It felt like the candy a cashier gives you as change at the supermarket—something you don't want but have to take. You accept it, step outside, and toss it away.
When I climbed into the front passenger seat, William shot me a look and arched his brow. "Sit in the back. Lilah gets carsick."
I hesitated. "But it's not convenient for me either."
"Enough," he warned, his patience thinned. "Don't make me drag you out of the car."
I didn't argue. By the time I slid into the back seat, Lilah had already claimed her spot up front.
She looked at the cartoon sticker on the dashboard and let out a laugh.
"I stuck this here last time! Why haven't you taken it off?"
From the rearview mirror, William looked at me, but I averted my gaze.
"I forgot," he muttered.
Forgot? Or couldn't bear to?
I remembered the first time I saw that sticker—it was during a prenatal checkup, that one time he accompanied me. He had always hated these "girly" stuff, yet when I tried to peel it off, he stopped me.
"My friend's kid put it there," he reasoned. "The kid would check next time. If you take it off, we won't be friends anymore."
Only it wasn't a kid but an adult.
Lilah turned and threw me a smug look, satisfied with my silence.
The ride was long, and Lilah filled the quiet with comments mocking how I looked.
"Girl, you look so... bundled up today. Isn't it uncomfortable? It's like you've gained a hundred pounds in that outfit."
I bit back, unable to help myself. "I'm carrying William's child, so of course I have to dress warmly. How about you? Aren't you uncomfortable wearing a crop top in winter? Do you not worry about your uterus?"
Her face darkened. The smugness disappeared. She turned back around and stayed silent.
I didn't realize where we were going until we pulled up at an amusement park.
We wandered through the park until we reached the Ferris wheel. Lilah turned to me, pretending to be concerned.
"Emberly, you're pregnant, so roller coasters are out. Let's ride the Ferris wheel together instead!"
My gaze lifted to the towering wheel, its metal structure disappearing into the clouds. My ears buzzed, and sweat immediately pricked at my forehead.
I couldn't ride it because of fear of heights, so I refused right away.
Lilah's expression? It fell into practiced disappointment. "Aww, girl, are you still mad at me?"
Instinctively, I reached for William's hand. He flinched, surprised to find my palm damp with sweat.
"I… I really can't," I murmured. "I'm afraid of heights."
For a moment, William hesitated until he suggested, "How about Lilah and I go up? You can rest here."
Lilah tilted her head, feigning concern. "Fear can be conquered, right? William, you don't want to ruin the day, do you?"
Her words were like a hook that reeled him in. He nodded, resolved.
And before I could protest, I was ushered into the Ferris wheel cabin with them.
The Ferris wheel jolted to life, and the sensation of being suspended in midair set my nerves on fire.
I gripped the seat so hard my fingers ached, my shallow breaths the only sound in the small cabin.
Across from me, Lilah sat comfortably next to William, and a wicked smile played on her lips.
Suddenly, she held something out. "You know," she began, "they say focusing on something else helps with the fear. Here, look at this."
Her hand opened. A flash of bluish-green caught my eye.
My hand flew to my collarbone. Empty. It was my emerald pendant!
It had been my mom's most cherished possession!
The year she had me, she'd gone to a stone market and chosen the least impressive stone out of sheer instinct. No one expected it to hold anything valuable, but when it was cut, the finest emerald emerged.
That pendant had protected Mom twice. Before she passed, she'd pressed it into my hand.
"Emmy," she whispered, "this will protect you when I no longer can."
Now, I stared at it, my fear momentarily forgotten, replaced by raw desperation.
"That's mine! Give it back!" I choked out.
Lilah's smile turned sharp as she dangled the pendant out the cabin's small window.
"Afraid of heights? Funny, you don't seem so scared now."
Her words blurred around me. My vision tunneled, narrowing to that emerald pendant swaying over the empty expanse below.
