Chapter 2
It took a long time for Tina to climb up from the floor. Instead of scolding me, she tentatively placed her cool hand gently on her abdomen. "You..."
Her voice held a tremor and confusion she didn't even notice. "Were you protecting me?"
Tina let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. She thought she must have gone crazy to have such a ridiculous thought.
The next day, Tina tucked the little money she had into her pocket and went back to the hospital.
"Doctor, I still want to terminate the pregnancy," she mumbled, head bowed, too afraid to meet the doctor's eyes—her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Why are you so insistent?" The doctor looked at her new test report, his frown deepening. "You're severely malnourished and anemic. Tina, tell me, are you having some trouble? Is it that your husband doesn't want this baby?"
She bit her lip hard, repeating over and over. "Please, doctor. I really can't support the baby..."
"This is absurd." The doctor finally lost his patience. "Your body can't handle surgery right now. If you care about yourself and the baby, just go home and rest."
He continued, "If you keep going like this, you won't even survive childbirth, let alone an abortion."
The doctor's words hit Tina like a bucket of ice water. Now, she didn't even have the right to give up.
She stumbled out of the hospital in a daze. When she got home, Howard's gloomy face was waiting for her.
He didn't lose his temper today. Instead, he sat on the sofa, staring at her coldly with a scrutinizing gaze. "Where were you?"
"I... I went out for a walk," Tina's heart jumped into her throat.
"A walk?" A cold smile tugged at Howard's lips. "I called home this afternoon—you weren't there. I asked the community security guard, and he said he saw you heading toward the hospital."
All the color drained from Tina's face.
"Tina, are you hiding something from me?" He stood up slowly, stepping toward her one step at a time.
Every time he got closer, I could feel Mom's heart skip a beat. I couldn't let him get any closer.
I focused all my energy and started kicking rhythmically at the same spot inside her.
Tina's body froze. She instinctively covered her stomach. This feeling wasn't the tearing pain from yesterday—it was an urgent, warning nudge.
She looked up, and her eyes met Howard's suspicious ones.
He was only one step away from her. That hand—ready to swing down at any moment—was right in front of her eyes. Her mind was filled with one thought: run.
"I... I feel nauseous..." She covered her mouth, her face turning deathly pale. She spun around and rushed to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her.
Howard's movement froze mid-air. He frowned, a look of disgust crossing his face. "Crazy bitch," he muttered. In the end, he didn't kick down the door. He turned and went back to the living room.
Inside the bathroom, Tina leaned against the cold door panel and slowly slid to the floor. She didn't throw up—she just gasped for breath, her chest heaving.
The flutter in her stomach stopped the moment the door locked. Everything went quiet.
Tina lowered her head slowly, staring at her still-flat abdomen. Her expression was a jumble of emotions. When Howard was about to hit her, this baby had warned her in his own way.
Yesterday, he'd used sharp pain to help her dodge the slap. Today, he'd used a nudge to let her escape danger.
Tina held out her hand, trembling as she pressed her palm to her stomach. Tears streamed down silently, but they were no longer tears of despair or fear. "Baby..." she whispered over and over in her heart. "Thank you."