Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
My thoughts seem ridiculously crazy. But then this is Stephanie, and I know how crazy she can be. I rush over and grab my bag from the floor where Jack dropped it in the lounge, rummaging through it to find the test. I’ve been using this same bag for over a week since that night. I don’t recall seeing it in here. Where is it?
I turn the bag upside down, emptying the contents onto the floor and scanning it all. No test. Then I rifle through the inside pockets, just to check it hasn’t slipped into one of those. Nothing.
I gasp, my eyes shooting upwards, finding Stephanie in the doorway to my lounge, watching me frantically search. She knows what I’m looking for. I’m not losing my mind.
‘You stole the test from my bag,’ I accuse on a burst of stunned breath. ‘You took it and claimed it was yours.’
‘You will stay away from him!’ she screams, slamming her fist into the doorframe. Her knuckles split on impact, the force of her strike echoing around my flat. ‘Do you hear me?’ she roars, her fists clenching. ‘I’ll fucking kill you and that bastard baby of yours. Don’t think I won’t!’
I see the scratches on Jack’s neck. The mark on his cheekbone. The state of his back. And then I see pure red fury but just hold my composure before I return the favour and rip her to shreds. ‘You can’t hurt me, and you can’t hurt Jack any more either.’
Her eyes go wild and she lunges at me, catching me off guard. I’m dragged into the hallway and slammed into the wall. My breath is knocked out of me, and I don’t get a chance to get it back before her palm connects with my cheek. Pain slices me in half, and she just keeps coming and coming at me, attacking me. ‘You asked for this!’
As each blow connects, I struggle through the chaos to try to defend myself. My arms are wrapped around my stomach, protecting it, willing to accept her rage on any part of my body but there. But then her fingers are clawing around my wrists, trying to pull them away.
I see a baby. A defenceless baby relying on me for protection.
With sudden strength, I violently shove her away. She hits the wall opposite me with a bang, but I give her no opportunity to gather herself. I yank the front door open and grab her by her hair. My only purpose is to put a barrier between us. I feel murderous, and adrenalin is thundering through my veins.
‘I’ll kill you!’ she shrieks. ‘I’ll make you pay for trying to take him from me!’
I don’t shout back at her. I don’t scream and wail, and I don’t try to hurt her. My only focus is just to get her away from me. Get her away before she does either of us any damage.
I use all my strength to shove her out. Slamming the door, I fall against it, gasping for breath. I expect her to start banging on the wood, but there’s nothing. I run into the lounge and grab my phone before I rush to the window. She comes into view, standing still on the pavement outside.
‘Oh my God,’ I whisper, my eyes falling to her wrists, where she’s holding a knife. ‘Stephanie, no!’ My instinct has me dashing for the door and running out to stop her. ‘Stephanie, stop!’ My stare zeroes in on hers, and I manage to appreciate the intent in her deep-set blue eyes as I near. She’ll do it. I have no doubt. I pelt forward, ready to knock the knife away or snatch it; I’m not sure which. All I know is that I have to stop her.
She doesn’t move, doesn’t try to escape me. No. Instead, she smiles and turns the knife towards me. It takes a few too many seconds for my brain to engage and register what she’s doing, the reckless glint in her eyes confusing me. I tell my legs to stop running, to bring me to a stop before it’s too late.
Stop!
‘No!’ I cry, skidding to a halt and bending my body, bringing my stomach in as much as I can to avoid the blade as she charges forward.
‘Bitch!’ she screams. ‘You won’t have him!’ Her body collides with mine, knocking me to the side on a grunt. I gasp and feel my stomach, searching for blood. I can’t see anything. Nothing obvious, but I don’t look for long. I haven’t got the luxury of time. I run back to my flat, too aware of the damage she could do to me if I don’t get away. I bolt the door and run to my window, gasping for breath.
There’s no sign of her anywhere. I have another quick check over my abdomen and freeze, waiting for pain to kick in. Nothing. Tears of relief burst from my eyes as I grab my phone and call Jack, returning to the window to look for her.