and he doesn't know, and he can never know because he said I'd never be good enough to carry his child and—"

"Slow down." Sophia pulled back, gripping my shoulders. "Start from the beginning. All of it."

So I did.

I told her everything. The pregnancy test from a week ago. How I'd been hiding it because Julian made it crystal clear he never wanted kids with me. What happened yesterday with Morrison—the drugging, calling Julian for help and him hanging up on me, Alexander showing up and promising to keep my secret.

By the time I finished, Sophia's jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping in her cheek.

"That motherfucker," she said quietly. Too quietly. "That absolute piece of shit."

"I should have told you sooner," I whispered. "I just... I didn't want you to worry."

"Worry?" She let out a harsh laugh. "Elena, I'm past worry. I'm at 'planning his murder' levels of pissed off right now."

Despite everything, I felt my lips twitch. "Don't go to prison for me."

"Oh, I'd make it look like an accident." But her expression softened as she took my hands. "Seriously though... what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." I stared down at our joined hands. "I can't tell him. He'll either force me to get rid of it or... I don't know. Use it against me somehow. Claim I trapped him again."

"So you keep it secret? For how long?"

"As long as I can." My hand moved to my stomach. "And then... I don't know. Maybe I leave before he finds out. Take the baby and just... disappear."

Sophia was quiet for a long moment. Then she squeezed my hands.

"You know what the worst part is?" she said softly. "We're both in the same boat. You and me."

I looked up, confused. "What do you mean?"

Her smile was bitter. "We're both in love with men who can't love us back. Who are too fucked up by their own shit to see what's right in front of them."