Chapter 3

Pain crashed over me in waves, each contraction feeling like my body was being torn apart. Amniotic fluid mixed with blood soaked the carpet beneath me, the firelight casting an eerie orange glow on the wet surface.

"Cooper!" I screamed, grabbing his pant leg, my nails digging into the fabric. "Call... call an ambulance! The baby's coming!"

His face went deathly pale, backing away like he'd seen a ghost. I could see the fear in his eyes, but it wasn't concern for my pain—it was something deeper, more selfish.

"Cooper, we need to do something." Iris's voice was unnaturally calm as she crouched beside me, but made no move to help. Her gaze shifted between Cooper and me, calculating something.

Another wave of agony hit, and I couldn't help but arch my back. "Please! Call an ambulance!"

Cooper's voice trembled as he spoke to Iris: "If... if the baby doesn't make it, we'd be murderers."

Iris's response made my blood freeze: "Then let it die. Dead babies tell no tales."

"Are you fucking insane?" I screamed, my voice hoarse with pain and rage. "This is a human life! This is my child!"

Cooper paced frantically, hands clutching his head: "I can't... if the baby dies... we could go to prison."

"So you're just going to watch me and my child die?" I stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't understand shit!" he suddenly exploded, his face twisting beyond recognition. "When you were in my bed, you were thinking about another man! You're carrying someone else's bastard and expect me to take responsibility?"

The pain hit again, more intense this time. "No matter whose child this is, it's innocent! You can't..."

Before I could finish, urgent knocking came from outside, mixed with the roar of the storm.

"Hazel!" It was Mrs. Henderson's voice from next door. "Hazel! I heard screaming! Are you okay?"

Iris and Cooper exchanged glances, Iris quickly moving toward the door. "Pretend nothing happened," she whispered. "We'll say she slipped, but everything's under control."

"No!" I screamed with all my strength, "Mrs. Henderson! Help me!"

The knocking became more urgent: "Hazel! Open this door right now! I'm calling the police if you don't answer me in ten seconds!"

Cooper and Iris froze. The threat of police involvement sent panic across their faces.

"Shit," Cooper muttered. "We have to open it."

Mrs. Henderson's voice came through the door, firm and authoritative: "I mean it, Hazel! I'm dialing 911 right now!"

Iris shot Cooper a desperate look, then reluctantly turned the lock. The moment she cracked the door open, Mrs. Henderson pushed past her with surprising force for her age.

"What the hell—" Iris started, but stopped when Mrs. Henderson saw me on the carpet surrounded by blood.

"Dear God!" her voice shook, "What have you done to her?"

She immediately pulled out her phone and dialed 911. "I need an ambulance! Right now! A pregnant woman is bleeding, looks like premature labor! The address is 42 Maple Street!"

Cooper tried to grab her phone, but Mrs. Henderson raised her other hand to stop him: "You stay the hell away from her!"

Then she knelt beside me, placing a warm hand on my forehead: "Breathe deep, honey. The ambulance is on its way. I used to be a nurse, I know what to do."

Her presence was like a beam of light in the darkness. I gripped her hand tightly: "Mrs. Henderson... the baby... the baby..."

"I know, sweetheart. We'll get through this together, okay?" Her voice was steady and strong.

Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer. At the same time, I heard another car engine pulling into the driveway—familiar and urgent.

The door opened again, and Owen stepped in, shaking rain from his jacket. His business trip had been cut short when the storm grounded all flights, forcing him to drive back through the night. The timing couldn't have been more perfect—or more terrible.

"I saw the ambulance lights from down the street—" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw me on the floor, his face going white with shock. "Jesus Christ, Hazel!"

He rushed to my side, dropping to his knees. "What happened? Why didn't anyone call me?"

Cooper said defensively: "Owen, perfect timing. Take your woman and the bastard in her belly. You're not welcome here."

Fire blazed in Owen's eyes: "The baby is mine! You coward!"

"Prove it!" Cooper screamed hysterically. "DNA test! I want to see the results!"

Just then, paramedics burst in. Two uniformed medical personnel quickly assessed the situation, one kneeling beside me: "Ma'am, I need to check your condition. The baby is definitely coming."

Everything happened so fast. The paramedics spread blankets and set up basic delivery equipment. The pain reached its peak, and I felt the whole world spinning.

"Push!" the paramedic instructed. "Now!"

I grabbed Owen's hand and pushed with everything I had. The room filled with my agonized groans, the ambulance sirens, and everyone's tense breathing.

Then, suddenly, the pressure was gone.

A loud cry pierced the tension in the room.

"It's a boy!" the paramedic announced, "A healthy boy!"

I saw my child. Despite everything that had happened, despite this chaotic environment, the moment I saw him, my heart melted. He was small but his cry was loud, tiny fists waving as if declaring war on the world.

Owen's hands trembled as he took the blanket-wrapped baby. "Welcome to the world, my son." His voice choked with emotion.

The baby slowly quieted down and opened his tiny eyes. In that moment, everyone in the room held their breath.

Even I couldn't deny the obvious truth.

The child had Owen's distinctive deep blue eyes.

Cooper's face turned ashen as he slowly backed against the wall. Iris's expression froze as she looked at the baby, then at Owen, then at me.

"Fuck." Cooper said weakly. "He really is Owen's."

The paramedics began preparing to transfer us to the hospital. "Mother and baby are both healthy, but we need to get to the hospital immediately for further examination."

As the stretcher lifted me, I took one last look at Cooper and Iris. They stood in the center of the living room, surrounded by blood, amniotic fluid, and shattered lies. Cooper's face showed both relief and shame, while Iris... her gaze grew even colder.

'This won't end here,' I thought, gripping Owen's hand tightly. 'Iris won't give up.'

But for now, my child was safe. Owen was beside me, our son in his arms. Whatever storms awaited us ahead, at least for now, we were complete.

The ambulance doors closed, sirens wailing again as we drove toward the hospital.