"Stop them!" the kidnapper shouted. "Those two bitches are trying to run! You're dead!"
Gunfire exploded behind us.
Vivian shrieked and clung to my arm. I was already struggling under the weight of my pregnancy and the adrenaline; my body felt like it could give out at any second.
Then, just as the exit came into view, she stumbled.
"Mom!" I reached for her—but a hard shove slammed into my back.
I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs.
"No!"
Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around my stomach.
The world spun violently, then stopped with a brutal impact—my abdomen smashed against a jagged concrete slab.
A searing pain tore through me.
I felt the baby inside me kick once, faintly, as if saying a final goodbye.
Warm blood soaked through my clothes, spreading fast. The memories of all those lost pregnancies crashed back like waves.
"No... baby... please... don't leave me again..."
I pressed my hands desperately to my stomach, trying to hold onto what I was already losing. But the blood wouldn't stop. My vision blurred, darkened.
I curled up on the cold ground, sobbing in agony.
"Wife! Are you okay?!"