Chapter 8
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My scream brought the nurses running. I was lifted onto a bed and rushed down the hallway.
Tilting my head slightly, I caught glimpses into passing rooms: new mothers softly cooing to their babies, expectant
fathers carefully guiding their pregnant partners, families gathered around newborns, cooing and fussing.
The sight only deepened my despair.
Once, my child too would have been born amidst such joyful anticipation.
Even without a mother, he would have had a loving father and family.
But now… everything was gone.
The pain in my abdomen was nearly unbearable. I could feel blood endlessly flowing from my body.
My hands and feet were ice–cold, my body trembling.
“Quick, notify Mr. Brooks. This is his wife…”
“Did she fall? God, it looks like she was beaten. What kind of monster would attack a pregnant woman?”
“Hello, Mr. Brooks… What? He’s in a meeting? Mrs. T is in a critical condition, tell him to come immediately…”
When I came to, I was in the ICU, surrounded by the steady beeping of machines.
Every inch of my body ached.
I tried to raise my hand to touch my belly, but let it fall back down.
I closed my eyes, tears falling unbidden. I knew my baby was gone–violently taken from me.
I had failed to protect him. In his final moments, he had suffered a brutal beating. I had let him suffer with
I turned my head slightly, meeting Dave’s gaze through the glass.
He looked disheveled–hair messy, unshaven, eyes bloodshot.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see him.
David called for the doctor.
After an examination, I was moved to another room.
A while later, David came in carrying a thermos.
“Nono, have some porridge,” he said softly.
lignored him, lying still.
me after all.
I felt him sit on the edge of my bed. “I’m so sorry, Nono. I couldn’t stop you from losing so much blood. You don’t know how terrified I was when I heard about the hemorrhage. I was so afraid you’d… you’d never come back, just like your mother.”
His voice choked up. “I’m truly sorry I couldn’t protect you and the baby… I saw him, you know. He was almost fully formed.”
“If not for this… accident, in just four more months, he would have safely entered this world. He would have called me
“Dad“, asked me to play with him…”
“It’s all my fault. I never imagined that woman would be so brazen as to confront you… Don’t worry, I’ve reported it to the police and hired the best lawyers. For hurting you and killing our child, I’ll make sure she rots in prison!”
“Hah!” I laughed bitterly. “David Brooks, wasn’t it you who hurt me and killed our child?”
He froze.
I glared at him, hatred in my eyes. “David Brooks, remember this: You killed him with your own hands!”
“If you hadn’t cheated, if you hadn’t gotten involved with other women, how could this have happened?”
My voice broke with emotion. “Why pretend to care now? Where were you before?”
“Oh, right,” I sneered, “I suppose you don’t really care about this child. After all, it’s not your only one, is it?” “No, no, that’s not true,” David said urgently, “I do care.”
“I could live without other children, but I can’t lose our child…”
I yanked my hand away from his. “Stop. Just go. And don’t come back.”
“Now that the baby’s gone… we can get divorced.”
He shook his head. “I won’t divorce you. Nono, don’t leave me. We can have other children in the future. I promise, I’ll cut off all ties with anyone else. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again”
“Please, believe me one more time? Give me another chance!”
Chapter 8
“Alright, I’ll give you a chance,” I said calmly.
David looked at me hopefully.
“Bring our child back to life, and I’ll give you that chance.”
The light in his eyes died.
Here’s my translation of the given text, following the provided protocol:
One Night, Unexpected Pregnancy
Sophia obehi Okirika
18+
I’M A MAN OF GREAT RESTRAINT BUT SEEING YOU LIKE THIS IS PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF MY SELF–CONTROL, SO BAD THAT I MIGHT JUST PIN YOU AGAINST