He wakes up that day and instantly knows something is off.
He reaches for her blindly, but finds cold cotton sheets instead of her warm and soft skin between his fingers.
"Blair?" he calls out, but the penthouse is eerily silent.
Uneasy, he climbs out of the bed and stumbles to the bathroom.
As soon as he opens the door, is gaze is drawn to the petite figure on the floor.
She is leaning against the wall as if she'd slid down it minutes ago, both of her arms wrapped around her knees, her face buried against them.
She is shaking all over, sobs wrenching her small frame.
He rushes to her side immediately and wraps his arms around her securely, and she is crying even harder.
"Blair", he whispers softly.
She doesn't reply, only her sobs escalate. He can feel tremors going through her fragile body, her erratic, troubled breathing and the way she tries to inhale deeply from time to time.
"Shh, Blair, it's okay", he murmurs soothingly and starts rubbing circles into her back.
He sits like this, trying to hold her together, until her weeping subsides into sniffles and hiccups and she rests her head against his chest, trembling ever so slightly.
"Talk to me, beautiful", he asks when the room is practically silent.
She looks up at him for the first time, and his heart constricts painfully.
She looks so lost, so distressed, so disoriented, her bloodshot puffy eyes searching for reassurance in his, that he nearly can't take it.
"Tell me what's wrong," he almost pleads, "we'll fix it."
"Today is my due date," she confesses in a small voice, and a few tears roll down her cheeks again.
"Oh," he breathes out, and pulls her closer to him in one strong movement.
"My little boy, he would've been born today," she says, and a new wave of sobs takes over her body. "I wanted to name him Charlie," she chokes out, and he tightens his grip on her.
"I'm sorry I've never told you before, I just couldn't talk about him. I could think about him. It hurts so badly, Chuck. I never stop thinking about him. Never stop imagining what he would've been like. I tried to hide it, to run away and to numb the pain, but I can't. It's impossible. I can't live with it anymore, Chuck," she whispers brokenly. "I can't take all the guilt," she adds almost inaudibly.
She falls silent and he knows it's his time to talk.
"It's not your fault, Blair," he says firmly, squeezing her hand hard. She doesn't respond but returns the pressure. "There's nothing you could've done to prevent it or fight it. Things like this just happen, for no reason at all. Don't blame yourself, but grieve – you, we've lost a child, because I was doing to be his daddy," he swallows a huge lump in his throat and forces himself to continue. "Don't do this all alone, lean on me. Because you have me. Forever." He presses his lips against her forehead softly.
"I said I could live through this without you, but I can't," she cracks. "I'm lost."
"You are," he agrees. "But you'll find your way back, I promise. Charlie is looking over you from above, he'll make sure his mommy comes home safe", he whispers into her ear.
"Really?" she asks.
"Really."