Chapter 2: UNSPOKEN GOODBYES

The police arrived, their bright lights bathing the dark space in their weird, pulsating light. Officers cautiously stepped into the room, their eyes widening when they caught sight. Steve sat on the floor, cradling Olivia's ice-cold, lifeless feet where she hung from the ceiling. He trembled, his hands shaking, his skin colorless, drained of all color.

"How could this happen? How could she—could possibly do this to me? To us? We were supposed to grow old together. I should have seen something. I should have seen all those signs…"

The officers were swift, cutting the rope and laying Olivia's corpse gently onto the earth. Paramedics confirmed the inevitable—Olivia did not make it. They rolled her onto the stretcher and transported her for post-mortem. Steve did not even flinch, his brain numbed by shock and despair.

During interrogation, all he could remember, he did. Hollow, his voice sounded, devoid of emotions when he spoke about the memories culminating towards this fatal episode.

Scene Shift: Flashback

A time when their house rang with joy

Olivia held onto Steve's hands, excitement gleaming from her eyes. "I'm pregnant, Steve."

For a split second, the clock ceased ticking. Then, all of a sudden, Steve grinned from side to side, sweeping Olivia up from the ground in excitement. "Are you serious? Oh my God, Olivia! We're going to have a child!"

From that day, Olivia and their child became the only priority for Steve. He ensured that she rested enough, did not overtax herself, and only consumed nutritious food. He bought a cradle, tiny-sized attire, and all the accessories for their child.

Olivia, a very assertive and independent businesswoman, possessed a building firm. Work has been keeping her busy lately. She came back very late one evening, exhausted. Even after this, she would prepare coffee and work until morning.

One night, Olivia came home, obviously exhausted. Steve, bubbling over with excitement, dropped onto his knees beside her, putting his head against the side of her belly. "Hello, Olivia Jr., can you hear me?"

Olivia chuckled. "Why not Steve Jr.?"

Steve smirked. "Well, you know, by the facts, the girl is actually closer to the father."

"Oh?" Olivia said, laughing softly, but recoiled from the exhaustion creeping over her.

Steve frowned. "You need to lighten up. For our child. And for you."

Well these days some work load is also present alongside fire broke out in one of our building complex.

He handed over some pain relievers for the pain in her body and the chocolates for which she had begged earlier. "Rest now."

But the days went by, and Olivia pushed herself even more. And the evening arrived when all this turned around.

As she lay beside Steve, a burning sensation rushed through her. She gasped, reaching for her stomach, only to find the heat radiating through the space around her legs. She gasped for breath, shocked.

"Steve!" she screamed, the fear and anguish laced through her voice.

Steve jolted awake. "Olivia?! What happened?"

Tears streamed from her eyes when she looked over at him in complete fear. "I'm bleeding. Steve, I. something's not right."

Panic surged through Steve when he swept her into his arms and rushed for the hospital. He beat his heart against his chest as he pleaded, hoped—prayed—that their child would be okay.

After what felt like an interminable wait, the doctor emerged through the door, his countenance grim. He breathed heavily prior to delivering the appalling news:

"She had a miscarriage."

Silence filled the room.

Steve felt the world around him crumple. He felt his knees turn weak, and he could only faintly hear Olivia's cries next to him. That dream they'd imagined together, the future the two of them'd planned, had crumpled all around them.

When Olivia became aware, Steve sat beside her, his countenance fixed into a smile. "My God, Olivia, you're all right! You're fine!" he said, trying not to display his sadness.

Olivia blinked weakly, gasping for breath. "Steve.what did you happen? And the baby?"

Steve hesitated. "Nothing went through. prioritize recovering for now."

Olivia's tired eyes scanned his features, and tears filled them. "You can't lie, Steve. That phony smile always gives you away. Tell me, please." She began sobbing. "Tell me about my child."

Steve felt his heart close over, his eyes misty from unshed tears. He gasped for breath, unable to hold the emotions back anymore. "Olivia. the child is gone," he whispered, his voice trembling.

A heart-wrenching sob burst from Olivia's lips as she broke into tears. She sobbed, and Steve enfolded his arms around her, holding her close while she shook. "I'm sorry," she whispered, setting lips against his heart. "I'm sorry, sorry"

Next day Olivia lay back on the couch, listlessly caressing the soft expanse of her belly. The apartment was quiet except for the quiet humming of the ceiling fan. Then—a flutter. A kick? She held her breath.

"Steve," she called, her voice trembling.

Steve looked up from his cell, alarm passing through his eyes. "What is it?"

"I… I felt something. A kick. Oh, Steve, for real, the baby kicked!

Steve froze. He could hear the thumping of his heart. "What? Olivia, does this indicate—" He dropped onto the floor beside her. "Maybe—perhaps the reports were inaccurate? Possibly the child is alive, and you only bled slightly?" He spoke through the hopes building up.

Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes. "I don't know. But it felt very real."

"We're going to the hospital," said Steve, grabbing for his keys.

Dr. Reynolds studied Olivia's chart, and next turned his gaze towards the couple. He did not even flinch when the husband became upset.

"Olivia, what you experience is called the phantom kick phenomenon," he said. "Women experience this after pregnancy loss, even after childbirth. Your body is remembering the sensations you had during pregnancy, and the brain can short-circuit the normal movements of the muscles and perceive them as kicks."

Olivia's face fell. "So… it wasn't real, then?"

The doctor sympathetically nodded. "I'm sorry. I know you hoped for this to happen."

Steve squeezed her hand. "Okay, Liv. We will survive this. We will."

She swallowed the knot in her throat and attempted to weakly smile.

As they stepped out from the doctor's office, Olivia stayed in the hallway while Steve went about handling some paperwork. She could hear one of the Doctors explaining something to the pregnant woman beside them.

"Make sure you avoid stress as much as you can," he said softly. "Avoid lots of chocolate, coffee, painkillers, and heavy exercises. These can influence your child's formation and even miscarriage can occur."

And when Olivia hears this, she will start wondering: 'Where did I go wrong? What if all this is my fault?' And this will gnaw at her.