Husband Leaves Pregnant Wife for Influencer Until Parents Deliver Wedding Photo Gift
The picture flickered, the gray sand and the cold sky distorting into jagged green and purple lines.
The screen went completely black, leaving only our own reflections in the dark glass of the phone.
A small white message appeared in the center of the screen, displaying a signal lost message.
By six the next morning, the fluorescent lights of the delivery room hummed with a steady, clinical vibration that seemed to match the tightening in my lower back. The small square window in the door showed only the dark hallway of the maternity wing, where a single cart of plastic trays rattled in the distance. The scent of antiseptic and cold floor wax was thick in the small space, cutting through the dry warmth of the heater.
Tilly sat on the small vinyl chair beside my bed, her hand dry and warm as she squeezed my fingers through each wave. She reached into her handbag for a small bottle of lavender oil, turning the cap slowly before stopping to look at the monitor screen. Her knuckles were swollen from her arthritis, but her grip was surprisingly firm as she leaned closer.
