Her eyes slid away from mine.
"What… what video? I don't know anything. Stop slandering me!"
Thaddeus came to her defense.
"Lisa doesn't even have your number. How would she send you anything?"
"Then what about my car?" I looked at him and said it word by word, like a sentence handed down by death itself. "That night, it was you who drove my car away, so I couldn't get to the hospital in time. It was you, and your mistress, who killed my child. Your own child."
Thaddeus changed the subject outright.
"I came here today to talk about the cancelled deals at my company."
I laughed. "Fine. You and Lisa kneel down and apologize, and I'll help you."
His fist clenched, then loosened. In the end, for the sake of the Matthews family, he dragged a reluctant Lisa down to her knees beside him.
She clearly wasn't willing to swallow it. The second the apology was out, she scrambled toward me, both hands locking around my ankles, and yanked hard.
I crashed to the ground and sucked in a sharp breath at the pain.
She kept her grip on my leg, and the two of us were tangled together, grappling.
Thaddeus tried to pull us apart, but some strength I didn't know I had took over, and I held onto Lisa and refused to let go.
In the chaos, my foot drove into her hip. She went flying back, shrieking as she rolled down the steps.
Thaddeus's face changed in an instant and he lunged after her, then froze at the muffled gasp that broke out of me.
By then I was curled into a tight ball on the ground, face drained white, fine cold sweat beading on my forehead, and blood already on the stone beneath me.
From the bottom of the steps came Lisa's weak voice.
"Thaddeus, save me… save the baby…"
The parking lot was far from here. Thaddeus could only save one of us.
He stood there rigid, his throat bobbing hard. His gaze moved between me and Lisa, as if he were making some enormous decision.
But the longer he hesitated, the more certain it was that my child would die.
I forced my head up. My eyes wouldn't quite focus, but my voice, thin as it was, came out steady.
"Get out… take your woman… and get out…"
Thaddeus drew a deep breath.
"She's pregnant. I'll save her first. I'll call you an ambulance."
With that he tore down the steps, hauled Lisa onto his back, and was gone.
His choice didn't surprise me in the least. Still, my heart gave one ache. Just one.
I struggled to dig out my phone and made the call.
"Hurry… come quickly."
I'd known there might be a confrontation with them. Before Thaddeus ever arrived, I'd already called my divorce lawyer and asked her to send someone over.
Thank god they got me to the hospital in time. My child was saved.
I brushed my fingertips lightly across my belly and gave a soft smile.
"Baby, you did so well."
