The pain was sharp and immediate, like nothing I’d experienced before. But what came next was worse: the suffocating darkness, the void swallowing me whole. I couldn’t tell how long I was out, but when I came to, the storm had softened to a rhythmic patter against the roof, and the world was cast in the eerie glow of post-storm calm. I blinked against the dim light, the edges of my vision blurry with tears and rain.
I was lying on my side on the damp grass, the cold seeping through my clothes. My hand went instinctively to my belly—a fierce, protective impulse. Relief washed over me when I felt a movement, a flutter from within. My daughter was still there, resilient and strong despite the fall. Despite him.
The anger bubbled up, hot and insistent, overtaking the pain. Richard’s betrayal had been a slow, creeping poison, but this—this was a rupture, a break so profound that it shattered any illusions I might have clung to. He wasn’t just the man who had deceived me; he was the man who’d thrown me into the storm, pregnant and pleading.
As I struggled to sit up, I noticed the house in the distance. The windows were dark, the silhouette of Richard standing in the doorway barely visible against the night. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t rushed to see if I was okay, hadn’t shown an ounce of concern for me or the child we were supposed to be having together. A small, fragile voice in my head whispered that he had crossed a line tonight that could never be uncrossed.
Elena’s phone was still clutched in my hand, warmth and hope against the chill. I fumbled with it, my fingers numb and clumsy. I dialed Sarah’s number, praying she’d answer. The phone rang once, twice, and then my sister’s voice came through, groggy but instantly alert.
“Victoria? What’s wrong?”
The dam broke. Words spilled out of me in a torrent. “Richard—he threw me out. I fell. I think I’m okay, but the baby—I’m scared, Sarah. Please, come get me.”
Her voice was a balm, calm and steady. “I’m on my way. Just hold tight, okay? I’ll be there soon.”
I hung up, cradling the phone against me like a lifeline. Sarah would come. She’d help me pick up the pieces, figure out what to do next. But more than that, I knew I couldn’t just walk away from Richard’s deceit. He’d hidden something overseas, something big enough to risk everything to keep it buried.
The storm might have passed, but another was brewing inside me—a determination to uncover the truth and make Richard pay for everything he’d done. For now, I needed to get to safety, to protect my child and regroup. But soon, very soon, I’d be back. And Richard wouldn’t know what hit him.