Chapter 1 | The Gala

Marinette Sinclair

I sigh loudly as I shift in my seat as I attempt to make myself more comfortable. It’s a bit hard to get comfortable with the huge baby bump that crushes all of my insides.

I feel the baby kick me again and I huff as I place my hand on my stomach and it kicks me right in the center of my hand as if it’s saying hello.

I smile softly at the thought of the baby trying to communicate with me already. I rub my belly as I try to soothe the pain, I’ve felt all day.

If I had a choice, I wouldn’t be in this limo on the way to a charity gala. But when I told my stepmother, Lilith, the way I felt, she screamed at me saying that we had a charity gala tonight and it’s our job as the “Sinclair family” to be at this social event.

I roll my eyes at the thought of our argument. Lilith makes me wish I wasn’t a part of the ‘Sinclair family’. But my dad is a good man, I could never regret being his daughter. I just wish he was around more often. He never would’ve forced me to come to this event.

The limo pulls up to the event where paparazzi is already waiting eagerly to get a picture of the celebrities coming in. My dad sits beside me, the great Walter Sinclair, famous actor, philanthropist, and businessman.

He squeezes my hand and looks at me and asks, “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

I plaster on my best smile as I answer, “Of course, dad.”

Lilith says, “Be careful, Marinette, we know how clumsy you can be with that giant bump.”

She says it in a caring way so my dad wouldn’t suspect her thinly veiled rudeness. When he looks away, she glares at me in a way that says, ‘if you fuck this up then you will pay.’

The door opens and my dad slips out with Lilith right behind him. She hangs on his arm, and they look like the perfect power couple as they make their way on the red carpet.

I breathe out as I get out of the car and put on my best smile. People yell for me to come to them, everyone wanting to know about the pregnancy and if I know the sex of the baby and how am I handling the death of the baby’s father.

I smile and wave and answer the vague questions like ‘who am I wearing’ and whatnot.

When I get inside, I let out a sigh of relief. As a sharp cramp hits, me I groan under my breath and clutch onto my baby bump. I breathe out, I need to find a place to sit down.

As I walk into the gala person after person come to greet me. I keep on my best happy face knowing that if I don’t and Lilith finds out that I’ll have hell to pay.

After at least an hour on my feet making small talk, I finally find a seat. I sigh, finally feeling relief from the pain in my feet from my swollen feet being stuffed into high heels that Lilith forced me to wear. She said it wouldn’t look good if I was in flats.

Right now, I wish I had told her to go screw herself.

I breathe out through another sharp pain, and I wonder if I could be in labor. I’ve had pain all day, but I thought they were Braxton hicks’ contractions because they went away anytime I sat down. But this time it’s not going away.

I see another person making their way over to me and I groan under my breath as I force myself to stand up. I give myself a quiet pep talk as I say, “Come on, Marinette. You’re a Sinclair, you can stand up.”

Once I fully got to my feet I can’t help the gasp that slips through my lips as one of my heels break and cause me to stumble forward.

The person who had been heading my way rushes to me and grabs onto my arms helping hold me steady as she asks, “Marinette, are you okay?”

Murmurs of the crowd surround us as people speculate what’s going on. I force myself to keep a smile on my face, knowing that if I don’t, Lilith would berate me for messing with our good public image.

I nod, “Of course I’m fine! It’s just a broken heel. I’m going to go powder my nose, if you’ll excuse me.”

I hobble towards the restroom, I should’ve taken off my shoes while that woman helped hold me up, too late now. People part like the Red Sea, everyone’s eyes on the pregnant woman as I head to the restroom, looking ridiculous with my shoes.

As soon as I’m in the safety of the bathroom I let out a loud groan from the pain coursing through my body.

I’m still a week and a half from my due date, but I know the baby could come any day now. Still, I can’t help but worry that something might be horribly wrong.

When I use the toilet and wipe, I see bright red blood. So much that the sight makes me woozy. I quickly take off my heels, ignoring how gross it is for my stocking covered feet to touch the bathroom floor. But my heels would slow me down and I need to find my father. He would leave here in an instant to take me to the hospital, I know he would.

I rush out of the bathroom as I wobble to my dad only to get intercepted by Lilith who hisses at me, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I gasp out, “I need dad.”

“No you do not! Your job is to be his perfect little girl, now shut up and go sit down.” She snaps quietly at me as she clenches my arm, her perfect nails digging into me and potentially drawing blood.

Under ordinary circumstances, I would’ve listened to my stepmom, but these aren’t ordinary circumstances, and I knew mine and my baby’s lives were at stake. I snap back, “No!”

I push past Lilith, leaving her shocked. Once I get my dad’s attention, he doesn’t hesitate to leave the party to go get me medical attention.

Thank God for a caring father.

My dad speeds to the hospital causing Lilith to yell at him for being so reckless. I try to ignore their bickering and the constant pain I feel and instead focus on the water trailing down the window. Looking up at the clouds I know that a storm is brewing. I’m just grateful for the calm right now, hopefully it will last just a bit longer for us to get there in time.

My dad pulls up to the ER entrance making the tires squeal loudly from his abrupt stop. I breathe deeply as I get myself out of the car. I notice a few paparazzi followed us and are snapping pictures of me as I brace myself against the car. I take a step forward, but I can’t help but clench my bulging belly as I let out a loud yell from the severe pain.

Spots fill my vision and I fall to my knees, unable to move anymore. I try not to black out, I want to get up and walk inside, but I can’t. It’s too hard.

The constant click, click, click, and flashing lights from the photos being taken really frustrate me. But I grit my teeth to try to force myself not to make an even bigger scene by snapping at the inconsiderate crowd.

I can faintly hear my dad yelling and I hear hurried steps and I hope someone is grabbing a doctor. Someone rushes to my side and by the grip on my arm I know that it’s Lilith. She puts her fact in my line of vision, I feel lightheaded and want to pass out, but I hold on. I just need to hold on a little longer.

Lilith leans towards my ear as she says, “You better fucking smile for the cameras, we have a reputation to uphold!”

She yanks on my arm causing me to stumble and I can’t help the scream that slips through my lips as I fall to my knees once again. It’s too much pain to bear.

I can faintly hear the crowd gasping loudly and the paramedics yelling at people to move aside. My body gets lifted on a stretcher as they rush me inside. I can hear the clacking of Lilith’s shoes on the ground as she rushes to keep up with me.

The moment we’re inside and away from the cameras Lilith goes off into a rampage, “How dare you, Marinette?! We have an image to uphold! You have tarnished the Sinclair name! Do you know what kind of a scene you made at the gala? What was supposed to be all about the orphans then got turned into all about you!”

The pain gets worse and tears stream down my face. I want to succumb into darkness especially because Lilith won’t stop screaming at me. I want to hold on, I need my baby to be okay. It’s my last link to Aiden.

The paramedics tell me to hold on a little longer and I hear one of the nurses snap at Lilith telling her that now is not the time for this behavior. That’s the last thing I heard before my world went black.