Child of Her Heart. Irene Brand

letter from Bryon saying it was all a mistake. Nothing!

      Sonya put the bills in the desk where Bryon would find them and trashed the other items.

      Knowing she couldn’t go through another night of suspense, Sonya finally dialed the brokerage firm and asked for Riley Shrader. Riley and his wife, Lola, were close friends.

      “Hi, Riley,” she said. “This is Sonya.”

      “I didn’t know you were back, Sonya. How did you like San Francisco?”

      “Oh, I didn’t go with Bryon this time. That’s the reason I telephoned. Do you know when he’s returning? I looked for him day before yesterday, but I must have been wrong. Has he been delayed?”

      A long silence ensued, and Sonya said, “Riley, are you still there?”

      “Yes,” Riley answered, and his voice sounded strained. “I was checking to see if I could find Bryon’s schedule. I don’t seem to have it.”

      “Then I won’t bother you anymore. Let me know if you learn anything.”

      Why had Riley thought she’d gone with Bryon? Had he told his friend that? She had wondered why Lola hadn’t telephoned during the past week. Had Bryon shared his dissatisfaction with the Shraders?

      Sonya settled down to another evening of waiting and wondering. Surely Bryon would telephone tonight, if for no other reason than to learn her reaction to his letter.

      When the bell rang at eight o’clock, Sonya moved weakly toward the door. This had to be Bryon, but she took the precaution of checking through the peephole. Riley and Lola Shrader stood in the hallway.

      “Have you heard from Bryon?” she whispered as she opened the door. “Is there something wrong?”

      She swayed on her feet, and Riley led her to the couch.

      “Steady, Sonya,” he said. “I’m sure Bryon is all right. We stopped by to check on you.”

      “I appreciate it,” Sonya said hoarsely. Her mouth felt dry and hot.

      “You don’t look so well,” Lola said. “Are you sick?”

      “I’m pregnant,” Sonya admitted. Because of Bryon’s attitude, Sonya had told no one except her parents about the baby. “I’m having the usual morning sickness, and I’m not sleeping well. I’m tired all the time. The doctor says this is normal, and that I’ll feel better soon.”

      Riley and Lola were the parents of three children, and Sonya expected them to be happy about her condition, but instead, tears came to Lola’s eyes, and Riley refused to meet Sonya’s gaze.

      “What do you know that I don’t?” Sonya asked with bated breath.

      “I suppose you have to hear it,” Riley said. “Bryon asked for a transfer to the San Francisco branch, and he starts work in that office tomorrow. He’s been there this week looking for lodging. None of us at the office had any idea that you weren’t with him, until you telephoned today.”

      Sweat drenched Sonya’s hands, and she clutched the arms of her chair. She stared at Riley. Was this really happening, or was she dreaming again?

      “When did he ask for the transfer?”

      “About a month ago. Didn’t you know he was doing this?”

      She shook her head, and Lola cried, “But what’s happened? I didn’t think there was any happier couple in Omaha than you two. What went wrong?”

      Sonya rose wearily from her chair, picked up Bryon’s letter and handed it to Riley. Lola moved close to him and read the message over his shoulder.

      “Bryon mentioned before we were married that he didn’t want any children, and I didn’t care one way or another. He blames me for becoming pregnant, although I haven’t done anything different than we’ve always done. He demanded that I get an abortion, and when I refused, he hasn’t had anything else to do with me. We’ve been living under the same roof, but that’s all.”

      “The brute!” Lola said.

      “I’ve been patient, thinking that he would change his mind when he got used to the idea, but I never suspected that he would go this far. All day long, I’ve been asking myself if I’ve deluded myself into thinking he loved me, but in spite of my doubts, I can’t give him up.”

      “Is there anything we can do?” Riley asked.

      “I don’t know what to do myself,” Sonya admitted. “I suppose I’m still in shock. I keep thinking it’s a bad dream.”

      “I wish it were, but he’s gone,” Riley said. “He cleaned out his office and took everything from his desk with him.”

      “Did he go alone? Has anyone else from Omaha been transferred?”

      Riley stared at the toe of his shoe, but he finally said, “No one else has gone.”

      He stood and laid a sympathetic hand on Sonya’s shoulder.

      “If he doesn’t telephone me, I’ll get in touch with him some way,” Sonya said. “Perhaps you can give me the address and telephone number of the San Francisco branch.” Sonya put her arm around Lola. “I do appreciate having you come by.”

      “Would you like me to spend the night with you?” Lola offered as she hugged Sonya tightly.

      “No, I’ll be fine.” Sonya forced a smile, but the moment the door closed behind the Shraders, she picked up one of the oriental vases that Bryon’s mother had given them. She hurled it across the room, and when it hit the opposite wall with a crash, fragments shattered all over the carpet.

      “Maybe there’s a little Leta in all of us,” she muttered.

      Grabbing a pair of scissors, she headed for the guest bedroom. “I’ll pack his clothes for him,” she said, and she jerked shirts and trousers off the hangers, threw them in a heap on the floor and tramped over them. Lifting his ties from the rack, one by one, she cut them in two and tossed the pieces on top of the clothing.

      When the last tie was mutilated, Sonya hurled the scissors from her and, sobbing, she collapsed on the bed where he had slept. The scent of his cologne enveloped her, and in her fancy, Bryon lay beside her, holding her in his arms, moving his lips over hers. How can I live without him? How dare he walk off and leave me?

      For two days Sonya cried. She didn’t leave the apartment, no one phoned, and the doorbell was silent She didn’t shower; she didn’t eat. She didn’t care much what happened to her. Each day when the mail fell through the slot, she searched it quickly—nothing but bills and junk mail, no word from Bryon.

      When she awakened on the fifth day after she had received Bryon’s letter, Sonya stirred with a new determination.

      “Even if I don’t care what happens to me, I have a life growing within me. I have a responsibility to it, so I’m going to start fighting. I have to survive.” But in spite of her brave words, Sonya was scared. What if Bryon didn’t come back, and she had to rear the child by herself? For a moment she hated Bryon intensely for worrying her so much, but she swiped the tears from her eyes. Of course, she didn’t hate her husband; she loved him.

       Chapter Two

      The doorbell rang before Sonya finished her breakfast. Eager to speak to someone, she hurried to the door. Through the peephole, she saw Leta.

      “Come in, neighbor. Join me for a cup of coffee.”

      “Bryon already gone to work? I don’t want to interfere with his schedule.”

      Was there any reason for further secrecy? she asked herself.

      “He isn’t here,” Sonya