Elena stood in the center of the living room that was no longer hers, surrounded by silence so thick it felt like drowning. The negative pregnancy test still sat on the table where Marcus had left it, evidence of her failure, her inadequacy, her broken body and broken life.
Patricia's words echoed in her head, a litany of everything Elena had feared she was, now confirmed by the people who were supposed to love her.
The numbness finally cracked, and Elena ran for the bathroom. She barely made it before her stomach rebelled, heaving up nothing because she'd barely eaten all day. She'd been too nervous about the test to keep anything down.
When the spasms finally stopped, she collapsed on the cold tile floor, the same spot where she'd sat just an hour ago, hoping for a different outcome. Hoping for anything but this.
___________
Two hours later, the papers arrived.
