Mine to Protect

Mine to Protect
Emily’s POV

“What? No, you can’t do this!” My voice trembled with a mix of fear and fury, and my hands balled into fists at my sides. But Marco didn’t even flinch.
His gaze met mine briefly... cold, unyielding, and it felt like it could cut straight through me. Any words I might have thrown dissolved under the weight of his stare.
As if my outburst was nothing more than an inconvenience, Marco turned his attention back to the doctor. His voice was sharp and commanding, with no room for debate. “I need it done. Now,” he said, each word clipped and deliberate.
The doctor hesitated, her fingers gripping the clipboard like a lifeline, her eyes flicking between us. For a fleeting moment, I thought she might stand up to him for me. But Marco didn’t give her the chance.
Without another word, he spun on his heel and stormed out. The door slammed behind him, rattling the sterile walls. His presence lingered, a suffocating emptiness filling the room as if the very air had been drained away.
I lay there, chest heaving, fighting to process the storm that had just passed through. My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall.
No. This wasn’t over.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the IV in my arm and ripped it out, wincing as pain shot through my veins. Warm blood trickled down, but I ignored it. Every nerve screamed in protest, but I forced myself to move.
Pushing past the searing ache, I stumbled toward the door and shoved it open. My heart thundered in my chest, each step propelled by pure willpower.
I heard the doctor's voice trying to stop me, but I ignored it. I couldn't let him get the last word. Not this time.
I caught up to him in the hallway, my voice echoing off the sterile walls. “Marco! You can’t do this! You can’t ask them to kill my child!” I shouted, raw with desperation.
He stopped, his broad shoulders stiffening as he slowly turned to face me. His expression was as cold as the stone walls, unreadable, and the weight of his gaze sent a chill through me.
“This isn’t up for debate, Emily.” Marco’s voice was low, a deadly calm that made my blood run cold. “I won’t let you have his child.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, stealing the air from my lungs. For a moment, I couldn’t think. Then, something inside me snapped.
“It is my child!” I yelled, stepping closer until we were inches apart. My voice trembled with fury and desperation. “Mine! And I won’t let you take it from me!”
Marco’s jaw clenched. His fury simmered just beneath the surface, eyes darkening, and for the first time, his mask slipped, revealing the raw anger within.
“Don’t test me, Emily. I can forgive you for whoring yourself to him, but that is where my patience ends,” he growled, the threat in his voice as sharp and unforgiving as a blade.
I refused to back down, my resolve hardening. “I don’t care about your threats, Marco. You’re not taking this from me. Not this time!”
His fists clenched at his sides. Before I could brace myself, his hand shot out, striking me across the face. The force of it sent me sprawling to the cold floor, the sharp sting blossoming along my cheekbone. But the pain was nothing compared to the fire that ignited within me.
For a moment, the world swirled around me. But I pushed myself up, trembling yet defiant. Blood from my split lip stained my chin, but I didn’t care. I glared at him, my voice steady despite the ache in my jaw.
“I’m not backing down, Marco,” I spat, venom dripping from every word. “You can knock me down a hundred times, but I will fight to the end to protect my child.”
His expression darkened, rage flashing in his eyes as I stood before him, unwavering.
“You’re just an insolent, overbearing man-child who can’t handle defeat when it’s staring him in the face,” I hissed, my voice rising with every syllable. “You’ve lost, Marco. You’ve lost me, so deal with it. We can never go back to how we were.”
I took a step closer, meeting his fury with equal force. “This child? is mine... Mine! And I’ll be damned if I let you take it away from me.”
Marco’s face twisted with rage, his chest heaving as if he were barely holding it together. For a moment, I thought he might strike again. But instead, my defiance seemed to freeze him.
The silence between us thickened, charged with unspoken fury. Then, without warning, Marco’s lips curled into a bitter sneer. He reached out and cradled my face, his touch surprisingly gentle, an unsettling contrast to the storm in his eyes.
“Why can't you see reasons with me, my love?” he murmured, his voice soft but edged with menace. “You and I... we’re meant to be together. We’re going to get married. I won’t allow another man’s child to ruin that.”
His thumbs brushed my cheeks, the gesture almost tender, but the grip on my face was a predator’s, controlling, suffocating. A shiver ran down my spine, my skin crawling under his touch.
With a sharp breath, I shoved his hands away, the defiance in my movement sparking something in me. “Just like you allowed Jason to raise your child?” I spat, my words cutting through the heavy silence.
Marco’s eyes narrowed, his anger radiating in waves, his jaw tightening as he delivered his ultimatum. “You are not keeping this child, Emily, and that is final.”
My heart pounded, defiance surging through me like a tidal wave. “No,” I shot back, my voice shaking but unyielding. “I will not allow you to do this!”
Desperation clawed at my chest, threatening to suffocate me. Without thinking, I lunged forward, snatching a scalpel from a nurse’s tray as she passed by. The sharp metallic edge glinted under the harsh fluorescent lights, cold and unforgiving in my trembling hand.