Chapter9

The pine tree outside the window was laden with a thick layer of snow. The bronze plaque of Mila's Mercy Clinic gleamed with a cold light under the winter sun. The landline on my desk suddenly rang, the caller ID showing a number I knew by heart. "Hello?" I pressed the answer button, my fingers unconsciously stroking a pen. After a long silence, heavy breathing came through the receiver. "Mila, it's me." Eric's voice sounded like it came from very far away, hoarse and barely human. "I know." I looked out the window where a flock of ravens swept past the bare branches. "I'm sorry." As he spoke these three words, I heard the sound of liquid dripping—maybe medicine, maybe tears. I looked at the faint mark left by my wedding ring. "There's nothing to apologize for." The past was already in the past for me. The guilt of someone who no longer mattered held no meaning for me. Eric's sigh was filled with static. "Lucia... she terminated the pregnancy. Went to another pack. She's never c