Page 78 of Your Second Chance
I hesitated, then pressed the phone to my ear. “Um, hi. My name is Nova Hart. I was just wondering... How is he doing?”
There was a pause on the other end before the voice softened slightly. “Oh, okay. Yes. Mr. Hart is here. He’s going to need to extend his program by six months.”
My stomach twisted painfully. Six more months. He wasn’t doing well. He’d barely been there two and a half months, and now they were saying he’d need nearly a full year.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice trembling as I ended the call.
Tears spilled over before I could stop them, hot and insistent as I buried my face in my hands. “I can’t have my daughter around an addict, Luna,” I choked out, the words ripping from my chest. “I can’t do it.”
Luna wrapped an arm around my shoulders, her grip firm. “You won’t have to,” she murmured. “You’re already doing this on your own. And you’re doing it beautifully.”
Her hand stayed on my shoulder, her voice soft but steady as she asked, “Do you think you should call his mom? Auburn might?—”
I shook my head sharply. “No— I—” My breath came quicker, panic bubbling to the surface as I gripped the paper in my lap, my hands trembling. “Luna, I cannot raise my daughter around an addict.”
The words came out rushed, like I couldn’t get them out fast enough, like they might choke me if I didn’t speak them aloud. An unbearable pressure built as tears blurred my vision.
My hands shook uncontrollably, and the panic clawed its way through me, flooding every inch of my body. “I can’t do it. I can’t let her be near that. Not when I’ve already had to...” My voice cracked, and I couldn’t finish.
Luna turned toward me fully, pulling me into her arms without hesitation. “Breathe, Nova,” she said, her tone calm and grounding. “Breathe. You don’t have to make any decisions right this second.”
I nodded, but the panic still swirled inside me, refusing to settle. My daughter’s safety, her future—it was all I could think about.
“Nova, listen to me. No one even knows you’re pregnant. You’re in control here.”
I couldn’t hear her over the pounding in my ears, the way my breath wouldn’t come. “I can’t breathe, Luna,” I gasped,clutching my hand to my chest. Everything constricted, like my ribs were closing in around me.
“Look at me. Focus.”
The tightness wouldn’t let up. My hands shook as the edges of my vision blurred. “Call an ambulance.”
It was the last thing I said before everything went dark.
“She had a panic attack, it appears. She’s all hydrated now and should—” The nurse, dressed in a crisp white uniform with a name badge pinned neatly to her chest, approached my bed. She adjusted the sleek, motorized bed so I was sitting upright. “Ah-ha. She’s awake.”
I blinked a few times, the bright but diffused light making my eyes water as I tried to focus. The room slowly came into view—cream-colored walls adorned with minimalist artwork. The faint smell of antiseptic lingered.
As my vision cleared, I saw them—Luna perched on the armchair, scrolling her phone, and Ollie leaning against the wall near the door.
“What’re you doing here?” I croaked, my voice raspy and weak.
Luna didn’t even look up from her phone. “I called him to tell him what happened, and he came over.”
I groaned, louder than I meant to, the sound echoing in the spacious room. It was supposed to stay internal, but my body had other plans.
Ollie raised a brow, the corner of his mouth quirking like he was fighting back a grin. He didn’t say anything, simply watched me with that infuriating, unreadable expression of his.
Luna finally looked up, smirking. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
The nurse adjusted the blanket over my lap, giving me a polite smile before walking to check the machines by the bed and exiting the room. I closed my eyes briefly, willing myself to stay calm despite the embarrassment. It was all too much—the pristine room, the sharp concern in Ollie’s eyes, Luna’s unbothered demeanor. I wanted to disappear into the pillows behind me.
“What happened?” I turned my head to Luna.
“You were having a panic attack because we became millionaires.”
“Millionaires?” Ollie’s mouth dropped as he pushed off the wall and strode over to the bed, his eyes darting between me and Luna like he’d misheard.
“You didn’t tell him?” I asked Luna.
