"No, no! Donât say that,â I shook my head violently. âMy child will be fineâhale and healthy. Heâs going to be okay. He has to be.âThe doctorâs eyes locked on mine, teary and desperate. âWe need a blood donor now. Immediately. Or we lose him.ââTake mine,â I snapped, my voice cracking. âIâm his mother. Take everything if you have to, just save him please! He's all I've got.âBefore he could respond, the hospital doors burst open with a loud slam. A nurse sprinted toward us, face pale, hair falling out of her bun, eyes wild with fear.âDoctor!â she gasped. âWeâre losing him! Heâs crashing fast, time is slipping!âThe doctor checked his watch. I watched the color drain from his face as he whispered, âWe have eight minutes. Just eight.âEight minutes?My stomach dropped. My hands went ice cold. I could barely feel my legs.âOh God,â I breathed, grabbing his coat. âThen what are we waiting for? Test me. Take me to him! Please!âCynthia, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, shot to
I froze. My heart stopped. The words hung in the air, slicing through my chest like a blade.âNo,â I whispered, my voice barely a breath. âNo, theyâre wrong. Theyâre wrong, heâs not going to die.âI shook my head, a tear sliding down my cheek, and I felt like the world was closing in on me. Cynthiaâs grip on me tightened, her face stricken with pain, but I couldnât look away from the direction theyâd taken Liam.âI canât lose him, Cynthia. PleaseâŠâ My voice broke as fear took over.Cynthiaâs voice was thick as she tried to pull me into a hug, but I pushed her away. âMyla, stop! Youâre going to make yourself sick.âBut I didnât care. All I could think about was Liam, lying on that cold bed alone. âI need to be with him,â I whispered, my voice breaking, my heart splintering into pieces.Cynthia looked at me, her eyes desperately pleading. âYou canât help him like this. We need to trust them.âBut all I could hear in my head were the words of that nurse. âItâs too late.âI squeezed my ey
I clutched Liamâs fragile body against my chest, my whole world crumbling in my arms. His skin was so pale, too pale. Also, his lips were turning a shade of blue that sent ice straight into my veins.âNo, no, no,â I sobbed, rocking him gently. âLiam, baby, breathe. Please, just breathe.â âDonât do this to me. Donât leave me. I⊠I⊠canât⊠I canât survive without you.âI pressed my forehead against his, my tears dripping onto his skin. The sound of my heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else.Cynthiaâs footsteps echoed as she jumped down forcefully from the pallet, but I couldnât look her way. At that moment, all I could see was Liam. Nothing else mattered. âMyla, We have to move. Now.âI barely heard her. âHeâs not breathing,â I whispered, my hands shaking as I cradled his face. âCynthia, heâs notâŠââI know,â she cut in, her voice low but sharp. âBut if we donât act fast, neither of us is getting out of here.âShe wasnât wrong. I could hear sirens in the distance,
Different screams tore through the air. The sharp scent of gunpowder burned my nose, mixing with the smell of blood. My ears rang as the deafening blasts of gunfire echoed around me.I gasped, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My fingers numb as the gun slipped from my grip and clattered to the ground.No. No, no, no.My body refused to listen. My legs wobbled, barely able to hold me up. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would break through my ribs.Boom! Another shot fired.I flinched, instinctively covering my ears, but it didnât stop the noise. It didnât stop the fear. It didnât stop the sheer terror clawing at my throat.I needed to move, to get my child. But I couldnât as my muscles were frozen.Then I heard Cynthiaâs scream. A sound so raw, so filled with pain, that it sent shivers through my veins.âThis was never meant to happen! You all will pay!â she shrieked, her voice cracking with anger and pain.My legs gave out beneath me, and I crashed to the ground, helpless. M
Liam sobbed uncontrollably, his body trembling violently. His breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled in vain against the chair he was tied to, desperate to break free. His flushed face turned red from all the screaming, and his tiny hands twisted against the ropes, begging to be free.My chest tightened, and before I knew it, tears blurred my vision. I wanted to walk out and yank Sophiaâs hair, make her pay for all the pain she had caused me and Liam. But I couldnât, I couldnât destroy everything Cynthia and I had worked so hard for. My hands trembled as I raised the gun, my finger brushing against the trigger.Then, just as I was about to do it, Sophie moved. Without another word, without a single flicker of pity, she lifted her hand and let the lighter slip from her fingers.Liam was still clutching his toy, his tiny fingers wrapped so tightly around it that his knuckles had turned white. Tears streamed down his red, swollen face.Sophie didnât hesitate. She walked over to one
Cynthiaâs eyes burned with urgency as she pointed toward the back door. âNow, go!â she commanded, leaving no room for argument. Without waiting for my response, she spun on her heels and strode toward the front door. Panic swirled inside me. âCynthia, wait!âShe halted, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Slowly, she turned to face me, her brows furrowed in frustration. âWhat is it?â she snapped, âDo you not understand whatâs at stake? Every second we waste, the risks increase. We donât have time for this!âI swallowed hard, my throat dry. âAnd how do you plan to protect yourself when youâre out of bullets?âSilence.Cynthia stiffened. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. The flicker of realization in her eyes sent a chill down my spine.She was tough, fearlessâalways the one to take charge. But now? Now she had no answer.âItâs not about me. Itâs about Liam. And Iâd lay my life down for him without hesitation.âThe words hit me like a punch to the gut. S
We sprinted to the back of the warehouse, our breaths ragged as our hearts slammed against our ribs. Behind us, the man's screams tore through the air, raw and filled with agony.I grabbed Cynthiaâs arm the moment we stopped, my fingers digging into her skin. "Cynthia, what the hell did you just do?" My voice came out in a harsh whisper, but I couldnât control it. Fear and shock tangled inside me, making my hands shake.She turned to me, her chest rising and falling. "I had no choice.""No choice?" I hissed, my eyes darting around the warehouse as I scanned for any signs of movement. The manâs agonized screams still tore through the air, each one making my stomach twist. I turned back to Cynthia, my voice barely controlled. "You nearly killed him, Cynthia! Do you even realize what the hell youâve just done?""He had what we needed," she said, her voice sharp. "We donât know whatâs waiting for us in there. Itâs better to be ready."I wanted to argue, to tell her that this was insane, t
Cynthia pulled into the parking lot near the airport, her knuckles white against the steering wheel. The car engine hummed beneath us, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart. My fingers trembled as I reached for the door handle, but I forced myself to take a deep breath. We had come too far to back out now."Are you ready?" Cynthia asked, her voice steady, but I could see the tension in her eyes.No, I wasnât. But I nodded anyway. "Letâs do this."We stepped out of the car, the afternoon sun beating down on us, making the air thick and suffocating. I wiped my sweaty palms against my trousers and glanced at Cynthia. She was scanning the area, her gaze sharp and calculating.The warehouse loomed ahead, its towering structure casting a long shadow over the ground. Every instinct in me screamed that things might not go as planned, but I ignored it anyway. We had a mission to accomplish.As we approached, my stomach twisted. The gate was locked. Not just lockedâchained and padlo
As I pushed open the heavy glass door, the crisp afternoon air slapped my face, a refreshing relief from the suffocating conversation I had just escaped.My heart pounded, not from fear, but from the weight of it all. I needed to leave. Fast. Thank God I hadnât run into Jaxon on my way out. Then, just as I stepped onto the pavement, a familiar voice echoed through the air, âHey! Youâre leaving already?âI turned to see Linda standing a few feet away, arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning my face like she could read every thought running through my mind.I forced a smile. âYeah, I have to pick up my child from schoolâplus, Iâve got an appointment to get to.âShe narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. âThatâs it? You just suddenly have to go?âI tightened my grip on my bag strap. âDidnât you hear me, Linda? Thatâs it. I have to go.âShe studied me, her gaze piercing, like she could see right through my lie. And she was right, I wasnât just leaving for my child or some appointment. I was ru