Chapter 2

I stood there, staring at the retreating figures of Sean, Bertram, and Michelle as they walked away, helplessness just hit me all at once.

Bertram was ruthless. There was no way I'd be able to keep this baby safe.

"Baby, Mommy's useless. I can't keep you safe," I whispered, my voice trembling.

The baby inside me felt my touch, thinking I was playing with him again, and kicked excitedly.

But I knew I couldn't give up. There had to be a way.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a text message from my uncle, Elliot Saunders.

Elliot: [Cheryl, I sent you some baby clothes and daily essentials. Don't forget to pick them up.]

I shot upright, hope suddenly flooding my chest when I realized I still had my uncle to rely on.

Elliot was nothing like my late parents. He never thought I owed Michelle anything.

I once overheard him arguing with my mother on my behalf. "You guys are really going too far," he'd said. "Michelle's frail, but why does Cheryl always have to take the blame for everything? And you expect her to always give in to Michelle? That's not fair."

I quickly grabbed a cab and rushed to Elliot's military base, but got turned away at the gate.

"Hello, please show your pass," the guard said.

"I don't have any pass," I replied, my voice shaking with urgency. "But I really have an emergency. Is there any way you could let me in, just this once?"

Because Elliot served in the military, I barely knew anything about his job except where he was stationed.

"His name is Elliot Saunders. He's stationed here," I continued.

"Sorry, ma'am," the guard replied, his tone firm but polite. "We have strict rules. No pass, no entry."

Seeing how anxious I was, the guard softened his tone. "Maybe you could wait here for a bit and see if you can catch him coming out."

I really had no other choice, so I sat on the curb, braving the biting wind, calling Elliot again and again as I waited.

But even as windows all over the city glowed with light, he still didn't answer his phone.

I could barely hold on, but my baby was getting impatient inside me.

I took a sip of the hot water the guard had given me.

"Baby, please, just hang in there a little longer," I whispered, rubbing my belly.

After waiting three days straight and still not seeing Elliot, I got a call from Bertram.

I declined without hesitation and walked over to the guard booth. "Sir, is there really nothing you can do?" I asked.

He just shook his head, looking helpless.

Just as I was about to leave, feeling completely defeated, a familiar car pulled up in front of me.

My eyes lit up as I saw the person inside. It was a fellow soldier of Elliot.

"Cheryl? Are you here to see Elliot?" the guy asked. "Why didn't you call ahead? He's out on a mission and won't be back for a week."

My hope, which had just flared up, slowly faded away. "I see. Nothing special," I said.

"As long as I can keep myself hidden for this week and wait for Uncle Elliot to come back, my baby will be okay," I muttered, trying to reassure myself.

I checked into a hotel right next to the base, turned off all my social media, and even had the hotel staff deliver every meal straight to my room.

I spent the next four days on edge, barely daring to breathe.

Just when I thought I'd made it through, the doorbell rang.

I'd already told the hotel staff to call me directly if they needed anything, not to bother me with the doorbell. It was clear who was out there now.

I just let it ring, feeling numb and defeated, forcing myself not to care.

Bertram was already losing patience outside, pounding on the door and shouting, "Cheryl, it's me!"

I hadn't heard Bertram's voice for so long, and the baby inside me started happily kicking at the sound of his father's voice.

My face went completely pale. Was there really no way out for me?

Suddenly, the pounding on the door stopped.

I breathed a sigh of relief, gingerly pressing my ear against the door to listen for any sounds outside, but it was completely silent.

Suddenly, I heard a beep, and then the door unlocked.

I found myself sprawled awkwardly, totally exposed in front of Bertram and Sean.

"That's murder, Cheryl," Sean barked, his tone icy and full of accusation.

"Oh, really? And what does that make you, forcing a mother to kill her own child?" I snapped back, bracing myself against the doorframe, my voice cutting through the tension.

Sean couldn't even come up with a comeback. He just glared at me, breathing hard.

"Cheryl, come home with me. I won't force you to get an abortion," Bertram said, his voice softer than I'd ever heard. "Living in a hotel isn't good for you or the baby. Please, let me take care of you."

"Bertram, are you serious right now?" Sean shot back, his voice full of disbelief and anger. "We're here to save Michelle, not for you to play the loving husband and father."

Sean couldn't take it anymore. He turned on Bertram, and then walked away, furious.

I was confused and watched Bertram warily, waiting to see what he'd do next.

But unlike in my nightmares, he didn't try to force me into an abortion.

Instead, he rested his head gently on my swollen belly, his voice soft and warm. "Hey, little one, have you been a good baby these past few days?"

Even when I coldly pushed him away, he just smiled and kept talking to the baby, ignoring my cold reaction.

"You're pretty far along now, and it's not easy for you to be on your own. Come home with me. There's a nanny at the house cooking nutritious meals just for you," Bertram said.

I couldn't believe he could let go of Michelle so easily, so I refused to give in.

But he didn't push me. Instead, he just stayed by my side at the hotel until night fell.

Right before bedtime, he brought over a glass of milk and placed it by my bed.

The sour, almost fishy smell of the milk made me want to throw up.

I waved him away, but suddenly caught a crack in the good guy facade he'd been wearing all afternoon.

I immediately realized that there was something wrong with this milk. The discovery jolted me wide awake.

I took the glass of milk, faked a sip, and said, "Okay, you can leave now."

But Bertram's attitude flipped in an instant. He was suddenly cold and forceful. "Cheryl, stop being difficult. Drink it. It's for the baby."

I gave a bitter laugh and threw the glass as far as I could. Milk splashed everywhere, just like the mess inside me.

"Bertram, between our baby and Michelle, you picked Michelle," I said, my voice steady and cold.

Maybe since I knew I couldn't escape this fate, I was strangely calm.

Bertram, after being exposed, was just as composed as I was.

Expressionless, Bertram just motioned for his assistant to bring in another glass of milk.

"Cheryl, I married you because I needed your kidney for Michelle. But as time went on, I started to fall for you. I swear, as long as Michelle makes it through this safe and sound, we'll have a real life together," Bertram promised.

He clamped my jaw and shoved the glass to my lips, forcing me to swallow the milk.

The world softened to a blur. It seemed some fates were simply unavoidable.

I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things, but right before I passed out, I heard a familiar voice shout, "Cheryl, don't be scared. I'm here."