CHAPTER 13
LILY
The world was a whirl of movement and voices I couldn’t separate—shouts, footsteps, the rushing sound of blood in my ears. My body felt like it was splitting open from the inside, a deep, raw pressure pushing downward again and again with no mercy, no pause, no space to breathe.
Emma’s arm was wrapped firmly around my shoulders as two store employees helped lift me to my feet. My legs wobbled beneath me like loose hinges, and another contraction slammed into me with such brutal force that my knees buckled instantly.
“I’ve got you, I’ve got you,” Emma gasped, tightening her grip as I bent forward, a strangled cry ripping out of me. “Just hold on, Lily. We’re almost outside.”
Almost.
Almost felt like a lie.
Pain didn’t give me seconds anymore. It gave me none. One con
