Chapter 11 up
“I saw her.”
The words kept circling in Clark’s mind as his car sped along the road leading out of the city. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than usual, his heartbeat uneven and restless.
He hadn’t misheard.
He hadn’t misunderstood.
The source was clear. The location was real.
Nyla was not far from here.
Clark parked across the street from a small bookstore attached to a modest café. The building was old, but warm. Large glass windows revealed the silhouettes of people inside—and that was when his chest nearly stopped beating.
That figure.
Black hair tied back simply. A calm posture. A way of standing he knew too well.
Nyla.
Clark stepped out of the car without thinking. His legs felt light and heavy at the same time. Every step forward both pulled him closer—and filled him with fear.
What if Nyla didn’t want to see him?
What if he was already too late?
His hand was just about to touch the café door handle—
His phone rang.
Selena’s name appeared on the screen.
Clark frowned. He almost ignored it. Almost.
But the voice in his head—responsibility, guilt, unfinished promises—made his finger press the answer button.
“Clark…” Selena’s voice broke through the line, weak and uneven. “I… I’m bleeding…”
Clark froze.
“What do you mean?” he asked tensely.
“I’m in the bathroom… I’m scared…” Selena sobbed. “Please come home. Now.”
Clark turned his gaze back to the café.
Nyla was still there, her back to him, talking to someone. The distance between them was less than ten steps.
Ten steps that could change everything.
“Selena, calm down,” Clark said quickly. “Call a doctor. I—”
“I can’t!” Selena cried. “I’m alone, Clark. Please… don’t leave me.”
Clark closed his eyes.
In his mind, two faces collided.
Nyla—the woman he had driven away with cold indifference.
Selena—the woman now begging him in fear.
“I’ll come home,” he said at last.
The words felt like a betrayal—to himself.
Clark stepped away from the café door, his movements heavy. He got into the car and drove off, unable to look back.
Inside the café, Nyla felt something.
For no clear reason, her chest trembled. She turned toward the window—toward the street outside.
Empty.
There was no one there.
She let out a small breath and laughed softly at herself. “I’m just too tired,” she murmured.
Yet the feeling didn’t fully fade.
Meanwhile, Clark drove at high speed. His hands shook, his thoughts tangled. Something felt wrong—too coincidental, too perfectly timed.
When he arrived home, Selena lay on the sofa, her face pale, tear stains still visible.
“Clark…” she whispered.
Clark rushed to her side. “Where’s the blood?”
Selena flinched, then pointed to the tissues on the table. There were red stains—not much.
“It stopped,” she said quietly. “I was so scared…”
Clark stared at her for a long moment.
There was no medical panic.
No real emergency.
Only fear.
And something else—an overwhelming dependence.
“We’re going to the hospital,” Clark said firmly.
Selena shook her head quickly. “No… the doctor said stress is dangerous. I just need you here.”
Clark took a long breath. “Selena… you need to be honest with me.”
Selena stiffened. “About what?”
“Are you really that sick?” Clark asked slowly.
Her expression shifted for a split second—then returned to fragile. “You doubt me?”
Clark didn’t answer right away.
He remembered how precise the timing had been.
How close he’d been to Nyla.
How easily he’d been pulled back.
“I almost met Nyla today,” he said at last.
Selena froze.
“What?” Her voice trembled.
“I saw her,” Clark continued. “And you called me at that exact moment.”
Selena pushed herself upright slightly, her breathing uneven. “I didn’t know where you were! I was really sick!”
Clark stared at her sharply. “Or were you afraid I’d find her?”
Tears poured down Selena’s face. “I’m afraid of losing you!”
The honesty—half of it—hung in the air.
Clark stepped back, putting distance between them. His chest felt unbearably tight.
“Selena,” he said softly but firmly. “You can’t keep pulling me back like this.”
“I’m pregnant with your child!” Selena suddenly shouted. “I need you!”