Chapter 3: Blood

 “ Sophia!” Nathaniel shouted her name, rushing down the stairs to her side. “ Are you hurt? Can you stand?” 

 His breath trembled in panic as he grabbed her arm. 

 The house was dead quiet now, no one seemed to have noticed or care about the cry that tore from Skyler's throat as she tumbled down the stairs before coming to a painful stop at the bottom. 

 Pain exploded through her body, for a few seconds, she couldn't breathe. The impact had knocked the air from her lungs. A sharp ache spread across her lower back while pins and needles crawled down her legs. 

 Her head spun violently, the ceiling blurring in and out of focus, but she could hear it, Sophia's cries. 

 “ Oh my goodness! Sophia!” She heard Mrs. Fiona's panicked voice next. “ What happened?”

 “ She pushed me.” Sophia sobbed, pointing at Skyler.

 ‘ What's.. what's going on?’ Skyler struggled alone on the floor, she tried to sit up but immediately regretted it. A sharp cramp twisted low in her abdomen, causing her to freeze.

 Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach. The pain wasn't unbearable, it was more like a deep throbbing ache beneath her navel, an uncomfortable pressure that came and went in waves.

 She swallowed.

 “ Skyler pushed you?” Mrs. Fiona exclaimed turning to her. “ I knew this girl was trouble..”

 ‘ Wait.. me?’ Skyler's brow wrinkled, but the unease that settled heavily in her chest wouldn't let her think of it twice.

 Her fingers pressed protectively against her stomach as she forced herself to sit up. “ Please..” she whispered under her breath. 

 “ Please be fine.” 

 “ What were you thinking, pushing Sophia!” Nathaniel’s voice thundered and that's when Skyler finally looked at them.

 He was glaring murderously at her, same with everyone else present, looking at her in disgust.

 A ridiculous scoff slipped out of her. 

 Sophia was still crying, clinging to his arm.

 “ She's insane, attacking someone at her own welcome party, she should be arrested.” She heard one of the guests say. 

 “ She should be arrested, did she want to injure her?” Another guest added.

 “ She's jealous of her, that must be why.”

 “ Women like her never know their place.” 

 She heard different people mumbling different things. 

 She glanced back at Sophia who was glaring and crying at the same time in such a way that wants to make Skyler laugh, if not for the throbbing ache growing worse around her belly. 

 “ I did not push her.” She managed to say.

 Mrs. Fiona laughed in anger. “ You didn't push her? So are you saying she pushed herself?”

 Skyler groaned as she tried to sit properly, she looked clearly in pain but Mrs. Fiona eyed her.

 “ What a pretentious lowlife, will you take responsibility if anything happens to her?” She fired.

 “ Are you okay?” Nathaniel asked Sophia worriedly.

 A sight that made Skyler's stomach churn. 

 “ No.” Sophia sobbed. “ I sprained my ankle.”

 ‘ I don't get, why would she do that…’ Skyler’s brow drew together but then it tugged at her.

 ‘ That's for questioning me. I saved his life.’ Sophia declared in her mind, giving Skyler a side glare which she understood immediately. 

 “ She really did injure her.”

 “ And she's still telling lies, what a disgusting act.” 

 People had begun murmuring again. 

 “ I guess no matter what I say, you won't believe me, I'd rather just take my leave,” Skyler said, pulling herself up but Mrs. Fiona immediately pushed her back down.

 “ Ah.” She yelped hard as she fell back on her butt, worsening the pain beneath her stomach that's almost blinding now.

 ‘ My baby, God, my baby.’ she panicked, instinctively touching her stomach. 

 “ Where do you think you're going? You sneaked into this party to endanger her life and you think you get to sneak out?”

 “ I didn't push her!” She snapped, breath shaking in frustration.

 Mrs. Fiona gasped, taken by surprise by her yell, especially knowing that Skyler is someone who never raises her voice or protests no matter what is being done to her.

 But her sudden reaction instantly got on her nerves.

 “ The devil is finally showing her true colors.”

 “ I'm not showing any color.” She defended. “ She pushed me.” 

 “ Woahhh, are you saying she pushed you and also pushed herself?”

 “ Then are you saying I pushed her and also pushed myself?” 

 The counter statement instantly made everyone fall quiet awkwardly. Mrs. Fiona eyed her, getting lost for words, but Sophia cried out just then.

 “ I was trying to get Nathaniel’s medicine from her, I only wanted to help, she thought I was trying to take Nathaniel and shove me out of the way.” She cried harder. “ It was in the process that we both fell. I'm sorry everyone, it's not her fault, I was being careless.”

 She hung her head in guilt.

 Skyler scoffed in disbelief.

 “ Sophia is such an angel, even taking the blame for that slut.”

 A guest said.

 “ You really are shameless.” Mrs. Fiona pointed a finger at Skyler.

 “ Don't make me laugh. She first said I pushed her, now she's playing some pity…test.” Skyler suddenly sucked in air between her teeth as a sharp pain hit her waist region.

 Sending an alarm to her that something was wrong.

 “ Believe whatever you want, I'm leaving.” She pulled herself up, her face turning pale. 

 She had only taken a step when Nathaniel's voice commanded from behind.

 “ Apologize.”

 She paused, turned back to see him looking at her so deadly, like she had done something unforgivable. There was no love or any tenderness in his eyes. 

 The fact that he was squatting there, holding Sophia without even asking if she was okay was already bringing her to the verge of tears. 

 Her shaky fingers curled by her side, her breath hitched as she replied. “ I do nothing wrong, so I owe nobody an apology.”

 Everyone exclaimed in shock and disbelief, visibly disgusted by her shamelessness.

 Nathaniel stood up, eyes sharp and cold. “ Apologize, Skyler.”

 She almost laughed. “ Wow, you still remember my name? I can't remember the last time you called my name.”

 “ Apologize. Now.”

 “ I did nothing wrong.” She stood her ground, eyes not wavering from his.

 “ Just.. just let her go, your brother won't be here anytime soon, I don't want him to walk in on this mess.” Mrs. Fiona said, wanting Skyler out of her sight. 

 Nathaniel’s brother, Ethan, would be returning that day after three years overseas. 

 “ Nathaniel, let her go, I told you she hates me.” Sophia pulled him by his sleeves.

 “ She's not moving an inch from her without apologizing to you.”

 “ You'd have to force me to my knees then.” She said and turned to leave, dragging her feet off the floor with pain coursing through her veins. 

 But before she could go any further, his strong hand grabbed her roughly from behind, yanking her back.

 “ Ah.” She gasped in surprise. Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

 Nathaniel had said many things to her before, he had been cold and harsh, but he had never gotten physical.

 “ Nathaniel.” His name came out almost like a whisper.

 “ Apologize.” He began dragging her back.

 “ Let me go! Let go of me!” She struggled, slapping his hands that wouldn't budge. 

 She kept shouting and fighting to get out of the hold, but just then, he got more pissed and shoved her forward in frustration, in a way that'll make her kneel.

 Skyler fell forward, her body hit the table that fell along with her and slammed right on her stomach. 

 “ Ahhh.” She screamed out in pain.

 Plates and wine glasses shattered all around her.

 “ What's going on here?” Someone stepped into the scene just then, glanced down to see Skyler on the floor, pale, trembling, soaked in wine.

 Everyone was standing around her and nobody was helping. 

 ‘ Something is wrong here.’ his brow knitted. 

 “ Oh my God! Ethan, you're back.” Mrs. Fiona shouted, her voice mixed with excitement and exhaustion, she quickly moved to his side, grabbed his arm like she was so exhausted and was on the verge of collapsing.

 Ethan glanced at his brother with brows furrowed and saw the kind of rage twisted on his face, one he's never seen before.

 Then he glanced back at Skyler again and this time, his jaw dropped. 

 Skyler was trembling with pain on the floor, but then she felt something warm streaking down her thighs. 

 She went still. 

 Her face drained of color. 

 Slowly…she looked down..and saw it.

 Blood. 

 The room went silent. Even Nathaniel was still now, with a furrowed brow as he looked at the blood. 

 Tears dropped down her cheeks as she placed her trembling hand over her stomach and whispered.

 “ My baby.”