Chapter 2

Kevin's face went pale. He didn't even bother grabbing his coat while frantically putting on his shoes. He tried to reassure Ashley, "Don't panic. Just text me your address. I'm coming right now. Find somewhere safe and stay hidden."

With that, he slammed the door behind him and rushed out.

I placed my hand on my slightly rounded belly and glanced at the coffee table nearby.

There lay the prenatal check-up report we'd gotten together just a few days ago. Kevin had even noticed it this morning before leaving, but now, all he could think about was Ashley Maddox.

Heartbroken, I decided to step outside and get some air.

As I walked past the garden, I scrolled through my phone out of habit and was surprised to see that Ashley had just posted an update.

I tapped into her profile, and it was full of photos of Kevin.

The latest post showed Kevin, sweat glistening on his forehead, holding Ashley tightly and softly comforting her.

The caption read: [Whenever I'm in trouble, you're always the first person I think of. As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything.]

The comments were packed with people shipping them.

[This is so sweet.]

[When are you getting married?]

Ashley: [Soon. Just waiting for the perfect timing.]

Reading it felt like getting hit in the chest. It hurt so much that I could barely breathe.

Before I could process it, something felt off.

Right after I walked out, I could feel someone watching me, and I sped up without meaning to.

Those faint footsteps matched mine perfectly. If I sped up, so did they; if I slowed down, they slowed, too. It made my skin crawl.

I took out my phone and called Kevin, but all I got was that cold, mechanical beeping. No one picked up.

My palms were slick with sweat, and the phone nearly slipped from my grasp. Refusing to give up, I kept trying, my heart pounding so hard.

Just as I was about to reach my front door and the call finally went through, someone slammed into me from behind, shoving me forward hard.

I instinctively crossed my arms to shield my belly.

Before I could even process what was happening, a pair of rough hands gripped my neck, squeezing tighter and tighter.

I fought with everything I had, but I couldn't make a sound, no matter how hard I tried. All I could do was kick my legs frantically.

My phone clattered to the ground, and Kevin's impatient voice came through the speaker. "Nora, what is it this time? Don't you see I'm busy right now?"

I tried to speak, but no words came out.

Then he snapped, "Nothing to say? Do you think I have time to guess what's going on in your head? You're so annoying."

With that, he hung up. The repeating tone that followed felt like a funeral bell tolling over the last bit of hope I had left.

It was getting harder to breathe, and everything in front of me started to fade.

In my daze, I heard the man mutter through gritted teeth, "This is all Kevin's fault. I'm not crazy. If I can't find him, you'll pay the price."

It turned out he was one of Kevin's patients.

I'd run into this kind of trouble before, but Kevin was with me that time, and I got lucky. Now, though, I was completely on my own.

Just when I thought I was about to die, some desperate strength surged up inside me. I grabbed a rock from the ground and smashed it at him with everything I had.

I hit him again and again. When he finally let go, my whole body went limp. I dropped to the ground as everything went black.

When I woke up, the pungent smell of disinfectant flooded my senses.

The doctor gave me a sympathetic look and handed me a slip of paper.

When I saw what was written on that paper, my mind went completely blank.

I lost my baby.

My hand shook as I touched my belly, feeling the long scar, which was left from the last time I took the hit for Kevin during that crazy patient attack.

I made it out alive, but it messed up my body so badly that getting pregnant was slim to none.

Kevin and I went through hell and back, tried everything we could, yet still no child came.

Just when I was about to give up, I finally got a little bit of hope.

The day I found out I was pregnant, I could barely hold the test results because my hands were shaking so much.

The doctor gave me a serious look and told me this might be the only child I'd ever have.

After that, I was super cautious about everything. I avoided all the food on the no-go list, and even walking outside made me nervous.

I'd been so excited, planning to give Kevin the news on his birthday.

However, now, everything I'd hoped for had vanished into thin air.

For Kevin, this news wouldn't be a happy surprise; it'd hit him like a punch to the gut.

I took a deep breath and called my best friend. "Rylie, is that lawyer you introduced me to available these days?"