Slicing Me Open

I just regained my senses when I saw my husband, Kyle Cromer, sitting beside me with a bottle of water in his hand.

"You've been asleep for a while, Sylvia. Here, have some water," he said, unscrewing the cap before offering it to me.

In the past, I might have been touched by his thoughtfulness. But now that I experienced death and just got a second chance at life, I questioned everything.

When I was eight months pregnant in my past life, Kyle abruptly insisted on taking me back to his hometown to give birth. He claimed his mother could take care of me and forced me onto a high-speed train that would take seven to eight hours.

I refused at first, but he punished me with a week of silent treatment. Heavily pregnant and left alone without anyone to rely on, I eventually caved.

Yet not long after we boarded the train, I suddenly lost consciousness and didn't wake up no matter how hard Kyle tried to rouse me. Instead of asking the train attendant for help, he yelled for assistance at the top of his lungs.

It just so happened that Stella Gibson was sitting a few rows ahead. The moment she heard the commotion, she stood up.

Without a proper examination, she glanced at me and declared, "I'm an OB-GYN! We have to perform an emergency C-section immediately, or the baby could suffocate!"

With no disinfection or sterilization, she took a paring knife and sliced open my belly. Blood gushed out, drenching everything around me.

Even though my eyes were closed and my body was unresponsive, I was fully conscious—I felt every bit of the pain. I felt her hands digging around inside my abdomen. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

The air around us was thick with tension as everyone held their breath.

Finally, Stella pulled the baby out. The umbilical cord still connected us, but she barely spared it a glance before cutting it carelessly and raising the baby high above her head.

Standing in a pool of blood, wreathed in light, she looked like an angel who descended to earth.

The baby's cries were filled with pain, but the bystanders mistook them for the strong, healthy wails of a newborn and were moved to tears.

Voices of admiration rang out from all directions.

"She's an angel in white! She just saved a young life!"

"Oh my goodness, this is so moving! I need to film this!"

"Listen to that cry! It's the sound of life itself!"

Kyle stood beside her, holding onto her hands, thanking her endlessly. Not a single person spared me a glance as I lay sprawled on the ground, my belly split open. I bled until death finally claimed me.

Later, the photo of Stella lifting the baby high above her head went viral. She earned the title of "the most beautiful doctor" and was offered the position of a guest physician at a top hospital.