When I next opened my eyes, the acrid scent of disinfectant filled my nostrils. Outside the window, occasional thuds of collapsing buildings echoed, sending plumes of dust into the air. I lay propped on a rickety cot, listening to the groaning protest of the metal frame under my weight. The wound in my abdomen throbbed faintly, the flat sensation beneath the bandage a constant reminder
of the little life I had lost forever.
Ethan Reed was kneeling stiffly, his forehead pressed against the cold dirt floor. Hearing my movement, he snapped his head up,
his once fierce face now streaked with tears and snot. “I’m not a man, Olivia! I failed you… I’m so sorry…”
“Olivia? You’re so pale.” Lily’s hand waved in front of my eyes. She draped her worn, padded jacket over me.
1 came back to myself, realizing my fingernails had dug deep into my palms. Outside, the damp sea breeze carried the smell of
fust, eerily merging with the bloody scent of the delivery room from my memory.
Ethan continued to profusely apologize. “That’s enough,” I said weakly, raising a hand to stop him. “You thought you were doing
what was best for everyone.”
Before the words fully left my lips, Lily smacked Ethan on the back of his head. “Now you know how to apologize? You were mighty
bold when you were hitting Olivia, weren’t you?!”
Ethan didn’t flinch. He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled it to his face, making me slap him. His cheekbone grated painfully
against my knuckles, and hot liquid flowed down through our clasped fingers. I didn’t know if it was his tears or the blood from my
palm. “I deserve to die! I was blind! I…”
