Lucian Divine(51)

“I had a miscarriage. It had nothing to do with you.” I started to cry. “What are you going to do? Kill yourself? You’re going to leave me after we’ve been married and I’m lying in a hospital bed because I’ve had a miscarriage? How could you do that to me?”

He shook his head and smiled, small and tight. “You won’t remember anything,” he said softly. He looked pleased with himself.

“I want to remember everything.”

“Not this.”

“Lucian, please.”

The nurse came in and pushed more pain medication through my IV.

“Please, Lucian, don’t do anything stupid.” As I started to doze off from the pain medicine, I chanted the prayer out loud. The nurse was gone. It was just the two of us.

He held his hand to my forehead and said it with me. “Angel of God, my Guardian dear to whom His love commits me here, ever this night be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.”

Everything was black after that.





SHE WOULDN’T REMEMBER a thing, and no one else would either. I’d be gone and leave no mark at all. Poof, just like that. She’d be free of me. Someone would be assigned to protect her, she’d meet a real man, and everything would be fine. She’d have babies and healthy pregnancies and a good life and a great career. I’d gotten her this far; I couldn’t ruin her now.

It felt like days that I was standing there, on the edge of the highway. All it would take was walking five feet. I saw a bus coming and timed it. Five… four… three… then my phone buzzed.



Evey: I need you now. Please, I’m hurting.



Every time I thought about Evey in pain, it felt as though I was being burned at the stake. Was this His divine comedy?

Flying back to the hospital, I fell to the ground three times. I could barely fly anymore.

When I entered her hospital room, she was shaking her head at me. “Some husband you are. Running off to kill yourself while your wife sobs in a hospital room alone.”

“You don’t understand, Evelyn.”

“Neither do you,” she yelled.

There was a nurse on the other side of the room, restocking the cabinets.

“Take it easy.”

“I know what you were gonna do. Are you insane? The doctor said that had I not had that hematoma, the baby and pregnancy would have probably been normal.” She jabbed a finger at my chest.

“Ow, easy.”

“Come closer, you jerk.” Evey grabbed my ear and yanked me toward her face.

“Geez, relax. I fell hard three times on my way over here. I’m kind of sore.”

“Bet getting your ear tugged on is nothing compared to being hit by a bus,” she whispered. I started to pull away, but she yanked me back down. “Did you hear anything? They said the fetus was otherwise healthy.” Her voice was getting louder. “No wings detected. Just normal human baby parts, Lucian, you ass.”

I shook my head. “Shh. No need for name-calling, Evey. Anyway, I still don’t think it’s possible.”

“Will you just wait and see? What if you really are becoming human?” She glanced at the clock. “I’m tired. It’s four in the morning.”

It was getting close to magic hour. I could have gone out and gotten drunk or tried to find answers, but instead, I crawled into bed next to Evey and rested my head on her chest. I put my hand on her belly, and she laced her fingers through mine. We cried together and then fell asleep. Our baby was gone.





THINGS CHANGED OVER the next few weeks. I insisted on using condoms, but soon gave up on that. It’s just not the same. Tracey gave me a job working in the warehouse, which allowed me to stay close to Evey, but it also irritated her. She wanted independence. I understood, even though she often forgot that I had always been there. She’d tell me it was just different now.

On a Tuesday, Brooklyn came down to the warehouse and flaunted a giant diamond. Evey just stared at it in shock.

“Congrats,” I said from behind Brooklyn. “Who’s the lucky guy?” Poor fool.

“Oh my God, you work here now too?” Brooklyn said. “You guys really can’t be away from each other for more than a minute.”

She had no idea. Evey didn’t respond, and I didn’t want to explain.

“So who is he?” I asked again.

“Keith,” Evey answered for Brooklyn.

I pointed at Evey, “Keith, as in the Keith you went out with?”

“Yes. Although he wasn’t really himself that night, so I didn’t get to know him at all.” Evey rolled her eyes at me.

“You’re marrying that guy?” I said.

“Lucian,” Evey chided.

“What’s it to you, weirdo?” Brooklyn asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “Congrats, weirdo.” I was done being a jerk to Brooke. She didn’t deserve it.

I turned and walked away, but I could still hear Evey talking. They started planning Brooklyn’s wedding right then and there. Brooklyn had gone from not wanting to go on two dates with the same person to getting hitched. Maybe Evey had more of an influence on her than I had thought.

While the two girls were talking wedding details, I went to the back of the warehouse to break down boxes. I noticed a huge pile of jeans in a tote sitting next to the dumpster. They were Evey’s designs.