"Maggie told me again and again—get rid of this baby, no matter what."
My heart plummeted.
The cramps came fast, wave after wave tearing through my lower belly, sweat rolling down my forehead in heavy drops.
I stumbled into the bathroom, my body giving out beneath me. I collapsed on the floor.
My head struck the toilet with a dull thud.
Ernest never came to check. From the living room, I could hear the sounds of him playing a game.
I couldn't even cry anymore.
That was when my phone buzzed.
A text: Aggie, your dad and I booked a banquet hall at Phoenix Terrace. Bring your boyfriend along.
I wiped my eyes and typed back: "Mom, I'll come alone. We broke up."
I'd been lost since I was five. Three days ago, I finally found my birth parents.
They'd spent twenty years searching. The moment we met, none of us could stop crying.
And that was when I learned what they were—people whose power could shake this entire city.
Today was supposed to be the day—Ernest proposes, I bring him home to meet my parents. Now… forget it.
The bathroom door slammed open.
Ernest rushed in, face tight with urgency. "Is it out yet?"
I didn't answer.
He started tearing at my clothes.