Epilogue - Nora
Two Years Later
Pain.
That's all I can focus on. Wave after wave of it, crashing through my body like I'm being torn apart from the inside.
"Breathe, Nora." Marcus's voice cuts through the haze. Steady. Calm. "You need to breathe."
"I am breathing," I grit out between clenched teeth. "This just, fuck, this really hurts."
The nurse on my other side—Linda, her name tag says—gives me an understanding smile. "You're doing great, honey. Almost there."
Almost there.
I've been "almost there" for six hours.
Six. Hours.
Another contraction hits and I squeeze Marcus's hand so hard I'm pretty sure I'm breaking bones. He doesn't flinch. Doesn't pull away. Just lets me grip him like he's the only thing keeping me tethered to earth.
"You've got this," he says. "You're the strongest person I know."
"You fight in a cage for money," I pant. "And I'm the strongest person you know?"
"Yeah." He brushes sweat-soaked hair back from my forehead. "Because you're about to bring our daughter into the world. Can't get stronger than that."
Our daughter.
The thought cuts through the pain for just a second. Fills me with something that isn't agony.
We're having a daughter.
Marcus and I are having a daughter.
Two years ago, I was running for my life. Hiding in a shitty apartment. Convinced I'd never be safe, never be happy, never be anything except the disappointment my family made me believe I was.
Now I'm here. In Blackwater Falls Memorial Hospital. Married to a man who looks at me like I hung the moon. About to become a mother.
Life is insane.
"I need to push," I gasp. "I need to—"
"Not yet," Dr. Patterson says from between my legs. "Not quite ready. Another minute."
A minute feels like an eternity when your body is screaming at you.
Marcus leans close. His forehead touches mine. "You survived Castellano's men. You survived moving to a new town. You survived meeting my brother—"
"Hey," I laugh despite everything. "Ruin's great."
"You survived me," he continues. "My nightmares. My fights. All of it. You can survive this too."
He's right.
I've survived so much worse than I ever thought I could. Survived things that should have broken me. And every time, I came out the other side stronger.
This will be no different.
