BERLIN, GERMANY - 8 MONTHS LATER**
Mornica pressed her back against the cold brick wall of the alley, one hand covering her mouth, the other protecting her swollen belly. Her water had broken twenty minutes ago. The contractions were getting stronger.
"Find her!" Diver Germany's voice echoed from the main street. "She can't have gone far. Not in her condition."
Footsteps pounded past the alley entrance. Mornica held her breath until they faded.
Eight months in hell. Eight months of being locked in rooms with other girls, forced to work in Diver's clubs, beaten when she refused his clients. The only thing that kept her sane was the baby growing inside her. Nevermore's baby.
Another contraction hit. She bit her lip to stop from crying out.
The pregnancy had saved her from the worst of Diver's business. He kept pregnant women in separate quarters, treated them better because they were worth more money. But now that the baby was coming, she knew what would happen next. Diver would sell the child and put her back to work.
She had stolen Diver's car keys during the chaos of a police raid on another building. Three other girls had escaped in the confusion, but only Mornica had made it to the car.
Her phone buzzed. The prepaid phone she had hidden for months, charging it in secret, waiting for the right moment.
A text from her friend Lisa back in Charleston: "Police still looking for you. Nevermore told them you left him. No one believes human trafficking story."
Mornica deleted the message. Of course Nevermore had covered his tracks. He probably told everyone she had run away because she was pregnant and scared.
The pain hit again, stronger this time. She couldn't give birth in an alley. She needed help.
St. Mary's Hospital was six blocks away. She had memorized the route weeks ago, planning for this moment. If she could get there, claim she was a tourist who spoke no German, they would help her. They had to.
Mornica pushed herself off the wall and started walking. Every step sent pain through her body, but she kept moving.
"There!" A man's voice shouted behind her. "The pregnant one!"
Mornica ran. The baby pressed down, making every step agony, but she ran anyway. Behind her, heavy boots slapped against wet pavement.
She turned the corner and saw the hospital's red cross sign. Almost there.
"Stop running, you stupid girl!" The voice was closer now.
Mornica stumbled through the hospital's automatic doors. The bright lights made her blink. A nurse looked up from behind the reception desk.
"Help me," Mornica gasped in English. "Baby coming. Please."
The nurse took one look at her and shouted something in German. Two orderlies appeared with a wheelchair.
As they lifted her into it, Mornica saw Diver's man standing outside the glass doors. He was talking on his phone, but he wasn't coming inside. Too many witnesses.
"American?" the nurse asked.
"Tourist," Mornica lied. "Lost. Need help."
Three hours later, Mornica held her twins. Two babies instead of one. A girl with dark hair and a boy with Nevermore's green eyes.
"Names?" the nurse asked, filling out paperwork.
"Wednesday," Mornica said, looking at her daughter. "And Wednesmore."
The nurse wrote the names down. "Father's name?"
Mornica stared at her son's face. He looked exactly like Nevermore, even as a newborn.
"Unknown," she said.
After the nurse left, Mornica used her hidden phone to access the bank account she had set up months ago. Every time she had escaped from Diver's men for a few hours, she had sold jewelry, clothes, anything of value. The account had eight thousand euros. Enough for new identities.
Her contact in Berlin's underground would help her. For the right price, Maria Santos could make people disappear completely.
The next morning, Maria arrived at the hospital carrying a bag of documents and baby supplies.
"New identities cost extra with children," Maria said in accented English. "Fifteen thousand euros total."
"I only have eight thousand."
"Then you work for me. My law firm needs someone who speaks perfect English and understands American business. You help me with international clients, I help you disappear."
Mornica looked at the sleeping twins. She needed to disappear, but she also needed to survive. And someday, she needed to be powerful enough to return to Charleston and destroy Nevermore Addams.
"What kind of law firm?"
"The kind that helps people like you. Women who need new lives. Men who need old debts forgotten. Very profitable business."
Maria pulled out a laptop and showed Mornica financial records. The firm made millions representing clients who paid in cash and asked no questions.
"I speak four languages," Maria continued. "But American English opens different doors. Rich American clients pay the most."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you leave here with two babies, no money, and Diver's men waiting outside." Maria shrugged. "Your choice."
Mornica signed the contract. She would work for Maria's firm for five years, learning international law while Maria provided housing, childcare, and protection.
"One more thing," Mornica said as Maria prepared to leave. "I want to study American law. Corporate law. Business litigation."
"Why?"
"Because in five years, I'm going home. And when I do, I'm going to destroy the man who sold me."
Maria smiled. "I like you already. We start Monday."
As the twins slept, Mornica opened her laptop and searched for news from Charleston. Nevermore Addams had married Charlotte Don six months ago. His business empire had grown by thirty percent. He looked happy in every photo.
"Enjoy it while you can," Mornica whispered to the screen. "I'm coming back. And when I do, you'll lose everything you love, just like I did."
Outside the hospital window, snow began to fall on Berlin. But inside the room, Mornica's heart burned with the fire of revenge.