Sweet Hatred Chapter 325: Secret pt 2

The room they brought to was bright, too bright, the white walls and buzzing fluorescent lights unforgiving. A doctor with rimless glasses and a calm, professional voice introduced himself, I caught the na but imdiately forgot it, my mind already spiraling.

"Please lie down," the nurse said gently, helping onto the narrow bed. I obeyed, folding my hands over my stomach as if I could shield it from what was about to happen.

They dimd the lights slightly. The machine beside humd to life, the ultrasound wand clicking softly as the doctor prepared it.

"This is just routine," he said evenly, the kind of tone that was supposed to comfort. "We’ll check to ensure everything is clear. It shouldn’t take long."

Routine.

Nothing about this felt routine.

The gel was cold against my skin, making flinch. I stared up at the ceiling, refusing to look at the screen as the doctor guided the probe across my lower belly. The machine whirred softly, the sound sharp in the silence.

I didn’t breathe. My heart beat so hard it felt like the gel would freeze right over it.

"Uterine lining looks normal," the doctor murmured, mostly to himself, tapping the keys on the machine. "No obvious retained tissue."

I closed my eyes. Relief washed over , but it was threaded with the sharp sting of grief. No tissue ant I was "clear." No trace of the child I never got to hold. No evidence it had ever been real. Just... gone.

"Everything seems fine," the doctor continued, adjusting the wand. "No signs of infection. But we’ll run bloodwork to confirm, just to be thorough. You’ve been fortunate, it looks like your body has been healing well."

Healing. What a cruel word.

I nodded faintly, afraid my voice would break if I spoke. The gel was wiped away, the machine shut off, and just like that, it was over.

"Rest is still very important," the doctor reminded . "And no unnecessary stress. Please make sure you take your vitamins and iron supplents as well."

I wanted to laugh at that. No unnecessary stress. My whole life was stress.

As the nurse helped sit up, Ash was by the door, arms crossed but eyes soft. She didn’t say anything, didn’t press. She just gave that small nod, like she knew exactly what was going through my head, and that sohow made it worse.

I walked out of that room lighter, but emptier too.

Ash and I stepped out of the building, the sun brighter than I expected, almost mocking. My chest felt heavy, heavier than when I went in, because the doctor’s words had confird it all over again, there was nothing left. No trace. I had carried Kael’s child, and now I didn’t.

I stuffed it down quickly, forcing my face blank as we crossed to the car. Ash was quiet too, and I was grateful she didn’t try to fill the silence with sothing useless.

Sliding into the passenger seat, I caught my reflection in the side mirror. For a second, I didn’t recognize myself. Hollow cheeks, pallid skin, eyes too dark and sunken, as if the life had been drained out of . Like a shell soone had left behind. My stomach dropped.

I blinked hard, straightened in my seat, forced myself not to fall into that dark pit again. Not here. Not now.

"You eaten?" Ash’s voice cut through my spiral.

I shook my head. "Kael and I... we were about to get sothing when you arrived."

Her brows pinched. "Then we’re definitely eating. You can’t keep skipping."

I almost told her I wasn’t hungry. That I hadn’t been hungry in weeks. But instead I just nodded, because fighting Ash when she was like this was pointless.

She drove us into the richer part of Madrid, streets polished like they belonged to another world, lined with boutiques and stone balconies. She pulled up outside a high-end restaurant, one of those glass-fronted places where even the awnings scread money.

As I stepped out, my gaze caught on a motorcycle parked along the curb. For one heartbeat, all I could see was Sylas. That night on his bike, his easy smile, his eyes holding a softness I didn’t deserve. The last ti I saw him, at the hospital. He had reached for , and I’d turned away.

I hadn’t looked back since because after Kael arrived, nothing else mattered.

"Have you... heard from Sylas?" I asked carefully as we walked toward the entrance.

Ash hesitated, glancing at before sliding her hands into her pockets. "He told not to tell you this. But he’s been... really down. Won’t leave his bed. Doesn’t want to see anyone."

Guilt slamd into , heavy and sharp. My chest tightened.

"But," she added quickly, "don’t let him guilt-trip you. That’s just him being dramatic. He always mopes like this when things don’t go his way. Give him ti, he’ll bounce back."

I let out a small laugh, but it was thin, brittle, not quite real. My chest still ached.

Inside, the restaurant was all gleaming marble floors and chandeliers. The kind of place Kael would’ve brought to when things were sort of normal. If anything between us had ever been normal.

I sank into the plush chair across from Ash, staring at the polished cutlery laid out like I was supposed to know how to exist here. My thoughts tangled, twisting over themselves.

I thought telling Kael I loved him would be the end of it. That it would fix everything. That my chest would stop feeling like it was split wide open.

But now, sitting there, I realized it was only the beginning.

The ache stayed quiet, pressing down on my ribs but never spilling out. I tucked it away, where all the other unspoken things lived, and pretended to study the nu Ash slid across to .

She leaned back in her chair, studying instead of the food. "Pick sothing, or I’ll do it for you."

I traced the neat columns of dishes with my eyes, though none of them registered. My voice ca out smaller than I ant when I asked, "what about my sister? And the kids?"

Ash blinked, then exhaled softly. "You really want to worry about everyone else right now?"

I shrugged. "It’s easier than worrying about myself."

Her gaze softened, but she answered anyway. "They’re fine. Olivia’s tried reaching out twice, but I’ve stalled her. When you’re ready, you can call her. No pressure."

A rush of gratitude washed through . I set the nu down and looked at her. "You’ve done so much for already, Ashlyn. At this point, you could practically own ."

Her lips curved into that sly grin. "Careful, sweetheart. Don’t tempt ."

I let out a laugh, thin, but real enough, and for a mont the air between us felt lighter. Warm.

The mont shattered when her phone buzzed. Ash glanced down, jaw tightening a little, and then she rose from her chair. "I need to take this. Won’t be long."

She didn’t wait for to respond, already striding toward the glass doors, phone pressed to her ear.

And I was left alone again, staring at the untouched nu, the ache in my chest thrumming quietly like a reminder that no matter how soft the mont, the weight of everything I hadn’t said still followed everywhere.