A wave of despair pulled me under, into a darkness so deep the air itself felt thin and distant.

I opened my mouth, desperate to form words, to cry for help, but only hoarse groans escaped.

"What was that noise?" Caleb’s voice hissed from the phone, and a tiny sliver of hope sparked in me.

I groaned louder, praying he would hear my pain.

Tiffany shot me a wary glance, scrambling to cover it up.

"That was nothing. You must have misheard."

He didn't question it, not for a second.

"Alright. Do whatever you want—I'll have your back."

"Love you," she cooed, ending the call with a smug smile.

I collapsed to the floor, tears streaking through the blood on my face as Tiffany stood over me, her hands fisted in the fabric of my dress.

She turned to the growing crowd and announced, "Don't get the wrong idea, everyone. I'm just giving this stalker the lesson she deserves! This woman had the nerve to get between me and my fiancé. Tell me, doesn't she deserve this?"

The whispers around me swelled into a chorus of scorn.

"Goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover."

"Who would've thought? Someone who looks so put-together is a complete stalker. Shameless," one woman scoffed.

"Exactly! She's shameless!" another echoed.

"Honestly, she has it coming."

"Right! Women like her need to be taught a lesson!"

The stabbing pain in my abdomen left me unable to respond, my strength draining away with every ragged breath.

Tiffany bathed in their support, a dark satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

She straddled me, slapping me repeatedly, each blow making my head ring.

My hand rose, trembling, desperately trying to shield my stomach.

"My... baby..." I moaned, my voice barely a whisper.

Tiffany laughed, a hollow, merciless sound.

"You're lucky the baby isn't born yet. Otherwise, I'd make sure that little thing knew just how ugly this world is."

Her friends yanked my hair, and the edges of my vision blurred and tilted.

I could just barely sense a shift in the crowd, a growing unease.

"Okay, that's enough," a voice finally cut in.

"This is... this is too much, don't you think?"

"Look at her face," someone else muttered.

"It's swollen and bleeding... this is going too far."

Someone spat, "Only a bitch defends another bitch! You on her side? Maybe you're a stalker, too!"

But one of Tiffany's friends suddenly gasped, "Tiffany, there's blood!"

The word jolted me.

Blood?

My body trembled as I fought through the pain, trying to focus my scattered senses.

"My baby... please, my baby..."

The tone of the crowd shifted, now laced with alarm.

"Is she pregnant? Even if she's a stalker, this is insane! What if she miscarries?"

"Oh, now you all feel sorry?" another muttered darkly.

"If she loses that baby, it's on all of you—you egged her on."

Tiffany’s facade faltered. She took a step back, shocked but still defiant.

"Oh, please, she’s faking it. There's no way this would make her lose a baby. She's not even pregnant!"

I used every last ounce of strength to move.

I reached behind me. My fingers came away slick with warm blood.

Tiffany gestured to her friends, and they hauled me roughly off the floor.

"Fine, since you're so eager to go to a clinic, we'll take you. But remember this," she sneered, "you brought this on yourself."

They dragged me roughly to a dim, windswept cliffside, the air thick with the salty tang of the sea.

My gut screamed this wasn't a clinic, but I was fading too fast to fight, my eyes refusing to stay open.

With my last shred of strength, I forced my eyes open and pleaded, "Please... my baby might still be saved... just take me to a clinic. I swear, I'll stay away from Caleb, I'll disappear... but please, save my baby..."

A contemptuous smile played on Tiffany's lips.

"Oh, and we're supposed to believe a stalker now?"

"Still worried about that bastard, are you?"

"Well, too bad," she hissed, her face contorting with malice.

"You and your baby can rot here together."

She pulled a gleaming utility knife from her purse, its tip tracing a slow, cold path down my cheek.

"And just to be sure," she whispered, "I'm going to ruin this pretty face you use to seduce men."

I had no strength left to fight.

"Caleb will find out... He cares about this baby. He won't forgive you if he knows you killed his child!"

Tiffany paused, and for a moment, I thought I had finally struck a nerve.

But then, with a ruthless twist of her wrist, she pressed down, carving a swift, deep line across my cheek.

"You bitch, don't you dare bring up Caleb's name!" she snarled.

"And how would he find out?" she snarled. "No one will even remember your name by the time I'm done with you."

I froze, a chill spreading through me as she carved more lines into my face.

The stinging became so intense I went numb.

Seeing me so utterly defeated, Tiffany’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

"You look like hell now, Estelle. No more competing with me for Caleb," she mocked.

"This is what happens when you cross me!"

My body was a discarded rag doll as she vented her fury, cutting and tearing at me.

I felt myself drifting, my consciousness teetering on the edge.

Tiffany's friends watched her, their faces pale with fear.

"Tiffany, maybe that's enough. If you keep going, she's going to die," one of them said, her voice trembling.

Tiffany scoffed.

"Scared? Caleb promised he'd handle everything. What are you worried about?"

I lay helpless on the ground, a wet cough rattling in my chest, the taste of blood on my tongue.

She finally stood up.

"Alright, that's enough for today. I'm getting tired. We should just lock her in the trunk. If I'm still in the mood later, I might come back to let off some more steam."

With that, Tiffany and her accomplices left.

I lay on the cold ground, clutching my stomach, struggling for each breath.

A hollow emptiness bloomed in my chest as my world went dark.

"Little one... I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," I whispered, my life fading.

"If I survive this, I will get justice for you. I swear it."

Tears mixed with the blood streaming down my cheeks, each drop a fresh sting in my wounds.

Time blurred.

I don't know how long I lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness, until a faint sound reached my ears—someone was approaching.

Through the haze, I recognized Felix Thorne, Caleb's agent.

He took one look at my mangled state and immediately called Caleb.

"Boss, this is bad. Tiffany went too far... The woman's face is destroyed."