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I shook my head. “I’m not going back with you, and I won’t believe a word you say anymore. You can save your promises. Once the baby’s gone, we’re getting divorced. What you do with other women won’t be my concern anymore.”
Zach shouted, “No way! Nora, you’re talking about abortion and divorce? Listen, it’s not happening!
“You can forget about it! I’ve already made sure no one here will perform the procedure for you. You better come back with me.”
I yelled, “Zach, you’re just a lunatic! Get out of here!”
Zach was pushed out of the room by me, his hands braced against the door frame. “Nora, just take it easy here for a few days. Once I’ve dealt with those women, I’ll take you home.”
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As soon as Zach left, I packed my
belongings, determined to find another hospital.
There were plenty of hospitals out there. If this one refused to perform the surgery, I could find another one. I couldn’t believe Zach had the power to stop me everywhere.
I was getting ready to go through the discharge procedures when the door swung open.
It was Zara, the woman who had been intimate with Zach in his office.
Her hair was disheveled, her makeup smeared. She seemed to have been crying.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, trying to usher her out.
Zara glared at me viciously. “You hag, bitch! Look at yourself in the mirror before you even think about competing with me for my man. You’re just using the fact that you’re carrying Mr. Brooks‘ child to have him fire me, right?
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“I heard you’re trying to abort the baby? Well, I’m here to help you with that. Let’s see how you’ll fight me now! I heard you’re not well? Then I’m doing the kid a favor too. Who knows if it would even be born healthy? In a way, you should thank me!”
She lunged at me as she spoke.
Being a bit clumsy, I failed to dodge in time and was knocked to the ground.
“Bitch! Why don’t you just die? I could marry Zach if you were dead! Die with the bastard in your belly! Without you two, I wouldn’t have been fired, nor would I have broken up with him! You deserve to die!”
I struggled to push down the woman who was sitting on me and punching me, but she had me pinned.
Her fists rained down on my stomach, one after another.
I screamed in unbearable pain.
“Help!” I yelled with all my strength.
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I felt a warm sensation between my legs. In a blur, I saw Zara’s panicked face and her fleeing back.
My screams brought the nurses. They lifted me onto a bed and rushed me down the hallway.
I turned my head slightly, seeing the passing wards. There were new mothers. cooing to their babies, expectant fathers carefully walking with their pregnant wives, and families doting on their newborns.
My heart was filled with even more sorrow.
My child should have been born amidst much anticipation and love.
Even without a mother, it would have had a
loving father and family.
But now… everything was gone.
The pain in my stomach was making me faint. I could feel the blood flowing
incessantly from my body.
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My limbs were cold, and my body was trembling slightly.
“Notify Mr. Brooks right now. This is Mrs. Brooks…”
“Did she fall? Oh my God! She was beaten, wasn’t she? Who did this? Who would beat a pregnant woman so ruthlessly?”
“Hello, Mr. Brooks… What? Mr. Brooks is in a meeting? Mrs. Brooks has had an incident. Please tell Mr. Brooks to come to the hospital as soon as possible…”
I woke up again to find myself in ICU, the sound of machines beeping in my ears. Every part of my body ached.
I tried to raise my hand to touch my stomach but let it drop.
I closed my eyes, tears streaming down. I knew my child was gone–it had been beaten to death.
I failed to protect it, and it suffered a brutal beating before leaving. I still let it suffer.
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I turned my head slightly and met Zach’s gaze through the glass.
He looked disheveled, his hair messy, his beard unshaven, his eyes bloodshot.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see him.
Zach called the doctor.
After the check–up, I was moved to another ward.
After a while, Zach came in with a thermos.
“Nora, have some oatmeal,” he said softly.
I ignored him, just lying there quietly.
I felt him sit by my bedside. “I’m sorry, Nora. I still let you bleed so much. You have no idea how scared I was when I
heard you were hemorrhaging. I was afraid you would never come back, just like your mother.”
His voice choked with emotion. “I’m really sorry I failed to protect you and our child… I saw our baby. It was almost fully formed.
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“If not for this accident, in just four more months, it would have safely come into this world. It would have called me Dad and asked me to play with it….
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t expect that woman to be so bold as to come to you… Don’t worry. I’ve called the police and hired the best lawyer. She hurt you and killed our child. I’ll make her spend the rest of her life in prison!”
I sneered, “Zach, weren’t you the one who hurt me and killed my child?”
His breathing hitched.
I looked at him with hatred. “Zach, remember this. You killed him with your own hands! If you hadn’t cheated or entangled yourself with other women, how could it have died?”
My voice choked uncontrollably. “How dare you pretend to be affectionate now? It’s too
late.”
“Oh, right,” I scoffed. “You don’t care about
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this child. After all, it’s not like this is your only child.”
“It’s not like that,” Zach said urgently. “I do care. I can live without other children, but I can’t live without ours…”
I broke free from his grasp. “Stop right here. Just go. Don’t come back. Now that our child is gone, we can… divorce.”
“Now that the child is gone, we… can get a divorce.”
He shook his head. “I won’t divorce. Nora,
don’t leave me. We will have more children
in the future. I promise I will cut all ties with other women. I won’t allow anyone to bully you anymore. Please believe in me one more time. Please give me a chance!”
“Alright, I’ll give you a chance,” I said calmly.
Zach looked at me expectantly.
“Bring our child back to life, and I’ll give you that chance.”
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The light in his eyes went out.
