After a brief silence, Dillan broke out into laughter. “Interesting. Sure, two hundred thousand. You shall spend five minutes in the tank. Don’t worry. If you die, I will give you double the money to pay for your lowly life. That shall be enough.”
With that, he took out another stack of bills from his bag.
Ann took one last glance at the money and climbed into the fish tank. The minute she entered the tank, the men shut the lid.
Dillan flopped on the couch and lit a cigarette to enjoy Ann’s performance.
The fish tank was only one meter long, so it wasn’t that big. Ann cowered and held her breath while someone else started the countdown.
Someone started singing to liven things up. The other ladies came to Dillan and entertained him.
Among them, I was especially conspicuous. Someone spotted me and asked, “When did you come in again? Who are you? Why are you here?”
I grinned and replied, “I’m enjoying myself. This is too exciting not to watch!”
“Please leave!” Dillan uttered icily.
I scurried to him and said, “You must be Dillan, right? I’m so lucky to have run into you. Come, let’s drink.”
With that, I poured myself a glass and finished it in one gulp.
Initially, the man was confused, but he gradually relaxed. “Oh? You know who I am?”
I nodded profusely. “Of course. You’re famous in A City, Dillan. Everyone knows who you are!”
As he was no longer suspicious, I glanced at Ann who was holding her breath in the fish tank. “Dillan, you’re so adventurous, huh? I don’t think that woman is good at holding her breath. It’s too dangerous for her to hold her breath for five whole minutes.”
“Ha!” the man scoffed. “I’m not afraid. I’ve already paid for her life.”
Ann was at her limit. Bubbles appeared in the tank as she struggled before opening her lips to breathe in. Alas, she only gulped the water down.
“Pfft, less than two minutes. That’s no fun at all,” the man uttered disinterestedly. He glanced at Ann and forgot about me.
Seeing how Ann was struggling, I panicked instantly. However, I couldn’t find a way to save her. I was pregnant, and any mistake would cause our lives.
If I insisted on saving her alone, I would be dragged into this mess as well.
At that thought, I held my phone tightly and prayed that Joseph would arrive soon.
“I don’t think she knows how to swim,” a woman sitting beside Dillan spoke worriedly.
Dillan gazed at a struggling Ann, his eyes shining with excitement. He ignored everyone else beside him.
Ann was about to drown, so I couldn’t wait any longer. “Dillan, she’s about to drown. Should we ask someone to release her?”
Dillan merely glowered at me. “Scram!”
At once, two men grabbed my arms and led me toward the door. I immediately yelled, “Get your hands off me? I called the cops before I came in. They will be here soon!”
Dillan glared at me menacingly. “You called the cops?”
I nodded as I watched Ann gradually going limp in the tank. “You’d better release her now. Otherwise, you’ll go to jail!”
The man found my words hilarious and burst out laughing. “Did she say I’ll go to jail? Ha! No one has ever warned me that I’ll go to jail!”
The rest laughed along as I pursed my lips in confusion.
“Drag the girl in the tank out, then throw this lady into the tank. If the cops come, tell them I’m here. If they refuse to comply, tell them to talk to Derek Watson in the police station.”
“Yes!”
When Ann was brought out, she was already unconscious. I dashed over to see how she was doing, but the men took the opportunity to push me into the tank. I immediately choked, but before I could scream for help, they pushed my head into the water.
After swallowing the icy water, my throat was hurting. I had to swallow the water if I wanted to breathe. “H-Help…”
I tried to scream for help, but the burly man holding me captive refused to budge. Soon, my body went limp as my stomach began throbbing dully. My eyes widened at the thought of my child.
“There’s blood! She’s bleeding!” An ear-piercing scream sounded from a side while my head was pounding. My baby…
A man laughed. “How thrilling! I never thought I’ll get to toy with a pregnant woman. This is so exciting!”
The excruciating pain inflicted upon my body made me feel suffocated and I passed out, feeling weak.
Death would always come unannounced. In midst of my coma, I dreamt of a lot of things and met many people. The darkness was endless and I couldn’t find my path. All I could hear were people’s voices around me, but I couldn’t escape from the world I was trapped in.
Finally, I regained my consciousness. Opening my eyes, my vision was blurry as my surroundings were bright. I blinked my eyes and figured out I was in the hospital later on. I tried to glance around, but as soon as I moved, immense pain crept up my body and it felt like my body had fallen apart.
Hiss. I couldn’t hold back my squeals, as it was too painful.
Immediately after, I heard rushed footsteps approaching, while someone was shouting, “She’s awake! Quick! Call the doctor.” The voice was from a stranger.
After getting used to the surroundings, I snapped out of my daze and finally recognized the girl who walked into the room. She was Ann.
When the girl saw me, her eyes were red. “You’re finally awake… Finally.”
I opened my mouth to express my thoughts, but I only felt pain in my throat. Soon after, a group of people came in. They were Cameron, Zachary, and Joseph. I heaved a sigh of relief when I noticed Anthony wasn’t there. Hearing what Ann said, I initially thought I had been in a coma for long.
Cameron’s eyes were swollen from crying, and she wore a pain-etched expression looking at me. I reached out to tug on the hem of her shirt and shook my head, assuring her.
Realization dawned on me suddenly, and I thought of my baby. I touched my lower abdomen gently and felt pain spiraling from within. Unsure of what happened to my baby, I looked at the people standing beside me, and asked, “Is my baby… okay?”
Everyone had different reactions, but none of them looked at me in the eyes. Cameron started crying with muffled sobs. Zachary sighed. Ann lowered her head and stayed silent while guilt and sorry were written all over Joseph’s face. I was stunned for a moment, but I knew what they meant. My baby’s gone.
As the bitter truth sank in, pain washed over my heart like waves of a tsunami. My body started trembling as I felt suffocated. I pursed my lips and tried to hold back my screams, but it only made me look contorted.
Tears rolled down Cameron’s cheeks vigorously as she hurriedly took my hands in hers. “She heaved a sigh and pleaded, “My dear, don’t be like this, please. Your body hasn’t recovered yet, so don’t do this to yourself. You’ll get better. Please, I beg you. Don’t hurt yourself.”
My body reacted to the sorrow on its own, so I couldn’t control it. I clenched my fists tightly, and my head was throbbing in pain as if it was about to explode.
Overwhelmed by grief, I heard someone screaming, “She’s biting her tongue. Quick! Stop her!”
I didn’t even notice I was biting my tongue. I couldn’t even feel my body. It was just pain all over.
Joseph called the doctor immediately, and a few doctors rushed into the room. When they saw the situation, they panicked. “Hurry! Give her some tranquilizer.”
Right when the doctors were busy injecting the tranquilizer, a loud bang could be heard from the entrance and the door was swept open. A figure dashed to me, pushing Cameron and Zachary aside before taking me into his arms. His voice sounded hoarse and low. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’m with you.”
It was Anthony. The pain in my head started dissipating as I gazed at him in a daze. It seemed he had a lot of work in Moranta, given how he seemed to have lost weight.
Perhaps it was because of the tranquilizer that I was getting tired. I wanted to look at the man I had longed for, so I tried to keep my eyes open, but I fell asleep.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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