His Other Family

Chapter 4

The next day, I zipped up my last suitcase just as Marcus walked in, dragging several suitcases behind him.

Lily followed close on his heels, with Elena trailing behind her, carrying two large bags of snacks. She glanced at me nervously.

"Chloe, I'm sorry for imposing on you like this."

I looked straight at Marcus.

"You said they were only staying here during the day, remember?"

"Our plumbing's broken. It's way too inconvenient with a kid around! We'll just stay here for a few days, that's all."

He tossed his keys onto the cabinet with a sharp clatter.

"Don't take it out on Elena. If you've got a problem, take it up with me."

Mia walked in right behind them, clutching a tiny pink quilt.

"Where's Lily going to sleep? That empty room would be perfect for her."

That was the nursery we'd set aside for our own future child.

"She can sleep in the guest room for now. Don't put any of her things in that other room."

Mia's expression darkened immediately.

"You're getting divorced anyway. Why do you care where we stay?"

Marcus hurried over and grabbed my arm.

"Mom's always been blunt. Don't take what she says to heart. I'll help you carry your boxes when the movers arrive."

Meanwhile, Lily had already darted into the living room. She spotted the tiny paper house beneath a glass dome on the TV stand and rose onto her tiptoes, her eyes sparkling.

"Daddy! Can I open this little house?"

"Don't touch that!"

I rushed toward her.

"The glass is sharp. You'll cut yourself!"

But I was too late.

The glass dome slipped off the edge of the stand. The paper house toppled onto the floor, landing squarely in a puddle of spilled water.

The tiny windows Marcus had spent three whole nights cutting out were soaked through, their delicate edges already beginning to curl.

I immediately crouched down, my first instinct being to keep Lily from coming any closer.

"Don't move! There's broken glass everywhere!"

Lily jumped in fright and jerked herself out of my grasp violently.

She stumbled forward, and her head slammed into my lower abdomen. At the same time, my hip crashed against the corner of the table. My vision went black, and I grabbed the cabinet to keep myself from collapsing.

"Mommy!"

Lily burst into tears.

Elena rushed over in a panic, scooped her up, and immediately pushed up her sleeves to check for injuries.

"What happened? Did you fall? Did someone push you?"

I doubled over, cold sweat beading across my forehead.

Mia hurried over, too, pulling Lily behind her protectively.

"It's just a stupid decoration! Why are you yelling at a child? Look how badly you've scared her!"

"I wasn't... yelling at her. There's just... broken glass everywhere. She'll get hurt if she steps on it."

Marcus noticed the ruined paper house, and his expression flickered for a moment.

"Chloe, it's just a paper house. It's no big deal if it's broken. I'll make you another one sometime. There's no need to take your anger out on a child."

Meanwhile, the pain in my lower abdomen intensified, as if someone were crushing it in a vise.

I clutched his sleeve in a desperate grip.

"Marcus, take me to the hospital. I'm preg..."

Before I could finish, Elena approached with Lily in her arms. The little girl was still trembling from crying.

"Marcus, maybe Lily and I should just leave. She's so frightened she's been saying she wants to go home."

Mia immediately chimed in, "Take the child home first. Don't scare her any more."

Marcus gave my hand a quick squeeze.

"Is your stomach acting up again? There's medicine in the first-aid kit. I'll be right back after I drop them off."

"It's not... my stomach."

The pain was so excruciating that I could barely speak, each word escaping between ragged breaths.

"Please... take me to the hospital first. Please?"

As I struggled to speak, Lily continued wailing at the top of her lungs, while Elena was already dragging her suitcase toward the door.

Marcus looked utterly overwhelmed, his brows drawn together in a deep, irritated frown.

"Chloe, go find something in the first-aid kit and take it first. I'll go check on the kid first."

He wrenched his hand from mine and hurried after Elena.

The door slammed shut.

I slowly slid down the side of the cabinet and crumpled to the floor. A moment later, a brutal, stabbing pain tore through my abdomen, and a warm, thick wetness began spreading beneath me.

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I managed to call an ambulance myself. Somehow, I dragged myself to the door and forced it open a c***k.

By the time the paramedics arrived, I'd already lost consciousness in the entryway.

Meanwhile, Marcus had just managed to calm Lily down and get her to sleep.

Elena walked him to the door, speaking in a soft, cautious voice.

"Chloe must be really upset, right? You should hurry back and check on her."

"She's just been in a bad mood lately. Focus on the kid for now. I'll go check on her in a bit."

He rubbed the tension from between his brows just as his phone rang.

"Hello, is this the husband of Ms. Carter? This is the emergency department at the hospital."