Chapter 2
If anything happened to my baby, Thora's whole plan—and her cushy life—would fall apart.
Her worried voice came through the door. "Kyla, are you okay? What's taking so long?"
I tucked my phone away and opened the door with a smile.
"Just a little constipated. Nothing serious," I said, trying to sound casual.
Constipation was common in late pregnancy, so Thora didn't think much of it.
She carefully helped me walk.
But after just a few steps, I felt something hot gushing down my legs, soaking my ankles.
That familiar feeling told me something was wrong.
I looked down and saw the floor wet beneath me.
My water had broken—way too early.
I guessed I'd gotten too excited about having a second chance, and it triggered the labor.
Thora noticed it too.
A quick flash of joy crossed her face.
She couldn't even hide her smile.
I knew exactly why she was so happy. That dead baby had been inside her for a month. Every day she delayed ending the pregnancy, it made her body worse.
Now that I was finally in labor, she was thrilled.
But she still tried to put on a scared and worried act.
Thora ran off, yelling, "Mom! Hurry! Kyla's going into labor—we need to get to the hospital!"
Roberta came out smiling, but the second her eyes landed on me, she quickly switched to a worried look.
She and Thora came over to help me out.
But I didn't want to go.
I finally had a second chance, and I wasn't going to be as naive as last time.
I had to wait for Ken. I had to wait for him.
"Mom, call Ken. Hurry—I need to see him," I said, panicked.
Roberta and Thora looked at each other, then gave me the same excuse they used last time.
"Kyla, it's just childbirth. You don't need Ken here. Thora and I are with you, and you'll be fine. If he comes now, he'll lose a day's pay. You know how hard it is to earn money."
Roberta made it sound so reasonable—but I wasn't buying it.
The pain in my belly made it hard to think, but one thing was clear—I had to see Ken.
"If Ken's not here, I'm not going to the hospital!" I yelled.
But they didn't care. They were strong enough to pick me up and carry me out themselves.
I had no choice but to text Ken while they dragged me out, telling him to go straight to the hospital.
The three of us grabbed a cab and headed straight to the hospital.
As soon as we arrived, the ER staff rushed over and took charge. I was in so much pain that I could barely move.
Right then, Thora and Roberta exchanged a look.
Thora suddenly dropped to the floor and started moaning, "Mom, my stomach! It hurts—I think I'm going into labor too!"
She really made it look like she was in pain. Roberta crouched down and started yelling for a doctor.
When the doctor arrived, they took both of us to the labor room.
Meanwhile, Roberta kept pacing back and forth.
She stopped every nurse that passed by.
"Dr. Clement Duncan has always taken care of our family. He has to deliver the babies—no one else. Only Dr. Duncan," she kept saying over and over.
Clement was the same doctor who delivered my baby the first time around—the one Roberta had bribed.
I was terrified. I grabbed the arm of a nurse walking by and whispered, "I don't want Clement. Please, can I have another doctor?"
The nurse looked annoyed. "Who do you want then? You guys keep changing your minds. Dr. Duncan is already here. He's one of the best. You should be glad he's the one delivering."
She glared at me and walked off, completely ignoring me.
I was in so much pain I could barely breathe.
That was when Clement walked in. I saw him exchange a look with Roberta.
He walked over, checked my belly, and said exactly what he had last time.
"Your baby's in the wrong position. We'll need to do a C-section. We'll give you full anesthesia."
Before I went back in time, this was exactly how it went. As soon as Clement said that, they knocked me out.
When I woke up, they told me the baby was stillborn.
Every single doctor and nurse said the same thing.
But I knew I'd felt the baby moving before. There was no way it was dead.
They all said I was remembering wrong. They said that I was crazy.
My mother-in-law, Camille, couldn't stand me. She didn't even show up at the hospital.
Ken had to work, take care of me, and watch my mental health all by himself.