When Joy Turns to Elegy

When the doctor on the street corner told me I was four months pregnant, I could hardly believe it.

Arthur and I grew up together in the orphanage. He was two years older than me and always protected me.

Later, when the war broke out, he said, "Clara, I'll marry you when I come back."

The Arthur who came back had changed—that boy who used to lie in my arms while I sang to him, nursing his hurt, had become a gang boss that everyone feared.

"Miss, the baby is healthy, but you need to be careful. The gang members around here are completely ruthless." The old doctor's words echoed in my ears.

I smiled bitterly. Should I tell him that I was exactly the woman of the gang boss he was talking about?

I gently touched my belly, which already had a subtle curve.

Maybe... this child could bring back the real Arthur.

I couldn't contain my excitement and decided to tell Arthur the news in person.

On the way back, the streets were full of bullet holes, with bodies from last night's shootout lying in the corners.

I rushed to the brewery controlled by the Cross gang with my medical kit.

Just as I was about to push open the door to the backyard office, a scantily dressed woman blocked my way.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Her tone was cold as she looked me up and down suspiciously.

I held up my medical kit and said, "I'm here to dress Arthur's wounds."

I didn't want to reveal our relationship in front of gang members.

She narrowed her eyes and said dismissively, "Oh, another woman trying to get close to Arthur. I'm Mabel, the bookkeeper here. Just give me the stuff. Arthur is handling important business."

I shook my head. "I'm not here to get close to anyone. I need to check his injuries myself."

The moment I finished speaking, the woman's expression changed. She snatched my medical kit away.

"Who do you think you are? You think someone like you deserves to see Arthur? Today I'm going to teach you about rules."

With that, she quickly dragged me into a small room, shut the door, and slapped me hard across the face.

My cheek immediately stung with burning pain, and I fell to the ground.

Before I could get up, she kicked toward my abdomen.

My child!

Without thinking, I doubled over and clutched my stomach tight.

"Let me see what precious things you brought for Arthur!"

Mabel opened the medical kit and poured the fizzing hydrogen peroxide directly on my face.

The disinfectant burned my skin, flowing from my cheeks to the floor.

My eyes hurt terribly from the irritation.

But I didn't dare move, afraid of putting pressure on the child in my belly.

"Oh! And bandages too, how ridiculous. As if Arthur would need some country bumpkin like you to take care of him!"

She roughly grabbed my chin and forced my mouth open.

"Since you want to play nurse so badly, why don't you treat your own brain first!"

A wad of gauze soaked in medicine was stuffed into my mouth.

My tongue felt as if it were being corroded, and the bitterness of the medicine made me gag.

Mabel clapped her hands and said with disgust, "Gross, almost got my hands dirty."

She looked down at me and sneered, "You really think playing the angel in white will get you close to Arthur? With your background, what makes you think you're worthy of treating his wounds?"

I tried to explain, but choked on the medicine in my mouth and started coughing violently.

Blood mixed with the medicine splattered out, leaving me unable to speak.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Mabel, what's going on in there? I heard some noise."