03 Save me please!

Lila’s POV

It’s evening of the next day now—the perfect time.

Liam left hours ago for a business event that, according to the house helps, would take all night. Claudia is nowhere to be found. Most likely off spending Liam’s money, parading her little bump around the malls like it’s a crown.

Good.

The house is finally empty. Not just physically—but emotionally. No poison lingering in the air. No Claudia. No Liam. Only silence.

My palms are sweaty as I grip the small, worn bag—barely enough to hold my things, but I can’t afford more than essentials. I drag the bag across the floor, every muscle in my body screaming from the effort. But I can’t stop. This is it. My only chance to change my fate.

I keep my head low, heart thudding.

Just a few more seconds. Just a few more steps, and I’ll be out. I’ll be free.

I can’t sit here and let another woman write the story of my life—not when it threatens the only thing I have left that makes me feel like a woman. My child.

As I reach the stairs, I hold my breath, creeping one foot after the other.

And then—

A voice slices through the silence.

“And where do you think you’re going to?”

I freeze. Cold dread settles into my spine.

Slowly, I turn around… and there she is.

Claudia.

Standing at the end of the hallway, framed in the low glow of the wall sconce. Her arms folded. That same wicked smirk twisting the corners of her mouth.

Like she’s been waiting for this moment.

Like she planned it.

“I said,” she repeats, walking toward me with deliberate slowness, “where do you think you’re going with that pathetic little bag?”

I swallow hard, my hand tightening on the strap. “You can have Liam to yourself now, Claudia,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m leaving. For good. Isn’t that what you wanted all along?”

She tilts her head and laughs—a low, bitter sound. “And you think I’m just going to let you go that easily? Now?”

“I won’t come back,” I say quickly. “I won’t cause trouble. I won’t even tell him I’m pregnant. Please.”

But her eyes flash with something sharper than jealousy.

Rage.

“You should’ve gone when I was still being nice,” she snaps, her heels clicking against the marble as she stalks closer. “But no—you stayed. Even when you knew he never loved you. Even when you knew he never touched you unless he needed a release.”

I wrap both arms around my stomach instinctively, shielding it like a reflex. My voice breaks. “Please… Claudia… don’t do this.”

But she’s already too close.

She leans in, her breath warm and sour against my face. “You think you can run off with that bastard seed? Carry his child and escape like you matter?”

Her eyes are wild now. Her nails dig into my wrist. “No, sweetheart,” she whispers. “You don’t get to have his child.”

And then—she shoves me.

I scream, staggering backward, my hand flailing.

I catch her wrist—

And we both fall.

The staircase swallows us whole.

I hit the steps hard—once, twice—before crashing against the marble floor below. The pain that bursts through my spine is nothing compared to the sudden, searing ache in my stomach.

I cry out, curling around myself.

Something’s wrong.

It feels wrong.

My hands fly to my belly. Please. Please, no.

Above me, I hear the creak of the front door.

Footsteps pounding in.

And then—his voice.

Liam.

He rushes forward. “Claudia!”

I raise my arm, trembling. “Liam… help me…”

But he doesn’t even glance at me.

He falls to his knees beside Claudia, who’s crying dramatically, blood on her lip, hand cradling her bump.

“No, no, no—Claudia, stay with me,” he pleads, scooping her carefully into his arms, cradling her like glass.

“I’ve got you, love,” he breathes. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you and our baby.”

And just like that… they disappear out the door.

My hand falls weakly to the ground. My chest heaves in agony.

No food. No strength. No help.

Just pain.

Just silence.

Once again, my fate has been sealed.

And I… I’m all alone.

My thoughts begin to drown me as my eyes flutter shut.

I feel so weak.

And even weaker knowing that no matter what I do…

I was born to lose.

********

Liam’s POV

I drive like a madman. The tires screech against the road as I swerve through the city.

Claudia groans beside me, her cries turning into soft, broken whimpers.

“Stay with me, baby. Just stay with me. Don’t you dare let go.”

I fly through red lights. I don’t care.

She winces, holding her belly. “Liam… the baby…”

“I know, babe. I know. Just hang on.”

Hearing her like this—terrified, hurting—it does something to me. It shreds me.

If anything happens to her… or our child…

I don’t know what I might do to that Lila of a girl.

Soon, I burst through the hospital doors with her in my arms, shouting for help.

Nurses rush in, wheeling her onto a gurney. The doctor appears, barking orders.

“We have two emergencies coming in,” he says as they wheel Claudia away. “The other woman—your wife—has just arrived as well. She’s unconscious. Internal bleeding is suspected.”

My chest tightens.

I glance behind me.

They’re bringing Lila in now—her face pale, her body limp. Blood streaks down her legs.

For a moment, I pause. Just a moment.

She looks… fragile.

But then I remember Claudia’s cries. Her baby. Our child.

The doctor’s voice cuts through again: “We can only attend to one of them immediately. You’ll need to sign off on who gets priority. The delay could cost one of the pregnancies.”

The clipboard is thrust into my hands.

My heart pounds.

I don’t hesitate.

I scribble my signature.

“I don’t care what happens to the other,” I say coldly. “Just save the pretty one. She’s the love of my life. Save Claudia and my child.”

I don’t look back.

I don’t even blink.