Chapter 55  After hearing the whole truth, Chase was a shadow of the composed man who had walked in. It was the first time I’d seen such a storm of emotions on his face–guilt, regret, and self–blame all swirling together.  He must’ve remembered how much I loved kids, but our only child was gone because of him..  “That child…”  Dr. James cut in, “The fetus wasn’t even three months along. It wasn’t fully formed yet and was not really a person. Maybe thinking of it like that will make it a bit easier for you. You can continue to stand by your sister without guilt.”  His words were casual, but each one was a needle aimed straight at Chase.  Comments like this weren’t new; even his assistant had tried to hint at it, but Chase never listened. He hung his head, hands clenched tight, his voice rough and low, “What happened to the fetus?”  was a miscarriage, you know, so there wasn’t a body to speak of. Normally, we handle these things ourselves, but Amanda wanted to do it.  Dr. James glanced at Chase, who looked ready to shatter, and scribbled down an address. “I’ve got other patients, so if you’re done. Mr. Reyes, you should leave. And, like I’ve said before, Amanda’s a gem. If you don’t realize it, someone else will*  In the past, Chase would’ve fired back a retort, but today, he just mumbled a “thank you” and stumbled out.  Once he was gone, Dr. James sighed, muttering to no one, “I told you from the start you two weren’t a match, but you wouldn’t listen.”  A lump formed in my throat, and I whispered where he couldn’t hear, “Yeah, I regret it now, but it’s too late…”  Life wasn’t some game you could restart if you lost. I learned that the hard way, with my own life.  Even after being cruelly murdered, I couldn’t get any revenge. I was stuck in some other realm, watching but powerless. It was like having a bird’s–eye view but being utterly helpless.  Chase raced to the cemetery, finding the simple tombstone I’d had made for our child.  Where we come from, babies who passed so young didn’t usually get tombstones, let alone an unborn fetus. But I couldn’t let it be. In my heart, that fetus was my child from the moment that tiny life took root.  Compared to the other graves, our child’s marker was plain, with no picture or birthdate. Just the names of the departed and the one who set it up.  Chase’s fingers traced those letters. Hope’s Grave.  He whispered, “Hope. Amanda, how could you be so cruel and not tell me about the child?”  Cruel? I don’t think so.  He never loved the child from the start.  If he hadn’t pushed me, the miscarriage wouldn’t have happened.  If he hadn’t spoiled Nicole rotten, I wouldn’t have been so devastated to lose  I’d thought about telling him, but did he ever give me the chance?  our  child.  I kept quiet about the miscarriage and was just waiting for the day when the truth would hit him.  Did he regret it? I wanted him to suffer day and night, tossing and tuming without rest! Whenever he saw a child, I wanted him to remember the one we lost! It needed to haunt him forever.  He touched our names, then sank to his knees, his voice soft but shaking. “Hope, that’s your name, huh? all my fault  7 Will y  you blame your dad? It’s  Chapter 56