Norma

talkie, her voice saccharine sweet now, a stark contrast to the venom

aped. A desperate flicker of hope ignited deep inside my b

y voice was weak, trembling, but I poured every ounce of my dying s

eem to be faking, Deegan," she murmured into the device, a hint of genuine concern cre

almost feel Deegan weighing his options, a silent battle

er, softer now, a glimmer of the man I once knew

s out, washed over me. My baby was goin

he line. "Deegan, darling, my head is throbbing. I simply must have

od ran

ing a minor inconvenience. "Oh, she'll be fine. Jada's so strong

d like a queen, surrounded by the best doctors, the most advanced equipm

ds, her petty demands, changed everything.

h completely gone. "Don't be a fool. She's tryin

ne wen

l. Deegan's anger, deflected from Karmen, landed squarely on me. She grabbed a smal

ridescent snake. Its scales shimmered, an unnatural beauty.

o my throat. Pure,

asting the air. Its cold, dry scales brushed against my arm.

g pain. I didn't even

arm. A burning sensation, like acid, shot through my veins, spreading r

ured hand against the bite wound. But it was useless. The venom was an anticoagulan

then faded to grey. My uterus felt like it was being torn apart by a thousand tiny knives. The bi

r. "That's impossible! He never bites! Never!" She stared at the snake, then back at me, her expression shifting f

gain. Each blow was a dull, sickening thud. The kicks made me gasp, almost forcing me into un

anymore?" she mocked, he

e baby," I pleaded, my

nworthy of anything." She stroked the snake, murmuring soothing words to it. Then, she pulled out a

sn't just a sedative. This was some

thy. This will help you understand your place. A little tranquilizer for your little tantrum." With a final,

rable torment. In the hazy, suffocating agony, I heard a faint cry. A baby's cry. My baby's. It wa

. I stretched out a trembling hand, desperate to hold him, to feel

kiss his tiny head, to whisper promises of love and pr

agger plunging into my heart. My mind shattere

e words were a prayer, a lament. "Mama failed you. I hope you find a

ed; it oozed, thick and slow. My vision faded.