Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

"Star..." Briony stared up at the crystal chandelier above her, her eyes blank and hollow. Her voice was so raw it was almost a whisper. "I dreamed about my granddad. And my mom..."

Stella's chest tightened. She wrung out the warm washcloth and gently dabbed at the sweat and tears on Briony's face.

"It's normal," Stella murmured, "to dream of the people you miss most when you're sick."

She continued, her voice steady, trying to comfort her friend. "You had a mild fever earlier today. I used alcohol to try to bring it down, and Stewart dropped off some medicine from the local pharmacy. I stayed, just in case he got suspicious. Later, Dr. Clarke wanted to stop by and check on you, but I turned him away."

Briony blinked once, slowly, as if she hadn't heard a word Stella said. She kept talking, lost in her dream.

"I was lost... It was a long, endless tunnel. My granddad was calling me from behind, and my mom was in front of me, blocking my way..."

Stella gently pried Briony's cold, clenched fingers off the blanket and wrapped them in the warmth of the towel.

"My mom told me to come back," Briony whispered. "She said I was going to be a mother too, that I can't go there..."

Stella dropped her gaze, pressing her lips together to keep them from trembling. The corners of her eyes turned red.

Briony's voice cracked, breaking into a choked whisper. She closed her eyes, and her final words escaped like a sigh, "But... I'm just so tired..."

Her lashes fluttered shut, and a hot tear traced down her cheek.

She slipped back into unconsciousness.

Outside, night had fully settled in.

was 7:30 p.m. in Accra,

checked Briony's temperature again—finally normal. She exhaled, her relief tinged

with Briony's pregnancy

Knock, knock.

rapped on the

the peephole, and then

stood outside, holding a takeout box.

the box from him, glancing up and down

shrugged. "No idea. Didn't see him at dinner, so I just

then asked, "How is

Stewart gets back, you have to make sure he ends things completely with Bryn. She's suffered enough. Her heart is too heavy... she can't keep carrying the weight

nodded solemnly. "I

...

night, Briony's fever didn't

only allowing

the sheer curtains, filling the

of year, the capital-Accra-hovered around 80 degrees during the day. The hotel overlooked the sea, and the sound of waves and gulls drifted through the window left

slowly opened her