Chapter 94 Don't Kill My Little One
Iva’s P.O.V.
The antiseptic smell of the hospital room is the first thing that hits me as I drift back to consciousness. My head feels heavy and my throat is parched.
A soft voice pulls me back to reality. “Iva? Can you hear me?"
It is the doctor. She is smiling at me. Why does she look so happy?
She checks my vitals and then leans in. “Iva, the reason you fainted is quite simple. You’re pregnant. About three weeks."
I AM PREGNANT.
The world stops.
For a moment, the monitor's beep is the only sound in the room. I feel a violent jolt go through my heart. It is pure, overwhelming joy. Will and I have been trying for years. We have cried over negative tests, attended countless appointments, and prayed until we had no words left. And now, in the middle of this nightmare, a miracle has happened.
A sob of relief breaks from my lips. My hand instinctively flies to my stomach, shielding the miracle I have waited a lifetime for.
This changes everything. The ignoring, the pushing away, the busy nights, it doesn't matter anymore. Once I tell Will, I’m sure he will come back to me. This news will shatter the wall he has built between us. Our bad days are finally over.
“Hello, mini me. You’re finally here.” I caress my stomach with a smile on my face, and my eyes are watery and shining with pure light.
"Thank you," I say to the doctor. "Thank you so much."
The doctor pats my hand and leaves.
A moment later, the door creaks open again. It is Daniel. I look up at him, my face glowing, desperate to share this joy with the person who has been by my side in my worst days.
“Daniel, you won't believe it," I laugh breathlessly, my voice finally finding its strength. "I'm pregnant. It’s a miracle! I have to tell Will right now. He’s going to be so happy... he’s going to forget everything. Everything is going to be perfect again.”
The smile on my face dies the moment I look into Daniel's eyes. They aren't kind anymore. They are dark, filled with extreme rage.
"Just shut your mouth!" I flinch as he roars, his face contorting into a mask of pure evil.
Before I can move, he is on me. His hands grab my arms with such force that I cry out in pain. The gentle colleague is gone, and a monster stands in his place.
"Will! Will! Will!" He snaps, his eyes burning. "I am so tired of playing the 'good man' in front of you, Iva. I’m so fucking done with your pathetic devotion to that man.”
"Daniel, you're hurting me..." I whimper, trying to pull back, but his grip is like iron. My heart stops. The way he looks at me... it isn't friendship. It is an obsession.
"I did everything.” He leans so close I can smell the wine on his breath. "I sent those photos to him. I blackmailed him, told him to make you hate him so you would run into my arms. I broke his spirit so that you would see only me.”
"Photos? What photos are you talking about?" I ask, completely shocked.
He lets go of my one arm to pull his phone out of his pocket. He thrusts the screen in front of my face. My eyes go wide as I see naked photos of me, private moments I thought were safe. My heartbeat accelerates into a panicked rhythm.
That’s why Will was ignoring me. He was doing this, for me. And I?
I’m such a fool.
How could I trust a stranger over my husband?
I’m feeling so terrible. I shouldn’t have left Will. God!
"I blackmailed him with these.” He sounds like a predator.
I want to kill him. This person almost destroyed our lives.
"But you..." his grip tightens until I feel my bones groan. "Even after he pushes you away, you still want him? And now you’re carrying his blood? No. You are mine, Iva. I get everything I want. This baby is a mistake, a curse, and it will not stand in my way."
He leans in closer, his voice dropping to a chilling, deathly whisper that freezes the blood in my veins. “Your so-called lover’s blood is going to die today. You aren't keeping that thing."
My hand flies back to my stomach, shielding the tiny life I have only just discovered. The air leaves my lungs. It feels as if someone has reached into my chest and squeezed my soul until it stopped beating. My miracle, the tiny piece of Will I’m finally holding, is being threatened by the devil.
I look at Daniel, really look at him, and realise I’m not just in a trap. I am in a cage with a killer. I have left my protector to hide with a predator.
"Please," I choke out, so damn terrified. "Please, Daniel, I’ll do anything, but don't hurt my baby..."
"It's already over, Iva," he smiles. It is the most terrifying thing I have ever seen.
My gaze flickers to my wrist and sees the tattooed grey eyes of Will. They give me a sudden strength to fight this monster, to protect our child.
Adrenaline floods my system, a mother’s instinct screaming loud. With a strength, I shove Daniel back. My palms hit his chest, and for a split second, he stumbles.
As I scramble off the bed, my bare feet hit the cold floor. "No. Stay away from me.” I scream, lunging for the door.
My hand touches the handle, freedom is an inch away, but then a hand clamps around my hair. He yanks me back with such violence that my head snaps back.
"You’re going nowhere.” He throws me back onto the bed, and I let out a piercing scream.
The door bursts open. The doctor enters, drawn by the sound of the struggle.
"Doctor, please. Please, this man is going to kill my baby.” I beg, trying to get up, but Daniel pushes me back down onto the mattress with brutal force.
For a second, the doctor’s eyes soften. I see a flicker of humanity, and hope flares in my chest.
But Daniel calmly pulls an envelope from his pocket and hands it to her. "Take as much money you want, but do her abortion now," Daniel barks.
The woman, the same woman who just smiled at me, the woman who gave me the greatest news of my life, opens it. She flicks through the stacks of money with greedy eyes.
No. No. I can’t let that happen. I need to protect my baby from these monsters, anyhow.
"Please.” I sob, looking at the doctor with pleading eyes. "Please, you're a doctor. You gave me the good news. You saw the life in me. I prayed for this baby every single day for years. Please, don't kill my little one... please.”
She doesn't even look me in the eye. She begins prepping a fresh syringe.
Please. Someone protect my baby.
"Will, please save us.” My eyes dart toward the door as I pray for it to burst open.
I look at the grey eyes on my wrist, the protector I have known for years. “Will, I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I didn't trust you. Please, don't let them take our miracle.”
"He's not coming, Iva.” Daniel pins my arms over my head. He leans his full weight onto me, crushing the air out of my lungs. "God isn't listening, and your husband is a failure. It’s just us now.”
I look up at the ceiling as the doctor approaches with the needle, constantly praying for a miracle.
I feel the tiny life inside me, a soft pulse of hope that is about to be extinguished before it ever has a chance to breathe. I fight, I kick, I scream until my throat is raw, but the door remains shut. No one comes. The hallways stay silent.
"Please, don’t do this.” I let out one last broken plea as the needle touches my skin.
The doctor’s face remains a mask of greed. Daniel’s grip is a vice of hatred. As the plunger begins to go down, I feel my heart die before the baby does.
Tears stream down my face.
My baby will be gone when I wake up from this. I wanted so badly to be a mother. I wanted this child more than anything, but they are taking it away from me. I feel as though I am dying from the inside out.
The light behind my eyes fades, the world goes dark, and I slip into unconsciousness.