THE NAME ON THE FILE

Jessica had worked at Boston General for three years.

Long enough to memorise the smell of disinfectant. Long enough to survive a night shift without coffee.

Long enough for the hospital to feel more like home than the mansion in Kensington ever did.

Here, at least, people talked to her. Here, she existed.

"Morning, Jess," Maya called from the nurses' station.

"New transfer coming to maternity today. Management said you'll assist her."

JESSICA nodded, flipping through patient files absentmindedly.

"Name?"Maya checked the clipboard. "SARAH COLLINS".

The name meant nothing at first. Just another patient. Jessica took the file and walked toward the ward, already thinking about medication schedules and charts.

But when she pushed the door open and stepped inside, she froze.

The woman sitting on the bed looked... familiar. Too put-together to ignore. Long, smooth hair. Perfect skin. Expensive clothes, even in a hospital gown. She didn't look weak. Didn't look sick. She looked comfortable and confident, like she belonged anywhere she stepped.

And then Jessica remembered. She had seen her before. Once. Standing beside Michael's car.

Her stomach tightened.Professional, Jessica. Just do your job.She forced a small smile.

"Good morning. I'm Nurse Jessica I'll be taking care of you today."

Sarah looked up slowly. Her gaze moved over Jessica's face, then paused briefly at her hand. The ring.Something flickered in her eyes but didn't stay long enough to name.

"Oh," she said, almost casually. "So you're Jessica."

JESSICA frowned slightly.

"Have we met before?"

Sarah gave a small shrug, leaning back against the pillow. "Something like that."

That didn't answer anything. Jessica looked back down at the file to focus.

But the moment her eyes reached the medical notes, her heart stopped.Pregnant. Second trimester.She swallowed.

Then her eyes dropped to the emergency contact section.FATHER OF BABY: Michael Carter.

The pen slipped from her fingers. It hit the floor with a small sound too loud, too heavy for such a small thing.

Her ears started ringing. No. It must be another Michael. Carter is a common name... right?

It's has to be.But her hands weren't steady as she read it again.

Michael Carter. Not just any Michael. Her Michael.

Her husband.Her chest tightened so badly she forgot how to breathe.Sarah's voice came softly.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"Jessica looked up slowly.Sarah's smile wasn't kind. It wasn't cruel either. It was worse than both  it was calm.

Like she had been expecting this moment for a while.

"He's always been bad at explaining things," Sarah continued, her hand resting gently over her stomach.

"But don't worry... this baby has been in his life long before you."

The words landed like a slap.Jessica bent down and picked up the pen. Her fingers didn't feel like hers. Because everything she had accepted — the contract, the arrangement, the careful distance between them — was suddenly sitting on top of something she had never been told.

The contract marriage didn't feel like business anymore. It felt humiliating.

"I'll come back to check your vitals later," Jessica said.

Her voice didn't sound like hers. It sounded far away.She forced herself to stand straight. Professional. Strong. Even though her heart felt like it was quietly breaking inside her chest.

She walked out before Sarah could say anything else.

THE HALLWAY

She leaned against the wall outside, pressing her hand over her mouth.Not here. She couldn't do this here.

Her throat felt tight in a way she couldn't swallow down. A breath came... then stopped halfway. She lifted a hand to her face and paused, like she wasn't sure she was allowed to cry here.

THE BATHROOM

The light was too bright. She turned the tap on and just watched the water for a second before touching it.Cold hit her skin. She flinched slightly, like it surprised her.She splashed her face again. Harder this time. As if that could reset something inside her chest.

LEAVING

She came out of the bathroom slower than she went in. She didn't rush. She couldn't, even if she tried.

Her legs moved but each step felt heavier than the last. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag like it was the only steady thing left.

Each step toward the elevator felt louder than it should. Her heels clicked against the floor but in her head it sounded like something collapsing — slowly, quietly, without anyone noticing.

When she reached the elevator she pressed the button once.

Then again. Like the first press wasn't enough to prove she still had control over something.

The doors stayed closed. In that stillness, everything she had been holding together started to loosen.

A coworker called her name from somewhere behind her  soft, distant. She didn't turn. If she turned, she might break completely.

Her reflection appeared faintly in the elevator doors. Tired eyes. Slightly parted lips.

A face that looked like it had just survived something no one else could see.

She wasn't sure if walking away would make it easier. Or if it would just make everything worse.

The doors slid open.

She stepped inside and pressed the button.

A second later, another hand reached in  stopping the doors.

She looked up. And froze.

Michael stepped inside.Neither of them spoke.

Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.

The elevator began to move.

And somehow, being trapped in that small space with him felt harder than anything she had faced all day.