4

Emma Whitcomb

My eyes swept around my room… My suitcase stood beside me, neatly packed.

Daniel and El were probably in the church, tying the knot now. Today is their ‘fake’ wedding day. Mom and dad are also there with them.

My gaze dropped to my finger. My engagement ring was still sitting on my ring finger, shining beneath the light.

I never wanted us to end this way, but Daniel chose this.

With a heavy heart, I removed the ring and carefully placed it on the center table.

I wasn't entirely stranded. Before mom and dad turned their backs on me, they always gave me allowance, and I've managed to save up some money… Enough to get me and my baby a comfortable life.

My fingers tightened on the suitcase, dragging in a deep breath before hauling it out of my room.

It hurts leaving the house I've known as my home for fifteen years, but this is my fate.

My legs stilled in the living room, eyes locked on the picture frame of El, mom, and dad, sitting there.

A scoff tore through my throat. They removed the portrait of me from there and put El’s.

My heart stung, my throat tightening with pain.

YOU SHOULDN'T FEEL HURT, EMMA. YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A REPLACEMENT AFTER ALL

My breath caught in my throat, and I took a deep breath before proceeding to the door.

I hadn't reached the door when it suddenly burst open, and three masked men barged in, each one carrying a weapon… pistol, dagger, and taser.

I stiffened.

They paused the moment they saw me, exchanged glances, and one of them said, “found you,”

My breath hitched as I took a step back, a cold chill running down my spine.

“Who…are you?” My voice cracked into a whisper, pulse quickening, cold sweat forming on my forehead.

“Wh…what do you want?” I stuttered.

“Us?” The one holding a pistol stepped forward and asked just one question, “can't you tell?

Of course, I could tell… I could see danger lurking around me. But who are these people? Are they robbers?

“I…I… Please… please don't hurt me. I'll give you anything. Is it money you want? I'll give you money,” I said, my voice shaky.

“Money?” He scoffed, turning to glance at the others, and as he turned to me, a hot slap landed on my cheeks.

My knees cracked against the tiled floor, a sharp wince tearing through my throat.

Fear gripped me. They weren't here to rob… They came for me.

I scrambled back, body trembling as he approached me, but he didn't stop… I also didn't stop… until my back pressed into the rail of the staircase.

He squatted before me, tracing the pistol down my cheek, brushing it against my lips, and stopped right in my neck.

My breath hitched.

“Please… please don't hurt me…” I begged, my voice shaky, lips quivering, tears blurring my vision.

Then a phone rang, and one of them stepped forward to meet the one crouching before me, “boss, she's calling,”

She?

He took the phone and answered the call, but the voice that echoed on the other end made me stiff.

“Hey, sister,”

That was unmistakably Eleanor's voice.

My chest tightened. I couldn't breathe.

“E…Eleanor?” My voice cracked, shocked.

“You got the surprise I prepared for you…” she laughed softly, “tell me, do you like it?”

My chest burned with anger. I always knew she was up to no good, but she crossed the line this time.

“Why, El? I already gave you Daniel!” I gritted angrily, and she sighed.

“Of course, you did. Not that you had a choice anyway… Well, let's just say that I'm protecting what's mine,”

My lips parted, but no words came out. Protecting what's hers, she said?

“You didn't expect me to let you off knowing that you're carrying a child for my man, right?”

I stilled. My pulse quickened. She knew about my baby?

My hand trembled as I lifted it to my stomach.

“H…how—”

“How did I find out? Oh, come on, Emma. Nothing is hidden to me. It takes just a snap of fingers, and I'll get everything I want,”

I swallowed hard. I wanted to cuss her out, but I knew that wasn't smart enough. I need to do something. I can't let her kill my child and me.

“You can't do this, El… Let's talk about this… we can sort this out,” I said, my voice shaky.

Silence echoed on the other end.

“El? El…”

“Alright, listen to me… El, you can have Daniel. I swear I won't ever come back to him. I didn't plan to… you can have everything, just let me live, please,”

She didn't say a word, but I knew she was still on the line.

“I will leave… I'll go to a far away place that no one would ever find me… I won't ever tell Daniel about the baby. I won't ever show my face to you… Tell them not to hurt me, please,”

My heart pounded as I waited for her reply, hoping she would let me go, but her next words that echoed, shattered me completely.

“Make sure you leave no trace, guys,” then the call ended with a beep.

I knew then that my fate had been sealed. They won't spare me or my baby.

He stood, towering over me as he pointed the gun at me.

“Please, listen to me… You can't do this… This is a crime… You're going to be charged with murder, and you'll spend the rest of your life in…” My voice faded into a gasp as the second one stepped forward and plunged a knife right into my stomach without warning.

My hands found their way to his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as he twisted the knife inside me.

He pulled out the knife, and in half a second, plunged it into the same place again, this time, deeper.

The first one pointed the gun at me and said, “charged with murder? Spending the rest of my life in jail? You wish,”

Those were the last words I heard before a bullet flew straight from the barrel, piercing through my stomach.

My breath stuttered as I pressed a hand against the wounded place… I wasn't worried about myself. The only one I was concerned about was my baby.

I wanted to scream for help, but couldn't.

My body weakened, eyes blurring, and pulse weakening.

The three masked men left… They left me alone to die.

My hand trembled as I reached for my phone. Daniel... I should call him for help.

I dialled his number. It rang, then silence followed.

I dialled it again... He picked up this time.

"You know I'm busy, Emma. What do you want now?" Daniel's voice was cold and dismissive... As if I disgusted him.

"Da...niel... Pl... please help... I'm dying..." My breath stuttered.

"What? What are you talking about, Emma?"

"Daniel... I...I---"

"Are you saying this so I won't push through with the wedding? What is wrong with you, Emma?"

"Daniel, pl...ease..." I begged, my voice unstable, my pulse weakening.

"Let's talk about this when I get back. Bye," then the call ended before I could even say another words.

My chest tightened... so hard, I couldn't breathe.

For a second, I thought of calling either mom or dad, but I knew they wouldn't come to my rescue.

911... I should call 911... But it was already too late. My breath had become shallow, my eyes becoming heavy, pulse weakening, and my consciousness slowly slipping away.

My hand pressed against the wound. I barely felt any pain there. It has become numb... I knew then that it was over. This was the end.

Everyone treated me badly... None of them ever cared about me, but the first people who did this to me was my birth parents. Had they not abandoned me in the orphanage, this wouldn't have happened.

And Daniel... I should never have loved him. I should never have agreed to the engagement.

If there's a life after this one, I promise to make all of them pay for how they treated me... Mom... dad... Daniel... and Eleanor... All of them.

My vision swam, the ceiling above me spinning wildly.

The pain was unbearable at first—burning, tearing through my body—until even that began to fade.

My fingers trembled as they pressed weakly against my stomach. Warmth soaked my hands.

My baby…

My chest tightened violently, each breath harder than the last. Air burned in my lungs, refusing to stay.

So this is how it ends, I thought hazily.

My eyelids grew unbearably heavy.

I’m sorry…

With that final thought, I slowly closed my eyes.

Everything went dark.

******

When I opened my eyes again, there was no pain.

I was standing.

“What…?”

My breath caught as I looked down.

I saw my body lying on the floor—motionless, broken, soaked in blood.

That was me.

A strangled sound tore from my throat as my knees gave out.

“No… no, this isn’t real…”

I reached out instinctively—but my hand passed straight through my body.

Cold terror gripped.

I was dead, but my soul seemed to still be there.

The realisation was scary.

Just then, the door flung open.

"Emma!" A familiar voice called my name. My eyes flicked to the direction... Mr. Cole, Daniel's uncle.

He stood there, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at me... no, he was staring at my body...