---
I instantly faked a smile, trying not to worry her.
But then it hit me like a wave—
*I'm in the hospital.*
Panic surged through me as I grabbed the nurse's hand. "Did you run any tests?"
She hesitated. "Yes… we ran standard tests after your collapse."
My stomach clenched. "Did anything… come up?"
She glanced down at the chart, then looked back at me. "You're four months along."
I inhaled sharply. "Under the Medical Privacy Act, I want that information kept strictly confidential. No one—not even the man who brought me in—is to know. Do you understand?"
She nodded slowly. "Understood."
I asked to speak to the doctor and repeated my request for secrecy. My mother stared at me, wide-eyed and shocked.
"I'll explain, Mum," I whispered. "I promise."
I leaned back, trying to let the IV drip finish, but peace didn't come. My mind raced, refusing to rest.
*How am I leverage to Josh?*
*Who is Josh, really?*
*What is he hiding from me?*
It felt like I didn't know him anymore. Maybe I never did.
Suddenly, I felt unsafe in my own city—the same streets I grew up on now felt foreign and threatening.
I thought of fleeing, escaping everything and everyone. But would that make me a coward? No. It would make me a mother.
A mother who had to protect her child no matter what.
Still, the questions flooded me—too many unknowns, too many cracks beneath my feet.
How did I get tangled in this web?
I still didn't have the answers.
But I knew one thing for sure:
I would find out.
And I'd do whatever it took to make sure my baby was safe.
Because no secret could stay hidden forever.
And no danger would stop me from fighting for the life growing inside me.
---
As I lay there, everything that had happened flooded my mind like a storm—
The murders.
The pregnancy.
The kidnapping.
The threats.
So much chaos in so little time.
And through it all, one name kept echoing in my thoughts: *Josh.*
Who was he, really?
What did he want from me?
Why did danger follow him like a shadow?
The door creaked open, pulling me out of my thoughts.
A nurse rolled in a wheelchair, followed by my mother, who helped me into it with gentle hands.
As we wheeled out of the room, I looked up—
And there he was.
Josh.
Standing in the hallway, scrolling through his phone, a tired scowl on his face.
His eyes lifted and met mine.
Something fluttered in my chest. A habit. A memory.
But then I remembered.
The secrets.
The fear.
The unknowns.
I quickly turned away, steadying myself.
My mother, unaware of the storm between us, beamed with joy. "Josh!" she called out warmly.
He walked over, smiling politely, and hugged her.
She didn't know we had broken up.
I hadn't told anyone. I couldn't.
Some things were easier left unsaid.
As we rolled past him, I forced a smile.
I knew I would eventually tell my mother everything.
Well… most of it.
Not the murders.
Not the killings.
But she deserved something close to the truth.
As we made our way out of the hospital, a new clarity settled over me.
I had let too much happen around me.
It was time to take control.
Time to get answers.
Time to stop being a pawn.
I would start by confronting Josh.
But not today.
First, I needed to get home.
To think.
To breathe.
To prepare.
Because whatever came next…
I wasn't backing down.