Chapter 5

The doctors shouted in alarm, rushing in to save me.

When I opened my eyes again, the tearing pain in my body was a stark reminder that I was still alive.

A nurse came in and saw me staring blankly, my hand on my flat stomach.

She offered her condolences, “You're still young, you can have children again in the future. You barely made it out alive, so you must take good care of yourself now.”

I was as calm as if I'd lost all feeling, my gaze fixed on the stark white ceiling. My chest felt as if it were stuffed with expanding cotton, a sour ache that made it impossible to breathe.

The door to my room swung open. My mother walked in, her eyes red and swollen, carrying a container of soup. A flicker of joy lit up her face when she saw I was awake, but it was quickly replaced by tears.

“If the hospital hadn't called me, I would have never known something so terrible had happened to you.”

I forced a smile. “Mom, I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I'm okay now.”