Chapter 11 A Crushing Detect
Chapter 11 A Crushing Defeat
Mia’s POV
+25 BONUS
The world spun as I lay at the bottom of the stairs, pain radiating through my body in merciless waves. Taylor’s performance began with a single, perfectly timed tear.
“Kyle!” Taylor’s voice cracked with carefully crafted desperation. “You’re here!” Her hands trembled as she wrapped her arms around herself, a picture of vulnerability,
Kyle’s eyes darted between us, taking in the scene–me on the floor, Taylor’s apparent distress. The muscle in his jaw ticked, a sure sign of his rising anger
Taylor’s lower lip quivered. “I–I just wanted to talk to her.” Her voice hitched perfectly, “After everything that’s happened, I thought maybe… maybe we could fix things. We’re family, after all‘ She pressed a manicured hand to her mouth, suppressing a sob. “But she was so angry, Kyle,” 1
“No,” I gasped, “She’s lying-”
“1
“I told her about us,” Taylor continued. “About how we’ve been trying to resist our feelings, trying to do the right thing I thought if she understood… if she knew how hard we’ve fought against this…”
“Stop,” I begged, the word barely audible through my pain. “Kyle, please-”
But Taylor was relentless. “She just…. snapped. Started screaming about how I’ve always taken everything from her. She said didn’t deserve to be happy, that I’d stolen her whole life.” A sob escaped her. “Then she–she grabbed me, started shaking me. I tried to get away, but she wouldn’t let go. We struggled, and then…
“She pushed me down the stairs!” I managed to say, “Kyle, she’s manipulating you, just like she always has-”
“Me?” Taylor’s voice rose in apparent shock. “I was trying to protect myself! You’re the one who kept coming at me, screaming about how you’d rather kill us both than let me have Kyle!” She turned to Kyle, her eyes wide with perfectly feigned terror. “She said she’d rather die than let you be happy with someone else. That’s when she grabbed me, started pulling me toward the stairs. I tried to break free, but she wouldn’t let go, and we both fell…”
“That’s not” Pain cut off my words as another cramp seized my body. Warmth trickled down my thighs, and terror clawed at my chest as I realized what it meant. “The babies,” I whispered. “Kyle, please, the babies-”
“Babies?” Taylor’s laugh was sharp, brittle. She moved closer to Kyle, pressing herself against his side. “Kyle, darling, you can’t possibly believe her.”
“It’s not a lie!” The words tore from my throat. “Kyle, they’re your children.”
“Kyle,” Taylor’s voice turned gentle, coaxing. “She’s unstable.” She touched his arm, her fingers trailing down to his har “We should call someone. Get her the care she needs.”
Kyle had been silent through this exchange, his expression growing darker with each passing moment. Now he spoke, his voice cold enough to freeze blood. “Is this true, Mia? Did you attack her? 1
“No!” I tried again to stand, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. “Kyle, please listen to me. She pushed me. She wanted to hurt the babies—your babies. She switched the medical reports to make you doubt me—”
“Still lying,” Taylor sighed, shaking her head sadly. “Even now, when we caught her red–handed.” She winced suddenly, clutching her side. “Oh God, it hurts… I think when she pushed me…”
Kyle’s reaction was immediate. He moved to Taylor’s side, supporting her as she swayed dramatically. “Where does it hurt?”
“Everything,” she whimpered. “My side, my leg… Kyle, I’m scared What if something’s broken?”
“I’ll take you to the hospital.” He said.
“Kyle,” I called out, desperation making my voice crack. “Please don’t leave. Not like this. The babies-
11
Chapter II A Crushing Defeat
“I’ve heard enough about this,” he cut me off, his voice like ice. “You’ve gone too far, Mia.”
“Please,” I whispered, reaching for him. “Kyle, did you ever love me? Even a little?”
+25 BONUS
He paused at the door, Taylor cradled in his arms. For a moment–just a moment–something flickered in his storm–gray eyes. Was it doubt? Regret? But then Taylor whimpered again, and the moment shattered.
“You never loved me,” I whispered. “This whole time.”
Kyle’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t deny it. “Linda will be here soon,” he said instead, his voice distapt, professional. “She’ll take you to the hospital.” 2
But he was already gone, the door closing behind him with a final click. I was alone, lying in a growing pool of my own blood as my world fell apart.
The pain peaked suddenly, stealing my breath. More warmth between my legs. Too much warmth.
“No,” I whimpered, my hands pressing against my stomach. “Please, no. Not my babies. Please, God, not my babies…”
The sound of rapid footsteps barely registered through the fog of pain. Then Linda was there, her usually composed face twisted with concern.
“Oh God, Mia!” She dropped to her knees beside me, phone already pressed to her ear. “I need an ambulance, now! Twenty- eight–year–old female, pregnant with twins, possible miscarriage. There’s significant bleeding—”
“Linda,” I grabbed her hand, my grip weak but desperate. “Please save them. My babies… you have to save my babies…” “Stay with me,” she commanded, her free hand pressing something soft against my lower body, trying to stem the bleeding.” The ambulance is coming. Just hold on.”
“Kyle,” I whispered, darkness creeping at the edges of my vision. “He chose her… he always chooses her…”
“Don’t talk,” Linda’s voice cracked slightly. “Save your strength. Think about your babies. They need you to be strong right now.
But the darkness was winning, pain and blood loss pulling me under. Linda’s voice seemed to come from far away as she helped me into her car, unwilling to wait for the ambulance.
The last thing I remember was the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital overhead as they rushed me into surgery. Through the haze of approaching unconsciousness, I felt it–that terrible emptiness, that sense of loss so profound it transcended physical pain.
My babies were leaving me. Just like everyone else had.
And then there was nothing but darkness.
The last thought that flickered through my fading consciousness was a brutal truth: I’d lost everything. My marriage, my babies, my last shred of hope that Kyle might one day love me. Taylor had won, just as she’d always won. Just as she’d promised she would that day our father brought her home, when she’d looked at me with those calculating eyes and said, “Everything you have will be mine.”
She’d been right all along.
The darkness claimed me completely, and I welcomed it. At least in unconsciousness, I wouldn’t have to feel my heart breaking all over again.
