Chapter 2

2

The contractions came in waves, one after another.

My sweat mixed with blood, forming a dark puddle on the floor.

Thunder rumbled outside, and rain lashed against the glass windows.

I looked at Preston with blurry eyes.

"I'm in labor. Please, I'm begging you, take me to the hospital!"

Preston frowned and took a step toward me. For a second, I thought I saw a spark of humanity.

But Lila grabbed his sleeve.

"Preston!"

Her voice was like poison dipped in honey.

"Let me go check on her. She's barely decent right now. It wouldn't be right for a man to see her like this!"

Preston patted her head gently.

"You're always so thoughtful, Lila."

"Go ahead. Put on another sweater first. It's cold out here."

I watched Lila walk toward me with a fake smile. The moment she shut the sauna door, the kindness vanished.

She dug her long, sharp nails into my belly.

"Quite the actress, aren't you?"

The pain made the world go black for a moment.

"Please... save my baby... I'll give you anything you want!"

Lila laughed and leaned close to my ear.

"You think Preston will believe you? You're nothing to him now. He only sees me."

She twisted her fingers, bruising my skin.

Suddenly, her face changed. she turned back toward the door and started screaming.

"Preston! Help! She said she's going to kill me!"

"She spit in my face!"

Preston burst into the room. He slapped me so hard I fell to the floor.

"You bitch! You're in this state and you still have the nerve to touch Lila?"

Lila hid in his chest, sobbing.

"There's... there's something else I was too afraid to say..."

"Don't be scared. I'm here," Preston whispered, holding her tight.

Lila looked up at him with watery eyes.

"The baby... it might not even be yours. She just admitted it to me!"

My eyes widened in terror.

"You're lying!"

Preston's face turned a bruised shade of purple. He turned to the crowd of spectators.

"Shame her! Use whatever filth you can find! Let her see what it's like to be treated like the trash she is!"

A cold, stinking liquid was thrown over my face. The smell made me gag uncontrollably.

I curled around my stomach, praying for my father to arrive.

"Look at this," Lila said, holding up her phone.

She played a video of a woman's silhouette tangled with multiple men. Disgusting sounds filled the sauna.

I struggled to speak.

"That's not me... it's an AI deepfake!"

"And Lila isn't cold! She's faking everything!"

Preston hesitated for a second. He almost reached out to me. But Lila spoke again.

"Preston, are you really going to believe this whore over me?"

Those words killed his last shred of reason.

He grabbed me and shoved me onto a large metal table.

He began to pour stinging spices and oils over my skin. He looked at the crowd.

"Who's hungry? Let's have a feast tonight!"

Rough hands began to touch me. I closed my eyes in despair.

The drugs were making my mind foggy, but the agony in my stomach was getting sharper.

"My baby... please..."

I felt a warm, thick flow of blood running down my legs.