Chapter 4

Her words hit me like a punch to the chest.

Then she smiled and made it worse. "And what if that someone were me?"

I could barely stay on my feet. I fought back the nausea as sweat broke out across my body.

Then I could not hold it back any longer. I ran to the bathroom and threw up over and over.

Claire followed me in. Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't get rid of it?"

I glared at her and said nothing.

She gave me a cruel smile. "You won't get to keep it."

Bang.

The door slammed shut behind her.

The home-cooked meal was still on the table, with a note in Felix's handwriting on the lid.

"Eat the food I cooked myself and don't stay mad at me."

Thud.

I threw the whole thing into the trash.

A few hours later, I got a phone call.

The caller said she was the witch's assistant.

She said they were inviting former clients to a spiritual cleansing the next day.

The crystal jar Felix and I had bought was from that witch.

I thought of its shattered pieces scattered across the floor.

A small part of me still felt guilty about what had happened to it.

So I accepted the invitation.

But when I arrived at the address she'd given me, no one was there. There were only a few abandoned buildings.

Something felt wrong. Every instinct screamed at me to leave.

It was already too late.

When I turned, two huge men in suits blocked my way.

I recognized them.

They were Felix's security guards. "This way, Audrey."

There was no way I could get past them.

So I forced myself to stay calm and followed them into one of the rooms.

The place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Dust coated everything.

Footsteps approached, then stopped at the door.

I looked up. It was Claire.

"Audrey, you should have listened to the cards. You agreed to the abortion, then changed your mind and tried to hide the pregnancy from everyone. Your selfishness is going to ruin Felix."

Her righteous words didn't match the hatred in her eyes.

"What do you want?"

She glanced at the guards.

They grabbed my shoulders and shoved me to my knees.

Then they tied me up.

I could not move. I could not even stand on my own.

"You brought this on yourself. You went against the cards, so now you need to stay here and repent."

I glared at her. "Aren't you afraid Felix will find out?"

She laughed and did not answer. A moment later, I understood why.

Someone stood in the doorway. I had no idea how long he had been there.

With the light behind him, Felix looked colder than I'd ever seen him.

He spoke. "Audrey, you shouldn't have hidden it from me. Stay here and do your penance. They won't hurt you. I'll come back tomorrow."

Then he turned and left. He didn't give me another word or even a backward glance.

The others followed him out.

The door was locked from the outside. The room was thick with dust, and every breath made my throat burn.

In the corner, someone had lit a burner filled with incense.

Mixed with the dust, the smell made me sick.

Night fell, and the temperature dropped sharply on the mountain.

I shook with cold.

Then my stomach started to hurt.

At first, it was only an occasional cramp. Then the pain came faster and grew worse.

Something warm trickled down my legs.

The metallic smell of blood hit me, and my heart dropped.

Suddenly, I recognized the incense.

It was musk, something that could trigger a miscarriage.

I let out a weak, bitter laugh.

The pain in my lower belly grew so intense that everything else started to fade.

My vision blurred, and the room began to spin around me.

Am I going to die?

I'm sorry, baby. I'm failing you. I can't protect you.

But don't be scared. If we go to heaven, Mommy will be right there with you.