Library
Search
Home / Emotional Realism / The Deadly Drop / Chapter 3

Share

Chapter 3

Author: Perfect Timing
Julian's face darkened instantly. He shot me a look of pure disgust.

"Miscarriage, miscarriage! God, from the moment you got pregnant, that's all you talk about. 'Oh, I'm going to miscarry.' And look? The kid is still fine."

He walked over to where I was crumpled on the floor, looming over me. "Get up. Get off the platform. You're blocking the line for the other jumpers."

My face was paper-white. I could not form words anymore. Shaking, I reached out and grabbed the cuff of his pants, gritting my teeth against the agony.

"Please... call 911... I'm dying..."

Julian looked like he had stepped in something foul. He kicked his leg out, shaking off my grip. "No wonder Lily says you're a good actress. She nailed it. It's just a bungee jump, Elena. You're not dying."

He sneered. "You're healthy as a horse. Who is this show for? It's pathetic. Honestly, looking at you makes me sick. You're not even half the woman Lily is."

A tourist standing nearby could no longer wait on the sidelines. "Hey, buddy," he called out. "Your wife looks like she's actually in pain. Maybe you should call an ambulance?"

Julian frowned, annoyed by the interference. He started to look down, actually checking on me for the first time, but before his eyes could focus, Lily let out a soft, dramatic gasp behind him.

"Julian... I feel so dizzy..."

As she spoke, she swayed, collapsing perfectly on cue. Julian moved like lightning, catching her before she hit the ground, his eyes wide with panic.

"What is it, babe? Was it a shock? Someone called an ambulance! Quick! I… I'll get you to the hospital right now!"

He scooped Lily up bridal-style and sprinted off the platform, not looking back.

I saw it, though. Over his shoulder, Lily, who was supposed to be fainting, shot me a smirk. It was a look of pure, triumphant malice. She was laughing at me.

I watched them leave, fighting the black spots in my vision.

Then, something inside me shattered completely. A warm flood gushed out, breaking the dam.

"Ah!"

Screams erupted around me.

"Blood! Look at the blood!"

"Oh my god, she's hemorrhaging! Look at her legs! Call 911!"

"She's going to die! The baby–!"

The voices blurred together into a chaotic roar as I drifted into the dark. I felt the cold grip of death tightening.

Some kind tourists and the staff managed to get me onto a stretcher. I was vaguely aware of them covering me with a jacket; my lower half was soaked in red. It must have looked like a horror movie.

They rushed me to the bottom of the tower just as the ambulance pulled up. However, Julian was already there, shoving past everyone to get Lily into the back.

"Hurry! Doctor, get us to the hospital!"

"Wait!" The bungee operator blocked the ambulance doors. "This pregnant lady is in critical condition! You have to take her first!"

He waved for the others to bring my stretcher forward.

When Julian saw me, he exploded. "Elena! Are you never going to quit? Lily caught a chill from the wind. She's suffering, and you choose now to fight her for an ambulance?"

He pointed a shaking finger at me. "You're really committed to the bit, aren't you? You even got people to carry you down. You make me sick!"

I lay on the stretcher, vision swimming. I tried to raise a hand to explain, but my limbs would not obey.

The paramedic looked confused, glancing between us. "Sir, there's only room for one patient. Who called 911?"

"I did!" Julian shouted, climbing into the back with Lily still in his arms. "Just drive! Ignore that crazy woman!"

The staff member stepped up, furious. "What 'act'? Look at your wife! She passed out cold and is bleeding out! You haven't even looked at her. You're just fawning over your little childhood sweetheart. What kind of scumbag are you?"

Lily, huddled in Julian's chest, decided it was time for another Oscar-winning performance. She wiped a fake tear from her eye. "It's okay, Julian. Don't fight with Elena. If she wants the ambulance that badly, let her have it. I... I'll be fine..."

She swayed again, clutching her head.

That broke Julian. He held her tighter and shoved my stretcher away with his free hand. "No way! As long as I'm here, Elena is not setting foot in this ambulance!"

Just then, a nurse from the ambulance team lifted the jacket covering my legs. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Holy! Call the ER, tell them to prep for immediate surgery! She's miscarried! She's hemorrhaging! She's critical!"

Julian froze. The color drained from his face as he stared at the blood.
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Deadly Drop   Chapter 8

    While Julian was running around like a headless chicken trying to find me, I was already settling into my new corner office at a top firm in Harbor City.When the new company saw my resume, they did not just interview me. The CEO cleared his schedule to negotiate in person. He told me to name my price.I just gave him a thin smile. "I don't need special perks. However, I can promise you ten major projects within the month."The CEO looked like he had won the lottery. He offered me a salary that looked like a phone number and a stake in the company.I took the deal. The very next day, I started dismantling Julian's empire.Those cancelled contracts? I brought them with me. The software that got flagged? I wrote the code, so I knew exactly where the vulnerabilities were. I pulled the rug out from under them before they even knew they were standing on air.In less than a month, I had absorbed nearly every major project Julian's company had. I was not just an employee at the new firm

  • The Deadly Drop   Chapter 7

    Julian stood there, his world tilting on its axis."Impossible," he muttered. "How could Lily lie to me?"His phone buzzed again. It was the subordinate."M-Mr. Vance! When is Ms. Lane coming? We're under a cyber attack! The whole network is down, and the users are rioting!""Get the tech team! Get outside contractors! Can you people not survive five minutes without Elena?"Julian hung up, furious. He turned and sprinted toward the exit, but the elevator was taking forever. Impatient, he shoved open the door to the stairwell.He had only gone down two flights when he heard noises coming from the landing below.Gross noises.Specifically, the shameless moans of a man and a woman going at it."Oh, Doctor…"Come on, Reynolds, I've been giving you everything you want..." The woman's voice was wheedling, sickeningly sweet. "Can't you spice up my diagnosis a little? Just write that Elena drove me crazy. Say she pushed me to the brink of suicide."A man's voice answered, heavy with

  • The Deadly Drop   Chapter 6

    Julian had called me exactly twice after I was rushed to the hospital. I had not picked up.To be fair, he was probably distracted. Lily had been putting on an Oscar-worthy performance, crying about how sad she was and threatening to hurt herself. Naturally, Julian did not have the bandwidth to care about whether his wife was alive or dead.It took a full week for Lily's 'condition' to stabilize enough for Julian to finally go home.He walked in, tossed his coat on the floor like he owned the place, and shouted toward the living room out of habit."Why isn't dinner ready yet?!"The house answered with a cold, heavy silence.Julian frowned. The vibe was off. He checked the living room, then the bedroom. He did a full sweep of the apartment before his brain finally caught up with reality: No one was there.I was gone.He yanked out his phone and dialed my number. Straight to voicemail."Damn it," Julian cursed, assuming I was throwing another tantrum. He decided he did not have

  • The Deadly Drop   Chapter 5

    I spent a few more days recovering in the hospital. In between naps, I contacted a partner firm in Harbor City that my old company used to work with. I emailed my resume at midnight and set up an interview for the following month.Then, I went scorched earth. I drained my bank accounts, canceled every card I shared with Julian, and bought a one-way ticket to Harbor City.Julian and I had been inseparable since college. We were put in the same study group because we had similar majors, but that was where the similarities ended. Julian was great at execution: the grunt work, but he had zero imagination. His software designs were clunky, outdated, and boring.I was the innovator. My designs won championships.Naturally, he latched onto me. We started a company together. It was brutal in the beginning, but we worked well as a team. He trusted my vision, and the company took off. Then came the confession, the wedding, the pregnancy. It felt like a fairytale.It was not until the day I

  • The Deadly Drop   Chapter 4

    A dead silence fell over the crowd. Nobody wanted to see a tragedy like this unfold in real time.The staff member who had carried me down screamed at the paralyzed crew."Well? What are you waiting for?! Get her in the van!"As the paramedics prepped to lift me into the ambulance, Julian finally snapped out of his daze. However, instead of rushing to my side, he just stood there, looking at me with that familiar mix of skepticism and annoyance."Wait!" he shouted, marching toward us. "Elena, seriously? Are you faking it again? There are people watching, for god's sake. Stop doing this embarrassing stuff!"The nurse who had been checking my vitals looked like she was about to explode. She whipped around and glared at Julian. "Sir, I'm going to need you to step away from the ambulance. Now. We prioritize patients based on who is actually dying, not who's loudest. If you keep obstructing us, I'm calling the cops!"The crowd of tourists, who had seen the whole thing go down, instant

  • The Deadly Drop   Chapter 3

    Julian's face darkened instantly. He shot me a look of pure disgust."Miscarriage, miscarriage! God, from the moment you got pregnant, that's all you talk about. 'Oh, I'm going to miscarry.' And look? The kid is still fine."He walked over to where I was crumpled on the floor, looming over me. "Get up. Get off the platform. You're blocking the line for the other jumpers."My face was paper-white. I could not form words anymore. Shaking, I reached out and grabbed the cuff of his pants, gritting my teeth against the agony."Please... call 911... I'm dying..."Julian looked like he had stepped in something foul. He kicked his leg out, shaking off my grip. "No wonder Lily says you're a good actress. She nailed it. It's just a bungee jump, Elena. You're not dying."He sneered. "You're healthy as a horse. Who is this show for? It's pathetic. Honestly, looking at you makes me sick. You're not even half the woman Lily is."A tourist standing nearby could no longer wait on the sidelines.

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status