Flashback #7
The day started like any other—gray skies, a cold house, and silence so heavy it pressed against my chest. I stayed in bed, my arms wrapped protectively around my stomach as if that alone could shield me from everything crumbling around me.
I didn’t know how long I’d been lying there when the door slammed downstairs, jolting me out of my thoughts. Heavy footsteps thundered through the house. Rowan’s voice, sharp and clipped, echoed through the hall.
“Get up, Remi. My grandfather’s here.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing myself to sit up. The nausea that had been plaguing me for days reared its head again, but I pushed it down. I didn’t have time for this.
By the time I made it downstairs, Rowan was already standing in the living room, his posture rigid, his jaw set. His grandfather sat in the armchair, a man who radiated authority despite his age.
“Remi,” the older man said, his voice cold. “You look... better than I expected.”
The implication wasn’t lost on me, but I bit back the urge to snap. “Good morning, Mr. Vaughn.”
He didn’t respond, his piercing gaze raking over me like I was some kind of specimen. “I hear you’ve been sick.”
I nodded, my fingers clutching the edge of the chair I’d perched on. “It’s nothing serious.”
Rowan scoffed, but his grandfather ignored him.
“Good. Because your health is crucial, isn’t it? After all, the whole point of this arrangement is to ensure the Vaughn bloodline continues.”
The room went still.
I felt the air leave my lungs, the words slamming into me like a freight train. “Excuse me?”
Rowan shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting away from mine.
His grandfather leaned forward, his hands clasped together. “Do you really think you’re here for anything else, girl? You’re nothing more than a placeholder—a means to an end. Your father saved our lives once, and this is how we repay him. You should be grateful.”
My vision blurred, the room tilting as his words sank in. “Grateful?” I choked out.
“Yes,” he said, his voice hard. “Grateful. If it weren’t for that debt, you’d be nothing. Rowan would never have touched you, let alone married you.”
The nausea returned with a vengeance, but this time it wasn’t just physical. I stood abruptly, needing to escape, to breathe.
But his grandfather wasn’t done. “You’ve been dragging your feet, haven’t you? How hard is it to do the one thing we brought you here for? Or are you just as useless as you look?”
“Stop,” Rowan said suddenly, his voice low but firm.
I turned to him, tears streaming down my face. “You knew about this?”
“Remi...”
“Answer me!” I screamed, my voice cracking.
He looked at me then, really looked at me, and the guilt in his eyes was all the answer I needed.
I stumbled back, my hand flying to my stomach as a sharp pain shot through me.
“Remi?” Rowan’s voice was distant, almost muffled, as my legs gave out beneath me.
The next few moments were a blur of chaos—Rowan yelling, the sound of footsteps pounding against the floor, and the cold touch of the tiles against my skin.
The pain grew worse, twisting and tearing at me until I thought I might pass out.
I clung to one thought, one desperate plea: Please, not the baby. Not my baby.
When I woke up, the sterile smell of the hospital hit me first. The bright lights burned my eyes, and every part of me felt heavy, weighed down by something I couldn’t name.
“Remi.”
I turned my head slowly, my vision focusing on Rowan. He was sitting by the bed, his face pale, his eyes rimmed red.
“What happened?” I croaked.
His lips parted, but no sound came out.
“Rowan,” I said, my voice stronger now. “What happened to the baby?”
\---
His silence was answer enough.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, no, no.”
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, his voice breaking. “There was nothing they could do.”
The tears came fast, hot and unrelenting. I turned away from him, my hand pressed against my stomach as if I could will the life back into me.
“It’s my fault,” I sobbed. “I should’ve been more careful. I should’ve—”
“Stop,” he said, his hand brushing mine. “This isn’t your fault.”
I yanked my hand away, glaring at him through my tears. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare act like you care.”
“Remi—”
“Was it worth it?” I demanded, my voice rising. “Was it worth throwing me into this hell just to please your grandfather? To pay off some stupid debt?”
He flinched but didn’t respond.
“That’s all I was to you, wasn’t I? A pawn. A... a vessel to carry your precious bloodline.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t deny it.
“Get out,” I said, my voice shaking.
“Remi, please—”
“I said get out!” I screamed.
He hesitated, his hand hovering in the air as if he wanted to reach for me. But then he dropped it, his shoulders sagging as he stood.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly before walking out.
The door clicked shut, and I was alone.
The days that followed were a blur. The nurses came and went, their voices soft and careful, but I barely heard them. The pain of my loss overshadowed everything else, a constant ache that refused to let me breathe.
Ok
I thought about my baby—the life that had been growing inside me, the hope I’d clung to amidst all the chaos. And now it was gone, ripped away by the very people who had sworn to protect me.
And Rowan...
I didn’t know if I would ever be able to forgive him.
When I finally left the hospital, Rowan was waiting outside, his face a mask of unreadable emotions.
He reached for me, but I stepped back, shaking my head. “Don’t.”
His hand fell to his side, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Let me take you home.”
Hom
e. The word felt foreign, hollow.
I followed him in silence, my heart heavy with everything we’d lost—and everything we’d never had.
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