When the attacker charged into the ER with a knife, my fiancé, Caleb, didn’t hesitate. He shoved me forward, using my body as a human shield. Then he turned his back on me to wrap his arms protectively around his childhood sweetheart, Sienna. I took multiple stab wounds to my abdomen. The baby I had struggled so hard to conceive didn’t stand a chance. The only surgeon in the hospital capable of performing the delicate procedure to save the pregnancy was Caleb. But no matter how many times the nurses paged him, he didn't answer. The morning after I lost everything, I woke up to see Sienna’s Instagram Story. "Your arms are the safest harbor in the world! ❤️" The photo showed Sienna’s delicate hand resting on Caleb’s bare chest. My hands trembled as I took a screenshot and texted it to him. "Is this the reason you pushed me into a knife?" It took him two whole days to reply. "Come on, Harper. You’re a war correspondent. A woman who runs into war zones is scared of a little knife? Sienna is different. She’s fragile." ... "Caleb, let’s break up." My dream had always been to report from the front lines. But I got distracted. I fell for Caleb. I chased him for five years before finally becoming his fiancée. I thought my devotion would earn his love. I thought my happy ending was starting. I never imagined my bravery would become his excuse to push me toward death so he could save another woman. The doctor told me my uterus was severely damaged. The chances of me ever conceiving again were practically zero. That unborn life, the one that never even got to see the sun, was likely the only blood relative I would ever have. I begged the doctor for hours until he finally agreed to let me take the remains of my angel home. I couldn’t protect him while he was alive. Now, I just wanted to find him a quiet place to rest, hoping his soul would find a happier family next time. I placed him in a hand-carved wooden box and buried him under a large oak tree on a hill outside the city. It faced the sun. Warm in the winter, shaded in the summer. Staring at the fresh mound of dirt, I felt like I was drowning in the freezing Pacific Ocean. His arrival and departure shouldn't be this silent. Besides me, Caleb should remember him forever. I dialed Caleb’s number. Suddenly, a familiar ringtone chimed from the top of the hill behind me. I hid behind the oak tree. I watched Caleb frown, look at his screen, and impatiently hang up on me. Then he turned, supporting Sienna with a tenderness I rarely saw. "Just tell me what you need, and I’ll handle it. Why drive all the way out here yourself?" When he was with me, Caleb’s catchphrase was, "I'm exhausted, Harper. Stop bothering me." So, I learned to fix everything myself. I never wanted to burden him. Turns out, he just didn't think I was worth the effort. "A psychic told me my recent bad luck is because someone buried a cursed object with my name on it," Sienna whined. "She pinpointed this location. I have to dig it up myself to break the curse!" They walked down the hill and, naturally, they saw me. Caleb’s face instantly darkened. He glared at me with pure disgust. "What the hell are you doing here?" This was the spot where we became a couple. Where he proposed. Where we made that baby. It was perfectly normal for me to be here. But a man looking for a fight doesn't care about logic. "Are you stalking me now?" "Harper, first the nonstop calls, now this? I’m not a criminal. Can’t you give me some damn space?" Arguing with him was like talking to a brick wall. I didn't want to fight in front of my baby’s resting place, so I turned to leave. Sienna stepped in my path. With her back to Caleb, she smirked at me. "Harper, don't be mad at Caleb because of me!" "That maniac at the hospital was terrifying. I’m still shaking! I was too scared to be alone, so I asked Caleb to stay. By the way... are you okay?" My abdominal wounds throbbed. The doctor said if the blade had been an inch to the left, it would have hit my liver, and I’d be dead. During the chaos, I was closest to Caleb. He’s a surgeon. His hands are his life. I had stepped forward to protect him. I imagined a million scenarios. Not once did I imagine he would push me from behind. Caught off guard, I stumbled right into the attacker’s blade. And he didn’t even look back. He just scooped Sienna up and vanished. "None of your damn business," I spat.
"Harper! Sienna is just being nice. Watch your mouth." Caleb stepped up, shielding Sienna like a mother hen protecting a chick. I used to fight with him over Sienna constantly, desperate to prove I was his priority. Now, it just seemed pathetic. When life and death were on the line, my delusions were shattered. I used to think screaming and crying was the ultimate sign of heartbreak. Now I know that when you’re truly broken, silence is the only response. "I appreciate her 'kindness,' but no thanks. I don't need it." "Move." I tried to walk away, but Caleb grabbed my arm. "What were you trying to say on the phone earlier? Are you okay? You didn't get hurt that day, did you?" The words I wanted to scream earlier died in my throat. My injuries were his fault. He ignored me for days, and now he pretends to care? Crocodile tears. "If you actually cared, why didn't you come back to the apartment?" I kept my head down and kept walking. "I... The hospital has been crazy. I couldn't get away." I stopped. I turned and looked at the man I had loved for years. He lied so easily. That night, the only surgeon capable of saving my pregnancy was him. But he had taken leave. He ghosted the hospital. "Caleb, you didn't read the text I sent you, did you?" "It doesn't matter. I'll say it to your face. We are done." Caleb’s face went rigid. Shock filled his eyes. "Why?" "Just because I protected Sienna? Are you seriously breaking up over that?" "She twisted her ankle! And if she hadn't come to the hospital to keep you company, she wouldn't have been traumatized. She has insomnia now because of it! Have some heart, Harper." I let out a cold laugh. I went for a prenatal checkup alone. I bumped into Sienna at the entrance. In his version of reality, she was there to support me. "Caleb, God is watching. Being the loudest one in the room doesn't make you right." "You know exactly why you pushed me. Deep down, you know." Caleb frowned, looking annoyed at my "ingratitude." "Harper, stop being dramatic!" "You've been to war zones in Afghanistan and Syria. You're scared of a punk with a knife? Sienna is fragile. She needs me!" When I stayed silent, he paced anxiously and grabbed my shoulders. "Look, Harper. I messed up. I didn't protect you first." "Next time, I swear, I’ll stand in front of you. Okay?" I shook his hands off. I didn't want to hear it. "I apologized. What more do you want?" I stared into his eyes, my voice dead calm. "I’m breaking up with you because I don’t love you anymore. I don’t want you." "Who you protect, who you sleep with—it’s not my problem anymore." Seeing I was serious, panic flashed in his eyes. He reached for my hand again. Before he could speak, Sienna’s voice cut through the air. "Caleb! I found it! I found the cursed object!"
I instinctively looked back. When I saw what they were doing, I ignored the tearing pain in my gut and sprinted up the hill. "Stop! Don't touch that!" Sienna was directing two hired men to dig up the small mound. My wooden box was tossed out, landing in the dirt at Sienna's feet. I was terrified she would desecrate it further. I charged, shoving her to the ground, and curled my body around the box. Don't be scared, baby. Mommy is here. Smack! Caleb rushed over, helped Sienna up, and slapped me across the face. "It’s just a dirty box, Harper! Are you insane?" Sienna sobbed, looking up at Caleb with big, teary eyes. "Caleb, that thing she’s holding... that’s the curse the psychic talked about! It’s the reason I’m suffering!" Caleb glared at the box in my arms. I didn't care what they thought. I just knew they wanted to hurt my child. I scrambled up and tried to run. But I was injured and weak. They caught me in seconds. The men grabbed my arms. Caleb coldly ripped the box from my hands. "Caleb, please. I’m begging you. Give it back." "I’ll do anything. Just give him back to me!" Caleb patted my cheek, sneering. "Harper, you really missed your calling in Hollywood. One second you're tough, the next you're on your knees for a box of trash." "Your attention-seeking games are disgusting. Apologize to Sienna. Now." My child died because of her. Now she was digging up his grave. And he wanted me to apologize? I wanted her to burn in hell. "Caleb, that's not trash! That's your—" "Caleb, look! There are letters on the bottom! It's my initials!" Sienna shrieked. Caleb turned the box over, ignoring me completely. He walked toward me, eyes full of contempt. "I didn't think you'd stoop to black magic just because you were jealous, Harper." I shook my head violently. "You used a dead animal to curse Sienna just to get my attention? That explains why she's been getting hurt." "This is all you, isn't it?" Caleb, the man of science, was believing this nonsense. "No! It's not an animal! It's my—" Caleb laughed, a cruel, cold sound. "Do you think I'm stupid? If it's not a hex bag for Sienna, why is 'L.J.' carved into it?" L.J. wasn't Lindsay Jones (Sienna's real name). It was Noah James. My intended name for him. But Caleb was done listening. He raised the box high in the air. "You love this box so much? Let me show you what happens when you cross me." He threw it. Hard. I watched in slow motion as the box hit a jagged rock. It shattered. The small bundle inside rolled out, tumbling down the rocky slope. "NO!" I broke free from the men, screaming, running toward my baby. But I was too slow. Just as I reached the bottom, a wild stray dog darted out from the bushes. It snapped its jaws around the bundle and swallowed it whole. Gone. He was gone. My world went black, and I collapsed.
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