Chapter Two

Maya's POV 

“We’re here, Ma’am.” Gideon finally said.

I stepped out and froze.

The roses I planted were gone and replaced chrysanthemum.

I was allergic to them. Elena knew that. She always knew. She made Dad decorate the house with them on my birthday once. I nearly died.

Now here they were again. Her signature move.

My bags were already on the porch.

“What’s going on?” I asked the maids.

None answered. They looked at their feet as though they were banned from speaking to me.

“What does it look like?” she sneered.

Elena. Drenched in designers. Meanwhile, I looked like an office intern fired before lunch.

I swallowed the humiliation and walked inside.

Everything was gone. M. My art, my walls, my touch. He’d erased me in hours. My lungs tightened. My throat itches. My allergy was kicking in.

“Aiden said he didn’t want any trace of you left,” she cooed. “And I’m here to deliver.”

I staggered out, gasping for air.

“Oh no!” she gasped in mock concern. “Still allergic? I thought you'd outgrown that nonsense.”

“Aren’t you tired?” I rasped. “Of taking what’s mine?”

She scoffed. “He was never yours. You whored your way into his bed.”

I bit down on the scream clawing out of me. “You and I both know what happened.”

“Oh please,” she laughed. “No one believed your sob story then. No one will now.”

I straightened up. No more tears.

“Joke’s on you, Elena,” I said with a smile. “I’m pregnant. And you know the Kensingtons don’t joke about heirs.”

The blood drained from her face.

“You’re lying.”

“We’ll let his mother decide.”

“You bitch”

The flowers slammed into my face.

I choked instantly. My skin crawled and my chest seized.

She kept pushing them into me. “You stole everything! You and your mother! I’ll kill you before you take him again!”

I thrashed, fighting to breathe. My limbs went limp.

I grabbed a flower pot and smashed it into her head.

I rolled away and gasped.

She laughed. “No one will help you. They know better.”

I clutched my stomach, whispering a prayer.

A boot slammed into my ribs.

She walked away.

I collapsed.

“Ma’am!” Gideon’s voice cut through. He lifted me, shoved me into the car.

“You shouldn’t help me…”

“You saved me once,” he said. “Let me return the favor.”

He started the car and drove at maximum speed. 

The car windows were rolled down and I could feel my chest slowly loosening. I didn't need to look at my skin to know they were covered in bumps.

I saw it before Gideon could and screamed but there was nothing he could do. The truck driver was driving at maximum speed and so were we. He tried to avert the car but it didn't help. I watched in slow motion as the truck slammed into our car and I saw my own death.

My whole life flashed in front of my eyes and not one moment belonged to me. All I could think of was my baby as I was flung to one side of the car. I held my stomach tight as another truck hit us from the other side and I was flung across the car. There was no saving from this. This was the end. I stared at Gideon covered in his blood. There were so many cuts around him. I couldn't move. I looked down to see blood dripping down my thighs.

No! I can't lose the one thing that I didn't share with Elena. If there's a God listening and watching me, I hope that you save my baby because just like me, she did nothing wrong except being conceived in this world. My eyes felt heavy and I fought hard to keep my eyes open. I watched helplessly as the three cars went into flames. 

Is this how my life is supposed to end? Am I supposed to be pathetic to the end? Save my baby was on my lips as I gave my soul to the darkness that surrounded me.