But the worry in her chest quickly turned into panic. Then the phone rang, and dread washed over her before she even answered. A flat, unfamiliar voice told her Daniel had been killed instantly in a car accident.
Her hands shook. Her legs gave out. The room went black, and she collapsed to the floor. The days that followed were a blur of arrangements, pain, and numbness. At the cemetery, Daniel’s mother caused a scene the moment she saw Emily.
She hurled accusations through tears.
— This is your fault. If it weren’t for you, my son would still be alive. How dare you even come here?
But Emily was too shattered to answer. She stood there like stone, tears sliding silently down her face. When the new semester began, she moved through life like a machine, going to class, going to the library, and coming back to her room.
Once inside, she locked the door and cried until she had nothing left.
God, why? What did I do to deserve this? Why take the only person I ever had?
Wrapped in one of Daniel’s shirts, she would sit for hours breathing in the fading scent of him. Memories of his arms around her, of his voice, of his smile, tore at her every minute. She kept imagining the door opening and Daniel stepping inside saying, I’m home, sweetheart.
But the days dragged on, and no miracle came. Her mind refused to accept that he was really gone. Under the strain of grief, she stopped eating much, lost weight, and then started feeling sick every morning.
She bought a pregnancy test, and it confirmed what she already feared: she was carrying Daniel’s child. Her emotions tangled together in a knot.
This is a blessing. I’ll have a child from the man I loved most in the world. A part of him will still be here.
And then the fear would hit.
But how am I supposed to raise a baby alone? How will I pay for anything? What about school? Am I strong enough for this?
Gathering every bit of courage she had, Emily went to Daniel’s parents’ house to tell them the truth.
— I still love your son with all my heart, and losing him has broken me, — she said. — I’m pregnant. You’re going to have a grandchild. I’m scared, and I don’t know what to do. Please—just tell me what I should do.
Naively, she hoped the news of a grandchild would soften them.
It didn’t. They humiliated her and pushed her out the door.
