Chapter 8
The sharp smell of disinfectant filled her nose.
Hearing faint sobbing nearby, Geraldine slowly opened her eyes.
Alayah, who had been crying by the window, immediately wiped her tears and rushed to the bedside, forcing a calm smile. “You’re awake! Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Geraldine shook her head and asked hoarsely, “Why were you crying? I’m fine. It’s nothing serious.”
But the moment those words were spoken, it was as if a dam had broken. Alayah’s tears poured down in large drops.
Her voice shook as she cried uncontrollably.
“Gerrie, the baby is gone.”
Geraldine froze for a brief moment and instinctively placed a hand over her lower abdomen.
Sure enough… It felt like there was no longer another life there.
The baby… was gone.
She had thought she would feel relieved. Instead, her heart hurt so badly she could barely breathe.
That child was supposed to be gone in a few days, during the
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scheduled procedure.
But she never imagined it would end like this because of Oliver.
A faint thought crossed her mind, “If Oliver knew, would he be sad?”
But the answer came quickly-“Probably not.”
His heart was already completely with Shanice and her daughter.
“This child shouldn’t have existed in the first place,” Geraldine murmured numbly. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
After Alayah helped her sit up, Geraldine forced a smile and gently squeezed her hand.
“I’m a little hungry. Can you get me something to eat?”
Alayah wiped her tears and nodded, though reluctant.
“Wait for me.”
Once Geraldine agreed, she turned and left the ward.
When the door finally closed, Geraldine lowered her gaze,
A few minutes later, the door was pushed open forcefully.
Geraldine thought Alayah had returned, but when she looked up, several tall men barged in.
Her heart dropped. She tried to escape, but was yanked back violently.
“Don’t move, or else—”
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A sharp knife pressed against her waist. With the slightest force, it could slice through fabric and into her skin.
Geraldine went rigid, her face pale.
“What do you want?”
Before she could say more, her mouth was covered.
She struggled desperately, but her consciousness began to blur. Soon, everything went dark.
When she woke again, it was pitch black.
Geraldine stared into the darkness, panic rising.
She moved slightly and realized something was covering her head, blocking her vision.
But she could feel the wind hitting her skin, and the air was damp.
She was at the seaside.
As that realization hit, a familiar laugh reached her ears,
“Geraldine, I never thought I’d see you again like this.”
Her entire body tensed.
Even without seeing her, Geraldine could picture the smug look on Shanice’s face.
Her breathing quickened. “Shanice, why did you bring me here? What do you want?”
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Shanice’s laughter drew closer, filled with mockery and triumph.
“As if I had the power to kidnap you from a hospital myself. Geraldine, Oliver said you hurt Estelle. She’s injured and still in the hospital. He said he absolutely will not let you go…”
Each word scraped against Geraldine’s heart like a dull blade.
Her chest ached, but no tears came.
Fear crept in from the unknown. She forced herself to stay calm and asked slowly, “So what exactly are you going to do?”
“Of course I want to…” Shanice’s voice turned darker, almost gleeful. “Kill you!”
The words had barely left her mouth when someone shoved Geraldine hard from behind. She pitched forward.
She tried to regain her balance, but fierce wind slammed into her body. Her heart raced faster and faster. Only when the burlap sack over her head was torn away by the wind did she finally see a cliff lying ahead.
Her body dropped, completely out of control, Geraldine twisted her head back and caught sight of Shanice standing at the edge.
Shanice leaned forward, her face lit with smug triumph and reckless glee.
Then everything grew distant.
The crushing pressure of the air stole Geraldine’s breath. Just as her
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consciousness began to slip, she plunged violently into the sea.
She struggled for a moment, and then everything went black.
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***
When Geraldine woke again, she was in a rundown shack.
She staggered to her feet. Seeing a little girl playing in the yard, she realized she had washed ashore and been rescued by fishermen from a nearby village.
After resting there for six days, she received a call from overseas.
“Ms. Stanton, all your procedures are complete. We’ve booked your flight. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
Geraldine lifted her gaze to the endless sea in the distance. Thinking of the fall from the cliff, her resolve hardened.
In this relationship, she had lost her child and nearly her life.
A sour ache welled up in her chest. She took a deep breath, her resolve firmer than ever.
She would leave Oliver.
After giving the fishermen some money, Geraldine contacted Alayah to help ship her belongings and asked a lawyer to send the divorce papers to Oliver.
The next day, she took a taxi straight to the airport.
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She boarded the plane alone.
As the aircraft slowly ascended and lifted off, the city below grew smaller and smaller. Geraldine pulled down the window shade.
From this moment on, she and Oliver would never meet again.
And she was finally free.
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