And all I could hear, echoing through my skull, was what Kieran had just said.
He wanted to kill our baby.
I wrenched my wrist free and stumbled two steps back.
"Kieran, this is my child! We've been married three years before I finally got pregnant—what gives you the right to take that away?"
"As long as I'm alive, no one is going to hurt this baby!"
Something in him snapped. The rage he'd been barely holding back erupted, and his open palm cracked across my face.
I didn't see it coming. The force sent me to the floor, and for a moment I couldn't get up.
Kieran grabbed the front of my collar and hauled me toward him. When he spoke, his voice was cold enough to freeze blood.
"Harper, I'm not negotiating with you. You are my wife, and you're carrying some bastard's child."
"You should be grateful that murder is illegal. Because right now, I want nothing more than to kill you."
I didn't know if it was the fall or the panic, but a sharp, cramping pain twisted through my lower abdomen.
Kieran had lost all reason. Going head-to-head with him now would only make things worse.
I wrapped my fingers around his hand, trying to loosen his grip on my collar.
"Kieran, I'm begging you. Don't hurt this baby."
"Please. Please. Please."
He froze. His eyes went wide, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"You're begging me, Harper?"
"You're actually begging me for the sake of that bastard in your belly?"
He shot to his feet, turning to Paula, who stood off to the side.
"Call your mother's hospital. Tell them to send an ambulance."
"Today, that bastard dies."
Paula's lips curled into a faint smile. She turned and walked out to the balcony to make the call.
I scrambled up from the floor, crawling on my hands and knees to Kieran's side, clutching the hem of his pants with everything I had.
"Kieran, I'm begging you. Don't hurt this child. You're angry right now. Once you've calmed down, we can talk about this properly."
"My brother. I'll call my brother right now. I'll have him come explain everything to you—"
Before I could finish, Kieran snapped. His foot slammed into my shoulder with full force.
"Harper! Either the bastard in your belly dies today."
"Or you die with it."
He hadn't held back at all. The kick sent me flying, and my temple cracked against the corner of the coffee table.
Blinding pain ripped through my skull. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness.