Chapter 3

Johnson waved me off, sounding annoyed. "Just take your time for a while. A little exercise is good for the baby."

He wrapped his arm around Elena's waist and headed straight for the hotel, not even bothering to look back.

"We'll pick you up after we're done resting."

"No! Don't leave me!" I cried out in despair, but everyone on the shore just burst out laughing at me.

My coworkers aimed their water guns right at my belly, and every shout of "Bullseye!" stabbed right through me.

The laughter on the beach faded away, growing more and more distant.

They left in small groups, chatting and laughing as they went—no one even remembered I was still stranded out on the water.

The jet ski slowed to a crawl—maybe it was out of gas, or maybe I was just too weak to notice anymore.

The waves eased up at last, giving me a brief chance to catch my breath and steady myself.

I clung to the jet ski for dear life, but the pain in my belly only got worse.

I looked down and saw bright red blood streaming down my thighs, turning the water around me a vivid red.

The worst part was, the little life inside me, who'd been kicking so hard just moments ago, was now barely moving.

I trembled as I stroked my belly, my voice choked with tears. "Don't fall asleep, baby. Mommy's right here... Mommy's right here.

"Just hang in there a little longer, okay? Grandpa's coming to save us any minute."

As everything started to blur, out of nowhere, the roar of a jet ski echoed across the water.

With all the strength I had left, I managed to lift my head—and saw Johnson riding another jet ski, heading straight for me.

"Johnson" I whispered, barely able to call out his name.

I reached out with trembling hands, hoping he'd finally care—hoping he'd remember me, just this once.

But his jet ski zoomed right by, not even slowing down, not even a glance in my direction.

That was when I saw it—he was holding Elena close, the two of them laughing and riding the waves together like nothing else mattered.

The pain in my belly suddenly spiked, and I felt a sharp, violent contraction.

The blood gushed out even faster, and the little life inside me had gone quiet for what felt like forever.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, a violent jolt snapped me back to reality.

I forced my eyes open and saw Johnson and Elena on their jet ski, deliberately circling around me, almost like they were taunting me.

They deliberately sped straight at me, then swerved at the last second, sending a massive wave crashing over me.

The jet ski, which had finally steadied, started shaking like crazy again. I gripped the handlebars so tight I thought my knuckles would pop, just so I wouldn't get tossed into the water.

Johnson snickered, "Look at her! What a mess!" as he sped straight at me again.

Elena giggled, "How's that for excitement?"

The waves they stirred up tossed the jet ski around like a toy, my stomach kept getting smashed against the hard console over and over.

My fingers were so stiff, I couldn't hold onto the slippery handlebars anymore.

A huge wave hit, sending me flying straight into the freezing water.

The splash of me hitting the water just made them laugh even harder.

"Look at her! She's like a drowned rat!"

Johnson pointed at me, laughing so hard he was slapping Elena's shoulder.

Elena was laughing so hard she could barely stand. "This is hilarious!"

I thrashed helplessly in the water, my belly weighing me down, every move slow and desperate.

Blood spread through the waves, like a wilted flower dissolving in the sea.

They rode their jet ski in circles around me, kicking up huge waves on purpose, just to watch me struggle and gasp for air.

"Help, please..." I called out, my voice barely a whisper.

But Johnson and Elena just laughed even louder, their cruel jeers echoing across the water.

Just then, a deafening roar of engines suddenly echoed from the distance.

Hundreds of coast guard speedboats were tearing through the waves, heading straight for us.

Johnson's laughter cut off abruptly. "What the hell is going on?"

In an instant, hundreds of coast guard speedboats surrounded the area, and more than a dozen officers dove into the water, swimming straight toward me.

In the distance, a massive warship was slowly approaching, its deck packed with armed coast guard officers.