Collapsed on the freezing ground, my bones felt shattered, and a metallic taste rose in my throat. My belly clenched in sharp spasms, each wave of pain worse than the last. I forced out three words through gritted teeth: “I… was… not… wrong…”
“Then die!” The last trace of warmth vanished from Daniel’s eyes. He raised his boot, the air hissing as it came down hard against my stomach.
“Ah—!” The pain crashed through me like a tidal wave. Curling into a ball, I felt something warm gush down my thigh.
Looking down, I saw the pale fabric of my dress soaked through—my water had broken!
“My water… my water broke!” I screamed, clutching at his pant leg in terror, my voice trembling.
“Daniel! Take me to the hospital! The baby’s coming!”
But Vivian Lee rushed in first, carrying the empty bucket they had used to drench me earlier. Before I could react, she slammed it down onto my swollen belly.
The jagged ice shards still clinging to the bucket pressed cruelly into me, the chill cutting through my soaked clothes. My amniotic fluid mixed with the freezing water, spilling across the floor.
“What are you doing?!” I shoved her away with the last of my strength, my vision blurring with pain.