Chapter 2

For a second, panic flickered in Julian's eyes.

He took a step forward, mouth opening to say something, but Lily lunged, grabbing my arm.

"Elena, let's go!"

Because Lily had demanded a tandem jump, we were shackled to the same bungee cord. The moment she leaped, I was yanked off the platform like a dead weight.

Gravity vanished. The massive inertia slammed into me, and my stomach lurched violently. Pain exploded in my abdomen. Even though I knew it was coming, I could not stop the scream.

"Ah! It hurts!"

However, my cry was swallowed by Lily's euphoric shrieking.

"Wow! This is amazing! So this is what it feels like! Woohoo!"

She had her eyes closed, arms spread wide like she was flying, basking in the adrenaline. Meanwhile, the rapid descent was tearing me apart from the inside. A sharp, tearing agony ripped through my lower belly. I looked down at my pants–blood.

"Stop... please, it hurts..."

I gasped the words out, but Lily, high on the thrill, just glared at me.

"Elena, seriously? Cut the act. Julian can't hear you from down here, so who are you performing for?"

We bounced at the bottom of the arc, the cord snapping us back up. She was laughing, shouting triumphantly in my ear, while I hung there, paralyzed by pain.

The baby seemed to sense the danger, kicking wildly in a frenzy of survival instinct, as if trying to tear right through my skin to escape.

Blood rushed to my head as we dangled upside down, suffocating me. I flailed my hands weakly.

"Pull me up... Quick... I'm dying..."

The staff on the platform must have seen that something was wrong. A megaphone crackled above us.

"What's happening? Is the tourist in distress?"

Sweat and tears blurred my vision. I tried to summon the breath to answer, to beg for my life, but Lily screamed over me, her voice echoing off the canyon walls:

"Higher! Drop us again! It's not exciting enough yet!"

The ride operator froze, staring at me with wide eyes. He turned back to the control panel, hesitating. "Are you... Are you sure about another round? That pregnant lady looks like she's in serious trouble."

"I can't..." I gasped, the air hitching in my throat.

I did not even get to finish the sentence before Julian snapped, cutting me off. "I'm the one paying the bills here, pal. If I say we go another round, we go another round. Cut the crap. If Lily hasn't blown off enough steam yet, you'd better believe I'm filing a complaint against you."

The operator took one look at Julian's face and shut his mouth. He slammed the lever forward, sending the machine spinning again.

Lily squealed with delight, her laughter piercing the air. However, for me, the world was dissolving into red agony. My lower abdomen felt like it was being put through a meat grinder. It felt like my uterus was physically tearing apart, a tidal wave of hot blood fighting to burst out of me.

...

I did not know how long it lasted. It felt like an eternity before Lily finally decided she was bored.

The staff hauled me up, but I was dead weight. I could not feel the baby moving anymore. My eight-month bump, usually so firm and full of life, dragged downward, heavy and lifeless. I had absolutely no strength left. The only thing I could do was let out a guttural, broken wail.

"Help me... It hurts... My baby..."

I thought I had prepared myself to give up on everything, to let go. However, when death actually came knocking, the plea for help slipped out before I could stop it.

Julian did not even look at me. Not a glance. He went straight for Lily, wrapping her in a protective hug.

"Lily, baby, how are you? Were you scared? Did you have fun?"

Lily nodded, her face glowing. Then, she glanced at me, feigning casual concern. "I wasn't scared, Julian. However, Elena seems terrified. She keeps screaming that she's having a miscarriage or something."