Chapter 4

Donovan barked a cold order, gesturing to his friends.

"Lock her in the bathroom. Clean up this mess."

Rough hands grabbed my arms, dragging me across the carpet and shoving me into the tiny bathroom while I screamed for help until my throat bled.

A nervous hostess tried to intervene, but Blake grabbed her by the hair and slapped her hard, silencing her instantly.

Giddy with victory, Chloe perched on Donovan's lap and mouthed the words "I won" through the frosted glass.

Outside, music blared and laughter roared. Inside, I was alone, bleeding, and wracked with violent contractions.

Sinking to the cold tile, I banged on the door until my knuckles split open, smearing blood against the wood.

Forcing myself to breathe, I clung to the lessons from my birthing classes, repeating a silent mantra:

Calm down.

The baby needs you.

The pain grew unbearable, as if my body were being torn apart, and the cramped air reeked of blood and iron.

With shaking fingers, I scrawled "SOS" in my own blood across the glass, leaving a bloody handprint for anyone outside to see.

A stranger screamed in panic, but Donovan only laughed, drunk and dismissive.

"It's just red wine. She's faking it."

Desperate to be found, I tore off my coat, smeared a plea in blood across the fabric, and climbed onto the toilet to toss it out the small window.

A sudden spike of pain made me stumble. I fell backward, my head slamming against the tile with a deafening bang.

Furious and annoyed, Donovan kicked the bathroom door.

"Stop ruining Christmas! I'll let you out when the party ends!"

To punish me further, he pressed Chloe against the door, their moans echoing loud and shameless through the wood.

Outside, fireworks exploded in bursts of gold and red as midnight rang in Christmas.

The world was celebrating love—and my baby was dying in my arms, while my husband fucked his secretary.