Chapter 2

Maeve's POV

"Zachary was throwing me this amazing party. Then you started blowing up his phone. 'Mom dying, need money, please help.' Over and over. You completely ruined the vibe." Helena's eyes were shining.

"He said you were always like that, always asking for money and needing something. So annoying. So he just turned his phone off."

My hands started shaking.

"You're lying."

"Am I?" Helena tilted her head. "He also said your mom was old anyway. She'd die sooner or later. Spending fifty thousand dollars would be a waste." She paused. "Guess he was right, huh?"

I slapped her.

Helena stumbled back with her hand on her cheek, staring at me like she couldn't believe it.

Then she started screaming.

"Help! Someone help! She's attacking me!" Helena grabbed her stomach. "I'm pregnant! She's hitting a pregnant woman!"

People were turning to stare. A nurse started walking toward us.

"You killed my mother!" I was shaking so hard I could barely get the words out. "You and Zachary killed her!"

"Zachary!" Helena screamed toward the building. "Zachary, help!"

I heard footsteps pounding down the hallway. Zachary burst through the doors with papers in his hand. He saw Helena holding her face and me standing there.

He didn't ask what happened. He just came at me.

His hand came up fast and the slap sent me stumbling sideways into the wall. My shoulder hit brick and pain shot through my arm.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

I touched my burning cheek and stared at him. He actually hit me.

"She's pregnant, Maeve! Are you insane?!"

"She said Mom died because you were at her birthday party! You said saving Mom was a waste of money!"

"I don't care what she said!" Zachary pulled Helena against him. "You don't hit a pregnant woman! What kind of person are you?!"

Helena buried her face in his chest and started sobbing.

I couldn't breathe. This had to be some kind of nightmare.

"Look, Maeve." Zachary's voice got softer, like he was talking to a kid. "I get it. You're upset. Seeing me with Helena must hurt."

"Hurt?" I couldn't believe I was hearing this.

"You still love me. That's why you're so emotional." He stroked Helena's hair. "But you need to control yourself."

"You think I still love you?"

"Of course you do." He actually smiled. "That's why I had a plan. Helena doesn't want marriage, but we could get married. You and me. When the baby comes, you could help raise it. Isn't that what you wanted? To be part of my life?"

The world felt like it was spinning.

"You want me to raise her baby."

"See? I'm choosing you. Giving you a chance." His smile disappeared. "But if you keep acting crazy like this, I don't know, Maeve. Maybe I was wrong about you."

Helena smirked at me over his shoulder.

Something inside me just went cold and clear.

"Don't bother, Zachary. I'm already married."

He froze. Then he laughed. "Right. Sure you are."

"Believe what you want."

"You're really going to play this game?" His jaw got tight. "Fine. You want me to believe you moved on? Then prove it. Show me a ring."

I didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought." He grabbed Helena's hand. "Last chance, Maeve. Apologize to Helena right now, and I'll forgive this whole thing. We can start over."

"We're done, Zachary. We were done the night you let my mother die."

"Your choice." But something changed in his eyes, like he wasn't totally sure anymore. "Don't come crying to me when you realize what you threw away."

Helena pressed against him. "Zachary, my face really hurts. Can we go?"

"Of course, baby." He kissed her forehead. "Don't let her upset you. Bad for the baby."

They walked away and I just stood there with my cheek throbbing, watching them disappear into the parking lot.

Good. I never wanted to see them again.

"Maeve!"

Raymond's voice cut through the fog in my head. He was running toward me and his face was white.

Then he saw my cheek and everything in his expression went cold.

"Who did this to you?"

"It's nothing. Just some crazy people."

"Crazy people." His voice was flat. "Crazy people hit you hard enough to leave a handprint on your face."

"Raymond, please. I just want to do the checkup and go home."

He looked at me for a long moment and then nodded slowly and put his arm around me.

"Okay. Checkup first. Then you're going to tell me everything."

The ultrasound screen showed a tiny flicker.

"There's the heartbeat." The doctor smiled. "About six weeks along. Everything looks perfect."

Raymond's hand squeezed mine. When I looked at him, his eyes were wet.

"We're having a baby," he whispered.

"Yeah." I smiled even though I was crying too. "We are."

Walking out of the hospital, I made a decision. Zachary and Helena were in the past. This baby, Raymond, our future, that was all that mattered now.

I wasn't going to let them ruin my happiness anymore.

Three days went by quietly.

Raymond was extra gentle with me, bringing me tea and asking if I needed anything. He knew something bad had happened at the hospital, but he didn't push me to talk about it.

I loved him for that.

"I'm going to the baby store," I told him after breakfast. "Want to come?"

"I have a meeting in an hour." He looked like he was trying to decide something. "But I can cancel—"

"Don't be silly. I'm just browsing." I kissed his cheek. "I'll be fine."

He caught my hand. "Take the emergency button. In your purse. If anything happens, anything at all, you press it. I'll be there in minutes."

"You're being paranoid."

"Humor me."

I checked my purse. The small black button was there, clipped to the inside pocket.

"Happy?"

"Very." He pulled me close. "I love you. Both of you."

"Love you too."

The baby store was on the other side of downtown. I could take the main streets or cut through the alley by the old post office and save ten minutes.

I turned into the narrow passage between buildings.

Halfway through, I heard footsteps behind me.

I walked faster and the footsteps matched my pace.

My heart started pounding. I reached into my purse and searched for the button.

"Hey, lady."

I spun around and saw four men blocking the alley behind me. They were young and rough-looking with hard eyes.

"We need to talk to you about something."

I pressed the emergency button.

"I think you have the wrong person."

The tallest one smiled. "Nah. We got the right one. Someone paid us to teach you a lesson."

They started walking toward me and I backed away with my hand still in my purse, gripping the button.

Raymond. Please hurry.

"Look, I don't know what this is about—"

"Sure you don't." The tall one cracked his knuckles. "But you're gonna learn real quick."

They closed in around me and I had nowhere to run.