Chapter 3

From that day on, Tina changed. She was still quiet, still compliant—but when Howard wasn't looking, she'd gently stroke her belly.

"Baby," she'd say silently, mouthing the words. "I'm here."

And I'd respond with the softest kicks.

That night, Howard stumbled home, reeking of alcohol and seething with rage. He kicked over the shoe cabinet the second he walked in. "Damn it! A bunch of snobs!" He roared, his eyes bloodshot.

Tina's heart clenched tight. She stood frozen, afraid to move an inch.

"What are you staring at?" Howard's anger instantly found a target.

"If I didn't have to support you, I wouldn't have been yelled at at work. I lost the project! No bonus! It's all your and that bastard's fault," he roared.

He charged over to grab Tina's hair and shoved her hard to the floor. "I'll beat you to death, you curse!"

Fists rained down on her back, her shoulders, and her legs. Tina curled up instinctively, doing her best to shield her abdomen.

"You dare to protect it?" Her action only enraged Howard more. He stopped punching, then grabbed her neck and slammed her head against the cold floor—over and over.

Pain and suffocation hit at the same time. Tina's consciousness blurred, and her vision darkened.

She thought, 'What's the use of fighting back? Can I even run away? Maybe dying like this is a kind of relief...' She gave up struggling, her body going limp.

I could feel her life fading fast. To inspire her desire to survive, I gathered an unprecedented wave of panic and anger in my soul.

I gathered all my strength, all my will, into one point. Then, with all my might, I rammed against the wall of her uterus—again and again, frantically. I just wanted her to know that she was not alone.

A sharp, excruciating pain shot up from the deepest part of Tina's abdomen, spreading to every limb in an instant. This pain overwhelmed the agony of suffocation, the numbness of near-death, and pierced through her fading consciousness.

Tina's eyes flew open. She saw Howard's face, twisted with anger. She saw the murderous intent in his eyes. And she felt the tiny life inside her—fighting with all its might to wake her up.

She couldn't die. If she died, her baby would also pass away. Since her baby tried so hard to protect her, Tina felt she couldn't give up so easily.

The instinct to survive and the urge to protect her child erupted in that moment. Tina didn't know where she found the strength. She lifted her hand, fumbling blindly around her, and grabbed something cold and hard—it was the table lamp.

Without a moment's hesitation, she used all her strength to swing the heavy lamp base and smash it hard against Howard's head.

With a loud bang, Howard's hand around her neck loosened instantly. He stared at her in disbelief, then warm blood trickled down from his forehead. "You... you dare hit me?" He clutched his head, shocked and furious.

Tina got a precious chance to breathe. She gasped for air greedily, then scrambled to her feet on all fours.

Gone was the doormat who let him beat her. Her eyes were red, her hair messy, her chest heaving. She still clutched the lamp tightly in her hand. Her gaze locked onto his—filled with the madness and hatred of someone ready to die together.

Howard felt a chill down his spine under her stare. No matter how much of a jerk he was, he knew the consequences of killing someone.

"Crazy! You're a damn lunatic!" He yelled, trying to sound tough but failing. In the end, he didn't dare step forward. He stumbled back a few steps, grabbed his keys, and slammed the door as he fled.

The world finally fell completely quiet. Tina couldn't hold on anymore—the lamp slipped from her hand with a clatter. The cramping in her abdomen slowly subsided, replaced by a warm, steady flutter.

She lowered her head, her hands trembling as she pressed them to her belly. This time, there was no more doubt or fear in her eyes—only the relief of surviving a disaster and the determination to stick together.

"Baby," she choked out. "We... we'll run away together."