CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

You're pregnant… The statement, question—whatever it was—echoed in her mind. Each syllable rang in her brain as if the words were played like a metal gong. The air around her felt cold, but her stilled blood gave her warmth. Her hand, which rested on her stomach in an attempt to replace Aiden's haunting touch with her own, wrapped tighter over her belly. Her brain stuttered for a long moment as each part of her being was paused, with her thoughts struggling to kickstart her malfunctioning senses. I'm…pregnant, Ruby repeated internally. Everything paused. Her mind scrambled, and her heart bucked, squeezing every drop of oxygen left in her lungs, making her feel lightheaded. Ruby felt her eyes move robotically from Aiden's still-stunned face and down to her body. Part of her lower body was bare after her shirt had been torn, and she could see the belly—skin marked with scars from the past, but other than that, it was flattened, showing no sign of life thriving within. The shock that