Game Over No Second Chances novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8

LAUREN’S POV

I stared down at my phone in complete shock, my fingers trembling as I gripped the device. This was the sixth time I had called Ethan – and still, no

answer.

Six calls. Six chances. Six silences.

Each time the call ended without a response, it was like another knife slowly twisting in my chest.

What if it had been something important?

What if it had been life-threatening?

Did he not care enough to even check who was calling?

Even if he was with another woman, even if I meant nothing to him anymore, he should have at least had the decency – the respect – to pick up or call back. Just once. Just enough to ask, “Are you okay?”

But there was nothing. Not even a message.

I clenched my jaw and forced myself not to cry. But it was already too late. My vision blurred, and I felt the warm sting of tears begin to build in my eyes.

The nurse was still in the room, standing nearby. She didn’t know what was going on, but she could clearly see the pain written across my face. Quietly, she walked to the small table next to my hospital bed, took a tissue from the box, and handed it to me.

Her smile was soft, and though she didn’t speak, the gesture said everything.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, forcing myself to breathe. Accept the truth, Lauren.

Then I took the tissue and returned her smile with a broken one of my own. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

She nodded kindly. “I’ll give you some time. When you’ve reached any of your loved ones, just press the button on the side. I’ll let the doctor know you’re ready.”

And with that, she turned and quietly left the room.

The door clicked shut behind her, and for a few seconds, the silence felt deafening.

I let out a long, shaky sigh and rested my left arm across my forehead, staring up at the plain white ceiling. A place where answers didn’t exist.

What was happening to my life?

What was happening to him?

It was like I didn’t recognize Ethan anymore. The man had loved – the man I had chosen to build a future with — felt like a stranger now. These past two days had unraveled everything I thought I knew. The warmth in his eyes, the way he used to care, the comfort in his arms all of it felt like a distant

memory now.

Was it really all fake? Had I just been blind?

He wasn’t just ignoring me

he had gone and gotten another woman pregnant.

Pregnant.

—

And not once did he try to explain. Not once did he give me a chance to talk, to express what I felt. Every time I tried to reach out to him — hoping we could salvage even a fraction of what we once had – he brushed me off like I was nothing more than an inconvenience.

1/3

Chapter B

But we were supposed to be partners. Lovers. A couple.

We were supposed to face problems together not shut each other out when things got hard.

129

Holding in all this pain, trying to act like I was okay… it was crushing me. My body may have collapsed from stress, but it was my heart that truly broke.

A tear slipped down the side of my face, soaking into the hospital pillow. I wiped it away and sat up a little straighter, forcing myself not to fall apart again.

Then it hit me.

Maybe Ethan wouldn’t answer me. Maybe he didn’t care anymore.

But there was someone – one person – who always did. No matter where she was, no matter what she was doing, she never let my call go unanswered.

Tessa.

She had always been there. My best friend. My safe space. The one person who saw through my fake smiles and knew when I needed someone the most.

Tessa wouldn’t let me go through this alone.

I looked down at my phone and tapped the screen with shaky fingers, searching through my contacts. It didn’t take long before I found her name.

Without hesitation, I pressed the call button and brought the phone to my ear.

One ring.

Two rings.

Then her warm, familiar voice filled the line. “Hey, Lauren! What’s up?”

Just hearing her made my chest tighten. There was so much comfort in her voice, like a lifeline pulling me out of the dark.

I sniffed softly, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Tessa… I need a little favor,” I said, my voice cracking slightly.

She didn’t hesitate — not even a second. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?” she said quickly, her tone instantly shifting from casual to concerned. That’s the thing about her- we had known each other for so long, she could tell something was off just from my voice. I didn’t even have to say it.

I swallowed hard. “I’m going to send you an address. Please… just come. I’ll tell you everything when you get here.”

She was quiet for a moment, maybe waiting to say more, but I couldn’t bear to speak another word. Before she could respond, I ended the call and quickly opened our chat thread.

That’s when it hit me. I didn’t even know what hospital I was in.

I looked around the room in a mild panic, eyes darting from the IV pole to the pale gray walls, searching for any clue. Then I spotted it – a hospital card placed neatly on the bedside table, probably left there by the nurse earlier.

I leaned over, trying to read the print, but my vision was still slightly blurry. The letters swam in and out of focus, taunting me.

Frustrated, I grabbed my phone again and opened the camera app, zooming in on the card. The image sharpened, and finally, I could make out the name and address of the hospital.

St. Catherine Memorial Hospital.

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