The School of Wives

Chapter Two

I enter the dull grey dormitory I have stayed in for the past year and walk over to the far right corner, in which sits my hard wooden bed. It is dark in the room. The only sunlight coming from the two small windows at the top of the far wall, so that we don't see the outside. And the lights in the room are dull and don't make much of a difference to the lack of brightness.

I sit with my back against the headboard, trying and failing to get comfortable. Like always. I look down at my straightened lap and try not to glance at the other end of the room, where all the other girls are sitting and chatting about how gorgeous they think James is.

I glance at the two girls in the middle of the group. Juliette, the tallest of us, with glowing dark skin, black eyes, and thick, wavy black hair. Her stomach distended with a nearly to term baby she doesn't care about.

Then there's Ffion. She's tall, but not as tall as Juliette. Her skin is naturally tanned and her hair is a dark brown. Her round hazel eyes glance at me for a fraction of a second and my insides clench at the familiar pain of betrayal that courses through me.

I look back at my lap as Juliette glances at me, a grin plastered on her face. From the corner of my eyes I see her struggle to stand up and waddle over to me.

"So, Bella," she spits on the floor next to my bed. "What is your opinion of the new doctors?"

My heartbeat quickens as she leans over me threateningly.

"Answer me!" she grabs my wrist in a grip tight enough that I am sure it will leave another bright bruise on my pale skin.

"They're g-great," I stutter.

She grins again, but before she can do anything else her expression tightens and she gasps out in pain, gripping my wrist tighter as she does so.

Everyone rushes over to her and asks what is wrong. All of them worried about her as they glared at me, thinking that I had done something to her.

"For God's sake, not everything is about her being a terrible human being! I'm in labour! Take me to the hospital!"

All but Ffion gather around her and start helping her to the hospital. They chat about how lucky they are to see James again.

Once they have all left the room I cradle my wrist in my arm, twisting it in order to stretch some feeling back into it. I know Ffion is staring at me but I don't look at her. I can't look at her.

"You know, if you could forgive me for what I did, maybe we could be friends in the quiet moments when no one is around," she says.

I glare at her. Because that is all I can do.

She averts her eyes.

"Why didn't you try to reach out to me before now?" I whisper.

She doesn't answer verbally, but I know she heard me because she turns her eyes to me for a few seconds and I can feel the fear leaking from them. I also see the tiniest bit of understanding in them. Along with sorrow.

She walks over to her bed and lays on it. Her back towards me.

I understand her fear. She has had two miscarriages. She is pregnant again, and if she miscarries this one, or the baby is born unhealthy or dead, she will die. She understands my situation because she knows that the girls in here are going to try and make that happen to me. Because the only way I can die from an unnatural death is if I lose three babies. Otherwise this place will be shut down. Or so they say to garner respect from the public.

I don't understand why she won't apologise though. If she feels sorry for what she did, why won't she apologise?