Then one night, a knock at the door.
My sister stood there, pale and trembling, clothes dirty, hair tangled. “I didn’t know where else to go,” she whispered. I should have shut her out. Instead, I stepped aside.
She moved like a ghost, sat silently clutching her stomach. No excuses, no defenses. Just fear.
Around midnight, I heard her cry out. I found her collapsed in the bathroom, blood pooling beneath her. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” she kept repeating. I didn’t think—I acted. Towels, keys, hospital. I stayed by her side, filled out forms, answered questions. She miscarried. The baby was gone.
Later, while washing her clothes, I found a hidden pocket stitched into her jumper. Inside was a velvet pouch, holding a silver baby bracelet with a pink foot charm. Engraved on it was one word: Angela. My name.
She had planned to name her daughter after me.
The story I’d been telling myself shattered. Yes, she betrayed me. But he had pursued her, lied to us both, promised her security, then abandoned her. He destroyed us both.
