"Don't worry, the baby's healthy. When they were hitting me that day, I made sure to protect my stomach, because I remembered you said you couldn't wait for us to have a child of our own. I wanted to make you happy."
"I don't like other people interrupting our time together as a family of three. So don't pick up, okay?"
Sometimes, a man's guilt is the most useful weapon there is.
Sure enough, Darren's eyes went red. Without a second of hesitation, he powered off his phone and pulled me into his arms.
"Jules, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
"Kitty went way too far this time. I swear on my life, this is the last time. I will never let her hurt you again."
From an angle he couldn't see, my face was completely blank.
I already knew what happened when you believed promises and guarantees like those.
After Kitty couldn't reach Darren and I blocked her number, she finally lost her composure.
The next day, the large screen in the hospital lobby and the television in every patient room all began playing the same video.
It was footage of me pinned to the ground, my clothes being torn off.
Those thugs and their disgusting laughter.
A line of text scrolled across the top on repeat: