Chapter 104. Two Babies

Joan POV

I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I opened my eyes, someone was sitting next to me.

Shoulders hunched, head bowed, my hand in his—and he was bloody. Damn bloody, all over.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry and parched.

“Aaron,” I whispered, and his eyes snapped up to meet mine almost immediately. They were bloodshot.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me why. My own eyes itched and burned as I pressed my lips together to hide the tremble.

“We lost the baby, didn’t we?” I asked quietly, as a tear slipped from the corner of my eye. I stared up at the ceiling.

“It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. If I’d maybe listened to you and—”

“It’s not your fault,” he cut in. His voice sounded cold, detached—very unlike Aaron. In the four years I’ve known him, he’s never sounded this... broken. I don’t know.

I glanced at him. His jaw was clenched tight.

My eyes traveled down his body where he sat.

His shirt was