No Second Chances Ex-husband novel Chapter 37

37 /50

LAUREN'S POV

I swallowed hard, still staring at the blood on the floor. My chest felt tight, like it couldn’t hold enough air, and the walls around me seemed to close in. I wanted to scream, to shout, but no sound came out. My voice stuck somewhere between my heart and my throat. My hands were shaking so badly they felt like they weren’t part of me anymore, and my feet refused to move, as if they were nailed to the marble floor.

My eyes, blurry with tears, traced the horrible trail of blood, each drop like a punch to my chest, until it reached its source.

Elena.

For a moment, everything around me vanished. I couldn’t hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, couldn’t hear the hum of the air conditioner, couldn’t even hear Ethan breathing beside me. All I saw was my little girl lying on the floor, so still, so silent, in a small pool of blood that shouldn’t have ever touched her.

The blanket I’d brought for her slipped from my hands, hitting the floor softly, useless now. My legs finally moved, and I stumbled forward, falling to my knees beside her.

“Elena…” The word left my lips like a prayer, a whisper of disbelief.

Without thinking, I lifted her tiny body and placed her head gently on my lap. My hands stroked her hair, shaking uncontrollably. “Baby, wake up. You’re alright, okay?” I said, my voice trembling, words barely forming through the sobs that broke from my chest. “It’s mommy. Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

Her skin felt so cold, colder than anything I’d ever touched. Her pale cheeks didn’t flush under my fingers the way they always did when I teased her. Her head, when I tried to lift it, moved too loosely, too freely, as if something inside her had let go.

My heart beat painfully against my ribs, begging for this to be a nightmare. Just a horrible dream. One I could wake from and find her giggling beside me, clutching her blanket, asking what was for breakfast.

But this wasn’t a dream.

My gaze shot up to Ethan, who just stood there by the door, tears streaming silently down his face. His lips moved, but no words came out.

“What are you waiting for?!” I screamed at him, the sound ripping through my throat raw and broken. “Call the doctor! Call someone! She needs help!”

He didn’t move.

I looked back at Elena, rocking her gently as if that could coax life back into her. “It’s okay, Mommy is here. I brought your blanket, see?” I lifted the edge of the blue blanket, pressing it to her chest, hoping somehow it would bring warmth, bring her back. “So you’re going to be fine now, okay? You can wake up now, baby. Please…”

Her lips, always quick to form a stubborn pout or a bright smile, were now pale, parted slightly as if caught in a breath she never got to finish.

Desperation clawed at me. I pressed my ear to her chest, hoping, praying to hear even the faintest heartbeat. Silence. Just silence. I pressed my trembling fingers to her wrist, to her neck, to her tiny arm, but nothing. The pulse I’d felt countless times when she’d fallen asleep in my arms… gone.

My tears blurred my vision completely. “Please, wake up. You can’t leave me, Elena. Please,” I sobbed, shaking her gently. “Mommy’s here, sweetheart. Please, please wake up…”

I looked back at Ethan, my voice cracking, “Please call the doctor! We can still save her! Please!”