Chapter 3

3

I dragged my aching body toward the street and spotted a taxi parked by the curb.

The moment I got into the back seat, Mom's shrill voice came screeching from behind.

"You brat, what are you running from? Get back here!"

"Driver, step on the gas! Take me to the nearest general hospital, I'm in labor!"

I slammed my hand against the back of the driver's seat, screaming in agony.

The driver turned around in shock, pointing at the private building.

"Isn't that a hospital right there..."

Seeing Mom sprinting toward the car, I roared at the top of my lungs.

"Go! I'll double your fare, just drive!"

Startled by my desperation, the driver hit the gas.

As the car pulled away from the clinic, I let out a long breath of relief.

Finally, my baby's fate and mine were going to change.

Contractions hit me in agonizing waves, making my vision blur.

When the dizziness passed, I realized to my horror that the driver was slowing down and pulling over.

"Why is that lady chasing us on foot? Did you leave something behind?"

Before I could even react, a hand slapped violently against the car window.

"I'm so sorry, sir! That's my daughter. She's having a panic attack, please let her out."

Mom stood there drenched in sweat, looking every bit the frantic, loving mother.

"No! I am not going with her! Driver, please drive, don't listen to her!"

I pleaded frantically through tears.

"Wendy, stop being so dramatic! It's just a little family spat, why are you screaming like a madwoman?"

Mom shoved a thick stack of bills into the driver's hand, yanked the door open, and grabbed my arm forcefully.

"Let go of me! Driver, please save me, she wants to hurt my baby!"

The driver hesitated, but staring at the thick wad of cash in his hand, he looked away.

"Miss, don't make a scene. Just go home with your mother."

I was just a woman in active labor, completely outmatched by Mom's raw physical strength from years of hard manual labor. She dragged me brutally out of the vehicle.

"Doctors, hurry over here! Her water broke!"

She immediately noticed the wet stain on my pants and barked orders for the staff to hoist me onto a gurney.

The male doctor from earlier pinned my arms down with brutal force while Mom kept nagging relentlessly beside my ear.

"Why were you running? Do you really think your sister and I would harm you?"

The scenery blurred past at dizzying speed, and within moments, I was shoved straight into the delivery room.