Even though I was unconscious, my hands, instinctively protective, clutched my belly. He snapped my fingers with brutal indifference, wrenching my hands away. Exposing my swollen abdomen, he readied the blade. With just one stab, he could snuff out the fragile life within me.
I screamed, my soul quaking with terror. No! I shrieked, clawing desperately to return to my body, willing to endure the torture all over again just to save my child. But it was futile. I was too far gone. My soul couldn’t return. I was helpless, unable to do anything but watch.
The man cackled, lowering his knife toward my womb. Blood bloomed like a crimson flower beneath the blade. In that moment of complete despair, when all hope had been extinguished, the front door burst open.
A delivery boy I had called earlier—an hour ago, when I first noticed my water breaking—rushed in. With a forceful kick, he sent the psychopath tumbling to the ground.
The man hadn’t expected anyone else to arrive. Panic flashed across his face. Without wasting another second, he scrambled to his feet and bolted.
The delivery boy was my last lifeline, the only help I could turn to after Daniel refused to believe me. The hour before had been a nightmare. I had called Daniel the moment my water broke, pleading with him to come home. But instead of rushing to my side, he accused me of lying. Jealousy, he said. He thought I was pretending, just to get him away from Sophia.
When the intruder broke in, I had no choice but to lock myself in the closet, shaking with fear, as I called Daniel again and again. His response chilled me to the bone, each word cutting deeper than the psychopath’s blade.
"Amelia," he scoffed when he finally picked up, "how many tricks are you going to pull? First, you say your water broke, then someone’s trying to kill you? What’s next? Are you going to tell me you’re dead?"
I couldn’t breathe. The man outside the closet door was banging violently, his voice filled with vile threats. My body was in agony, contractions intensifying, blood trickling down my legs. But all Daniel cared about was Sophia.
"I’m not lying..." I whimpered, but he was already dismissing me to someone nearby.
"Amelia’s just being dramatic. She’s always jealous over nothing. Ignore her," Daniel said. "Don’t worry, I’ll stay by your side until you’re better, Sophia."
Sophia’s sugary voice responded, “But is Amelia okay?”