My stomach turned and I ran out of the ward, covering my mouth. As we got farther away, the baby’s voice came back. “See? I was right. They just want you to donate bone marrow. How dare you come here?”

I didn’t argue, but I was sure my parents and brother didn’t want me to donate. It was Abigail who wanted me to. I looked at my belly with a dark feeling.

After thinking for a long time, I made an appointment for a prenatal checkup. The baby yelled, “Are you going to abort me? You’re a bad mother! Bad mothers get punished!”

Suddenly, my stomach was filled with intense pain, worse than before. My legs gave out and I almost fell.

I grabbed the doctor’s hand and begged, “Please help me check if my baby is healthy. I love my baby and want him to be born safely.”

“So it wasn’t to abort me. You’re smart.” As the baby’s voice faded, the pain eased. I became more and more scared of this child who had hurt me so freely.

The prenatal checkup finished quickly. I asked the doctor several times and he confirmed that my baby was healthy.

I gripped my clothes tightly. “If I have an abortion now…”

The baby’s voice was quiet and eerie. “Mom, do you really not want me?”