Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Don’t play the martyr. Bringing a child like that into the world is just selfish.” As I stepped forward to reclaim my daughter’s dignity, Vanessa moved with calculated malice. A sudden, vio;l;ent force s;tr;uck me, sending a white-hot flash of agony through my entire system.

The world exploded. I collapsed, gasping for air on the cold hardwood floor. Through the haze of pain, I saw my mother looking down with mild annoyance. “She’s always been so dramatic,” Diane remarked.

Then, I felt a terrifying, warm rush. Vanessa leaned down, whispering a cold hiss that only I could hear: “You should’ve gotten rid of it when you had the chance, Rachel. Now, I’ve done the hard work for you.”

As darkness rose to swallow me, I desperately clutched my stomach, trying to hold onto the tiny, fragile heartbeat that was fading away…