“You’ll crush her chest,” I choked out, shaking my head. Tears streamed so fast I couldn’t breathe. “Elle… you know, after a certain time, it’s a lost cause.”
Elle looked up at me, her eyes glossy and full.
“Mahasin… please.”
I didn’t want hope only to have it ripped from me. I didn’t want to be lifted just to be dropped from a higher level.
If I were going to experience the ultimate pain, then let it be just once.
“You’re legally bound to do as I wish,Dr. Mathers.” My voice cracked, but it didn’t falter. “Call it.”
“Mahasin—” she tried to plead, but I cut her off.
“Call itnow!” I screamed.
My breathing came harsh and uneven, my shoulders rising and falling like a bull ready to charge. I was hurting, furious, and for a terrifying second—I wanted to die right here, right now.
Gage’s voice came from somewhere behind me—rough, breaking. Only then did I realize this was his daughter, too.
“Nah—Mahasin, what are you saying?” His voice trembled, desperate.
I couldn’t look at him.
This was all my fault.
From having a one-night stand, to not keeping track of my body and finding out about my pregnancy at four months.
Two. Fucking. Trimesters. Without monitoring, without prenatal care. Two fucking trimesters.
I slept with this man, showed up at his job, and ruined his relationship.
Was this my karma?
Were my sins stored up for my baby girl?
Fuck… how could I have let this happen?
I failed my baby.
I stared at the ceiling, waiting for the words that would shatter me.
Elle turned to Tiana, who already had a pen and pad ready.
“Time of death, twelve—”
And then—
“Baby girl, wake up for Daddy. Please!”
His voice hit the air like thunder—deep, commanding and pleading all at once.
Every head turned.
For one suspended breath, nothing moved.
Then a sound split the room open—a single, fierce cry, small but strong, rising like the first note of a song you'd never forget.
I gasped. My whole body trembled. Tears burst out of me from a place I didn’t know still existed. My body went limp, and the sobs came heavy—relief and gratitude spilling into one another.
