"You're such a bitch!"
The slap came out of nowhere. My head snapped to the side, my cheek stinging from the impact. I blinked rapidly, trying to process what just happened. Gerard—my fiancé, the man I was supposed to marry—had just hit me.
My breath caught in my throat as I lifted a shaking hand to my face. My lips parted, but no words came out. I couldn't understand. Why? What did I do wrong?
And then, Gerard threw something onto the coffee table in front of me. A photograph.
I reached for it with trembling fingers, my heart hammering in my chest. As soon as my eyes landed on the image, my stomach twisted into knots. It was a picture of me at a club, dancing with another man. My body was close to his, my arm loosely draped around his shoulders. My face was flushed, eyes half-lidded, obviously intoxicated.
I gasped softly. I remembered that night. I was with my best friend, Dianna. We had gone out for drinks, and she had introduced me to a few of her friends. I barely even remembered dancing.
"Gerard, this isn't what you think—"
"Don't lie to me!" he barked, his hands curling into fists. His face was twisted in rage, eyes burning with betrayal. "You think you can cheat on me and get away with it?"
"I'm not cheating on you!" I pleaded, taking a shaky step toward him. "I was drunk! I don't even know who that guy is! Please, you have to believe me!"
His expression darkened. "You're lying."
I shook my head desperately. "I'm not! Gerard, we're getting married! Why would I do something like that?"
His jaw tightened. "Maybe because you're mad at me. Maybe you wanted revenge because I refused to make our relationship public."
I opened my mouth to argue, but his words made me hesitate. A part of me was upset about that. Our wedding was supposed to be a surprise event, and while Gerard assured me that people would be happy for us, I hated the secrecy. But would I ever betray him? No. Never.
Before I could say anything else, Gerard grabbed my wrist and dragged me across the room.
"Gerard, what are you doing?!" I screamed, struggling against his grip.
He didn't answer. He pulled me through the hallway, his grip bruising my skin, and yanked open a door. My eyes widened in horror as I realized where he was taking me.
The basement.
"Gerard, no! Please!" I begged, trying to twist free.
But he was too strong. He shoved me inside, and before I could react, the heavy door slammed shut behind me.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
I pounded against the door, my breaths coming out in frantic gasps. "Gerard, let me out! Please!"
There was no response. Only the sound of his footsteps fading away.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I slid down against the cold concrete wall. What was happening? How did things escalate so quickly? Just last week, we were talking about honeymoon destinations. Now, I was locked in a basement, treated like a criminal.
I hugged my knees to my chest, my entire body trembling. I had never seen this side of him before.
How could someone change so suddenly?
Hours passed. Maybe even a whole day. I lost track of time. I was exhausted, starving, and emotionally drained. But then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I sucked in a sharp breath. My phone.
With shaky hands, I pulled it out and saw a message from my doctor.
We need to talk about your test results. Please come in as soon as possible.
My heart skipped a beat. I had gone to the hospital a few days ago because I wasn’t feeling well. I thought it was just stress.
Clutching my phone, I swallowed hard. I needed to get out of here.
The next time Gerard brought me food, I was ready. The moment he unlocked the door, I shoved past him with all my strength and ran.
I didn’t look back.
I ran until my legs ached, until my lungs burned, until I reached a taxi stand. I jumped into the first cab I saw and gave the driver the hospital’s address.
By the time I reached the clinic, I was out of breath, my heart pounding in my ears. I burst into my doctor’s office, barely able to form words.
Dr. Farah. My OB-GYN.
She gave me a warm smile. “Sarah, I was just about to call you again.”
I nodded quickly. “What… what’s wrong with me?”
She reached for a folder, opened it, and handed me a piece of paper. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Sarah. You’re pregnant.”
Pregnant.
The word echoed in my head, but it didn’t seem real.
My lips parted, but no sound came out.
Pregnant? Me?
Dang! I remembered that a steamy night happened to me and Gerard in the past few days.
The doctor smiled. “Congratulations.”
I forced myself to nod, to smile, to act like I was happy. But deep inside, my stomach churned. How could I bring a child into this world when my fiancé just locked me in a basement?
I made up my mind. I wouldn’t tell Gerard. For months, everything I knew about him changed.
He was cold to me. Always hurts me. And I don't know... I don't know the reason.
For months, I kept it a secret. I wore loose clothing, avoided his touch, and pretended everything was fine. But my best friend, Stephanie, noticed once.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” she whispered one day, her eyes wide with shock.
I froze, my hand instinctively covering my stomach.
She grabbed my hands. “Sarah, you have to leave him.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “I know.”
“I’ll help you.”
I exhaled shakily, nodding.
But then, something hit me. Stephanie… she was the one who sent Gerard the picture of me at the club.
I narrowed my eyes. “Why did you do it?”
She stiffened. “What?”
“You sent him that picture.”
She hesitated. “He asked me to. Sarah, I was scared! He threatened to ruin my career if I didn’t tell him where you were. That's why I wanna help you now. Please let me."
I nodded.
Before we could argue, she grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s go before he finds out.”
I hesitated. Something felt off.
Still, I followed her. She promised to drive me to the airport so I could leave the country.
But as we drove, I noticed the way she avoided my questions. She wasn’t making sense, contradicting herself every time I asked about Gerard.
Then, suddenly, she reached for the air conditioning controls. A strange scent filled the car.
My instincts screamed at me.
I moved to roll down the window, but before I could, Stephanie leaned over—
And I felt a sharp prick in my arm.
My breath hitched.
The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was the road ahead blurring as the car swerved wildly.
And then, everything went black.
