Chapter 3: She’s Pregnant
810 Words
Alyssa, the eldest of the women, had been noticing Emily's stomach getting rounder for a while now. Suspicion crept into her voice. “You guys notice anything strange? She’s so thin, but her stomach… it’s bulging.”
“I know, right?” The other three women stopped kicking Emily and gathered around, frowning as they looked her over.
“Something’s definitely off,” one of them muttered.
“You don’t think we hit her too hard, do you?”
“What do we do if she’s seriously hurt? Mr. Carter doesn’t allow any medical treatment for her, and we’ve been sneaking in medicine just to patch up her external wounds. If she’s sick, and she dies, where are we gonna make money?”
“Shhh.” Alyssa’s face grew more serious as she lifted Emily’s shirt and pressed down on her abdomen. “Do you think… she’s pregnant?”
“Hey, you mute!” Alyssa slapped Emily awake, forcing her out of unconsciousness. “Did you sleep with someone before you came in here?”
Emily’s eyes widened, staring blankly at her.
“Damn it, she’s acting like she’s lost her mind.” Alyssa patted Emily’s stomach, her tone sharp. “I’m asking you—are you pregnant?”
Emily shook her head, dazed.
“Should we tell someone?” one of the women suggested, glancing at the others. “We should get her checked out. She hasn’t said a single word since she came in.”
“Yeah.” Alyssa nodded, and one of the women left to call for help.
The results came back quickly. Emily was indeed pregnant. But the news didn’t stop the women in the cell from hurting her. They simply avoided hitting her stomach from then on.
Emily, meanwhile, continued on like nothing had changed. She did laundry with a blank expression, went to rehabilitation programs mechanically, and when she came back to the cell, she guarded her stomach during the beatings. Then she slept.
Some said she had gone mad. Others whispered that she was in a trance, completely disconnected from reality.
Oddly enough, her belly grew steadily, undisturbed. And gradually, the beatings became less frequent. Every now and then, someone would even come over to touch her belly, like she was some sort of curiosity.
Five months passed in the blink of an eye.
But Emily was so small and thin that when she wore clothes, her pregnancy wasn’t that noticeable.
“Emily Lane, you’re being released.” A guard came to escort her, his attitude drastically different from before.
Released?
Where to?
“Someone’s here to see you.”
For the first time, a flicker of light appeared in her dull eyes.
Someone’s here to visit!
Could it be… Ethan Carter?
Hope surged within her as she eagerly followed the guard, her steps quicker than they’d ever been in prison.
But when she arrived, it wasn’t Ethan.
Waiting for her was a group of doctors.
They led her to the infirmary, the place where she had been injured countless times but never allowed treatment.
“Miss Lane.” The lead doctor pulled a curtain closed and gestured for her to lie down on the examination table. “We need to conduct a full-body examination. Please cooperate.”
Was it possible Ethan had found out she was pregnant?
Maybe he had sent these doctors to check on her and the baby.
If that was the case, then he must care about the child after all!
Emily’s heart lifted at the thought. She nodded obediently and lay down carefully on the bed, hope stirring within her.
*Click. Click.*
Suddenly, her wrists and ankles felt the cold touch of metal. The handcuffs and shackles locked her tightly to the bed.
This… this didn’t feel like a normal examination.
Her eyes filled with panic as she glanced up at the doctor.
“Don’t worry, Miss Lane,” the doctor said soothingly. “This is standard procedure. The checkup will be over quickly.”
Emily gave a small, embarrassed smile.
Of course. This was Ethan’s child. He must be protective of the baby. She shouldn’t be overthinking this. All she had to do was cooperate.
Slowly, she relaxed her body, nerves unwinding as she stretched out on the bed.
"Emily."
A familiar voice cut through the air, making her stiffen instantly. She turned toward the silhouette outside the curtain, her eyes wide with disbelief.
As the curtain was pulled back, a woman stepped inside. She was dressed head to toe in a Chanel suit, her posture always elevated as if she looked down on the world around her with contempt.
That superiority oozed from her every glance, every gesture. She held no regard for anyone.
Except for herself.
A cold smile curled at her lips as she looked at Emily. “Do you remember me?”
- Writer
