Chapter 5

OLIVIA

NINE MONTHS LATER

Prison had been hard, not just because I was pregnant but because of how I was treated. But I was grateful for one thing—Ethan kept his word. The guard he’d bribed continued to bring me vitamins and took care of me as promised.

But when he wasn’t around, the others would conveniently “forget” to feed me. There were days I was so hungry that my stomach ached. One day, I yelled until someone finally came. But instead of food, I got a beating.

They beat me so badly that I had a black eye and bruises all over my arms and legs. But through it all, I protected my baby. Even after the beating, they didn’t give me any food. From that day on, I learned to stay quiet when that officer wasn’t around.

I rationed my food, eating small portions and saving some in case I didn’t get any the next day. I was skin and bones, and I worried about my baby. Was he getting enough nutrients? Would he be born healthy?

The thought of my baby suffering only made my resentment for Nick grow. I hated him more with each passing day.

My belly was huge now, heavy. Today, I woke up feeling uncomfortable and exhausted. I didn’t touch my breakfast when the guard brought it. A dull pain throbbed in my back, coming and going. Every time it hit, I froze, holding my breath until it passed. I thought I might be in labor, but my water hadn’t broken.

Still, something was wrong. Impatiently, I waited for lunch, hoping to ask the guard to contact Ethan and bring a doctor. I couldn’t lose my baby—not after everything we’d been through together.

I drifted in and out of sleep. The pain kept getting stronger, more frequent. On several occasions, I bit my bottom lip to prevent from screaming. Finally, the cell door opened. I was leaning against the wall, breathing through the pain. But at that moment, it felt like some entity out there in the universe was finally on my side.

Suddenly, my water broke.

The guard’s eyes widened in shock. “I’ll get Mr. Lewis!” He dropped the plate of food he was carrying and ran off.

I gripped the bars, pulling on them so hard I thought they might break.

The guard came back, panting. “Mr. Lewis is coming.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say.

He just stood there, helpless. “Please, keep the baby in. I don’t know what to do. Wait for Mr. Lewis!”

If I wasn’t in so much pain, I might’ve laughed. He clearly had no idea that once the baby decided to come, there was no stopping him. But I hoped he would hold off; this cell was no place to have a baby.

After what felt like forever, with me lying on my back and feeling the baby coming, the cell door opened once again. “Olivia! I’m here. I’ll take you to the infirmary.” Ethan rushed in with a doctor.

The doctor took a quick look and said, “She won’t make it to the infirmary. The baby’s crowning. He’s coming now.”

At that moment, my resentment for Nick hit a new level. My baby was going to be born in a filthy cell all because Nick believed some woman he barely knew over me. He had condemned me to this suffering.

“Olivia, you have to push,” Ethan said. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but the baby’s coming now.”

His voice pulled me back to reality. It wasn’t about Nick anymore. It was about my baby. I pushed as hard as I could. I pushed with everything I had. Soon after, my baby’s cries filled the air, and tears streamed down my face. The doctor handed him to me.

“Is he okay? Is he healthy?” I asked, staring at him. He was so small.

“I’ll need to examine him, but he looks good—just a little underweight but good.”

I smiled through my tears. “His name is Samuel. Give him my last name, not Nick’s, and keep him safe. Take him away from here, Ethan.” My heart broke as I handed him over.

“You can hold him for a little longer,” the doctor offered, but I shook my head.

He’d been born in this dirty cell. I didn’t want him to spend a second more in here. “No. Take him away and check him out to make sure he’s healthy. And remember, Ethan—don’t ever tell Nick.”

I sobbed as I watched Ethan leave with him. “Nick, you’re going to pay for this. I swear it.”