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“Please, don’t do this again. Please, Heart,” he begged.
“It’s for the best. Now you can live the life you wanted before you met me,” I whispered.
I pulled away from his grasp and pushed open the doors, sucking in a deep breath outside in the sunshine. How many times would I have to say goodbye to this man? And how did it hurt more and more every single time?
I hailed a cab and quickly clambered inside as Daniel ran after me. I sat there stoically as the car pulled away from the curb, leaving him behind.
Chapter 48
Daniel
I watched as the yellow cab drove away with Heart and our baby inside. She never once looked back, even as I slapped my hand against the window as the car pulled away from the curb. There wasn’t a cab to follow her and Armand had gone to lunch. I had no choice but to watch her go.
I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe I had run into her. Outside of her OB office, nonetheless. It was the last place I expected to see her again, since she would have no business being there. But it turned out, she did.
Our baby was alive.
I felt like I was dreaming when I turned around and saw her. She was as beautiful as ever, if not more. She wore a white dress that hugged her bump snuggly. Her hair seemed longer as it fell around her face, her makeup-less skin glowing. Only she would be able to get more beautiful the more pregnant she became.
She still smelled the same intoxicating way. It took everything for me not to pull her into my arms. The only thing that made me realize she was real was when I offered her my hand and she took it. That same electric feeling ran up my arm before she quickly pulled away, breaking the connection and bringing us back to the reality that we were there together again. And she was still pregnant.
Pregnant. The word echoed in my head as I watched the cab turn the corner. This time I had gone after her, quickly following her as she fled from the office. I didn’t want her to get away again, but for being pregnant she was quick. It felt like a scene from a movie where I was chasing after the cab down the streets of New York.
Now, standing here on the sidewalk, I felt like I was having déjà vu from the last time she had left me and said she never wanted to see me again. I had felt helpless then, after causing her to lose her job. But now, I didn’t know how to feel. I was hurt. Angry. Sad. Still helpless.
“What are you doing out here?” I heard Freddy ask behind me.
“Heart…” I said softly.
“What?” he asked, confused, as if he wasn’t sure he heard me correctly.
“Heart was here.”
“Really?”
“Why didn’t you tell me she’s still pregnant?” I whipped around to face him.
“What? She’s still pregnant?” The look on his face was pure shock.
I realized he had no idea. I nodded.
“She was just leaving her appointment. Seven months, if I’m counting correctly.”
“I, honest to God, had no idea, Daniel,” he replied, shaking his head. “You know how it is. We’re always coming and going with labor and delivery. Either here or at the hospital. Plus. we don’t discuss our patients with other doctors.”
“Yeah,” I said understandingly.
“Wow. Just wow,” he murmured.
“I can’t believe she lied to me,” I shook my head.
She had so badly wanted nothing to do with me that she came up with a lie so deceitful. For as good and honest Heart was as a person, I realized how much I had hurt her for her to go through that length to end whatever we had. It damn near broke my heart.
Freddy put his hand on my back as I stared down the block, willing the yellow cab to turn back around the corner with Heart inside. I knew it was wishful thinking. She was gone.
“Why don’t we get out of here and go to lunch?” asked Freddy. “We can talk more there.”
“Okay.” I nodded.