Chapter 3

The second we reached the maternity ward hallway, the lights started glitching out hard.

The baby posters on the walls shifted into black-and-white memorial photos.

Every infant in the pictures had blood streaming from their eyes.

"Ah!" Chloe suddenly grabbed her stomach and dropped to the floor. "It hurts... the baby's coming..."

Mollie rushed over to support her. "How are you in labor right now? You're only seven months!"

Adrian frowned at me. "You've given birth before. Help her."

I didn't move.

I stared at Chloe's stomach.

A big guy rushed forward and dropped beside her.

"Chloe, hold on. We're getting you to the delivery room!"

Chloe let out a pained groan. "Doctor... I need a doctor..."

The second the words left her mouth, the delivery room doors at the end of the hall slammed open.

A figure in a white coat stood with their back to us, busy over an operating table.

"It's an NPC doctor!"

Mollie let out a relieved breath. "Quick, get Chloe inside!"

The dungeon's backstory flashed through my head, and I stepped forward.

"Wait—"

Before I could finish, a pair of small hands shoved me hard.

"Mom, what's wrong with you? Chloe's hurting this bad!" Theo glared at me. "You don't deserve to be my mom!"

Theo wasn't strong, but it was enough to make me stumble back.

I stared at him.

I almost couldn't recognize the obedient little boy he used to be.

Adrian watched the whole thing without saying a word. Didn't even look at me.

He just helped carry Chloe into the delivery room.

The doctor spoke in a flat mechanical voice:

"Amniotic fluid embolism. Family member, please sign the consent form."

The burly man, Danny, hurriedly signed it and handed it over.

The delivery room doors slammed shut.

"Sia Sewell."

I looked up.

Adrian was standing in front of me.

The dungeon's backstory flashed through my mind. I opened my mouth to explain, but the cold look in his eyes made my chest tighten.

"We're done."

My eyes widened. "Adrian?"

"No empathy. Useless. Dead weight." His voice stayed flat. "Guess I should thank this horror game for showing me who you really are."

Cold spread through my body.

Then a bloodcurdling scream ripped out of the delivery room.

Every hair on my arms stood up.

"Something's wrong!"

I rushed toward the delivery room, but Adrian grabbed my wrist.

"Stop making problems."

Disgust was written all over his face.

"You can't even take care of Theo. And now you want to play hero?"

The chat started flying by:

[Adrian finally sees it.]

[She's so annoying. Always making everything about herself.]

Then the delivery room doors slowly opened.

The NPC doctor walked out, voice flat and mechanical.

"To ensure the mother's safety, the uterus has been removed. Mother and child are stable."

Danny went completely still. "Removed?"

Mollie covered her mouth. "How could you remove her uterus? Why didn't you tell us first?"

A crack seemed to flicker across the doctor's blank expression. She slowly tilted her head.

"What...?"

A broken voice came from inside the delivery room.

"I don't have a uterus anymore?"

Chloe had woken up.

Everyone crowded the doorway, trying to comfort her.

Danny completely lost it. He grabbed the doctor by the collar.

"Who gave you the right to decide that? You're a quack!"

Tears streamed down the doctor's face as she kept apologizing.

I hurried forward.

"Chloe isn't—"

Smack.

The slap cut me off.

Adrian finally looked like he'd hit his limit.

"Enough."