My mother-in-law dragged me to court, claiming I was pretending to be pregnant so I could steal my late husband’s inheritance. Then, in the middle of the courtroom, she ᴋ!ᴄᴋᴇᴅ my stomach to “prove” I was lying. What she didn’t realize was that the judge watching everything… was my father.

Finally Charlotte snapped.

“This is ridiculous!” she shouted, standing abruptly. “Why are we wasting time on this woman?”

“Sit down,” the judge warned.

But she ignored him.

“My son is dead!” she screamed. “And she thinks she can steal our family fortune with this disgusting trick!”

Then she stepped out from behind the table.

“I’ll prove she’s lying!” she shouted.

The bailiff started moving, but he was too far away.

Charlotte rushed toward me.

I froze in my chair.

I couldn’t run.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach.

“Don’t touch my baby!” I cried.

She reached the table — but couldn’t grab my shirt.

So she did something worse.

She lifted her leg.

Her high-heeled shoe aimed straight at my stomach.

Chapter 4: The Kick

Everything slowed.

The black heel flashed under the courtroom lights.

Charlotte’s face twisted with rage.

Then she kicked.

The impact was brutal.

A sharp explosion of pain tore through my abdomen.

I screamed and collapsed onto the floor.

Charlotte laughed.

“See? She’s pretending! It’s just foam!”

But her laughter stopped instantly.

Blood began spreading across the wooden floor beneath me.

Bright red.

Real.

Horrifying.

Then a roar shook the courtroom.

“NO!”

It came from the judge’s bench.