Page 103 of Power Move

“I will try to swing by,” I said. “I’ll text you.”

“Great. Okay. Just let me know, darling.”

Darling. Normally, that would have warmed my heart. Instead, it made me sweat in a bad way. I wanted to puke. I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing Mona right now. I also didn’t want to miss saying goodbye. Returning, I stared at Davey as he fumbled through his suitcase for something.

“You alright, Eva?”

“I… my dog is dying,” I said. “The one my ex stole from me. She’s sick. She has cancer. I want to see her.”

“Oh… okay?” He didn’t look fussed.

“Can I go? The only issue… it’s in Richmond, which is… not super close. By the time I get ready and head over there, I will only have an hour or so before doubling back.”

“Why don’t we do this,” Davey suggested. “You take the car out there, see the dog, and I will get in the car and head back to get you. I’ll wait. I’m not going to come and get you. We’ll just park and you can find us, Eva.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“Should it?” Davey snickered.

“I dunno.”

“Eva, I trust you. I love you. I know this isn’t a ruse to sleep with your ex. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Thanks, Davey,” I said.

I rang the bell at Mona’s place in Richmond. Her semi-detached house looked exactly as I remembered. I felt awkward in a cocktail dress during the afternoon. I couldn’t miss our meeting, andwe were about to have a posh dinner. She appeared, our Corgi, Carter, at her ankles. Before greeting Mona, I bent down to give Carter ear scratches. Tears welled before I knew it. I didn’t expect them right away, but I realized how much I’d missed this face or the way she always nosed my ears as I hugged her neck tight.

Still fighting tears, I looked at Mona. “She still looks really good.”

“She does. But her last scan a couple of days ago doesn’t,” Mona sighed.

I tried to stand but couldn’t. I was stuck, betrayed by my non-existent core.

“Can you help me up?” I winced, extending my left arm.

My right remained weak.

“Okay,” Mona said, confused.

I stood with help, forgetting that she didn’t know I was pregnant. Suddenly, I panicked.Don’t cup your stomach, damn it!

“Come in,” Mona said. “I’ll make tea.”

I followed Mona inside. It smelled different but looked mostly the same. I noticed a pink coat in the corner that was too big for Mona. My stomach sank as I felt replaced the same as I had when I spoke with her two weeks after our breakup to divvy up some of our bills and realized she was already seeing people on a dating app. As her notifications went off, I couldn’t help but think she was sending a message to me. It was a big middle finger. I got nothing in the breakup—not even my dog. I’d been too beaten down to fight.

I sat at the window seat in the breakfast nook off the conservatory. Mona put the kettle on, then fetched two mugs. Carter hopped up by me, her tail wagging like a propellor.

“You still want honey?” Mona asked in a judgmental British tone.

“No. I’m used to sugar now.”

Her mouth dropped as she sat down thegoodbiscuits. Anyposh-o reserved such delicate, elegant biscuits for company. This choice signaled I was a guest rather than family.

“I’m living with the child of a Brit,” I said. “And honey in tea is verboten. I’ve adapted.”

“Good on her. You have a roommate?” Mona pitied me. “Oh, Eva, that’s rough. I’m sorry.”

I didn’t correct Mona’s assumption. Carter attempted to climb into my lap, something that was difficult for a body her size. She made it work but got a reaction out of me I didn’t expect. Something fluttered inside me. Given I’d barely eaten, I didn’t think it was gas. Those werebabyflutters. I started to sob uncontrollably as I realized Carter would never meet my babies—my first baby would leave this world never knowing the twins.