When my husband told me to go bungee jumping, I did not scream. I did not cause a scene. I just nodded and said, "Okay."

Keep in mind, I was eight months pregnant.

I only agreed because I had already lived through this nightmare once before.

In my past life, his precious childhood best friend, Lily Lane, had been feeling down. My husband, desperate to be her hero, told her he would make her one wish come true. Her wish? She wanted a partner to go bungee jumping with.

My husband was terrified of heights, so he could not do it himself. Instead, he volunteered me. I refused on the spot, obviously. I told them I was not going to strap a harness over a baby bump and jump off a bridge.

Lily got upset because I would not go. She went to a bar to drown her sorrows, and things went terribly wrong. Someone spiked her drink, and she was assaulted.

She could not handle the trauma. She left a suicide note for my husband that read: "If I hadn't gone to the bar that night, would everything be different?"

When my husband read that note, he snapped. He wrapped his hands around my throat.

"Why didn't you just go with her?" he screamed, squeezing tighter. "Would it have killed you to just say yes?"

He strangled me until everything went black. My unborn baby died with me.

However, then, my eyes snapped open.

I was back. I was standing right there in the moment my husband was asking me to jump.

The wind was howling on the outdoor bungee platform, tearing at my clothes.

I huddled in the furthest corner, my knuckles white as I death-gripped the railing. At eight months pregnant, gravity was already my enemy, and the dropping barometric pressure made my heavy belly feel like an anchor dragging me down.

The cheap, generic safety harness strapped over my maternity clothes felt flimsy–laughable, really. It made the blood drain from my face.

However, my husband, Julian Vance, stood just a few feet away, completely oblivious to my terror. His eyes were glued to his 'first love,' Lily Lane, the girl who had insisted that bungee jumping was the only cure for her blues.

Lily leaned into him, putting on her best kicked-puppy act. "Julian, you're the best. You're the only one who lets me vent when I'm down. You're literally the only person in the world I can trust."

Julian pulled her into a hug, his voice dripping with the kind of tenderness he had not shown me in years. "Don't worry, Lily. No matter what happens, I'm right here. You don't have to be scared of anything."

They locked eyes with that sickening, sticky gaze that said the rest of the world could burn for all they cared.

Suddenly, a gust of wind slammed into the metal scaffolding, shaking the entire platform. I stumbled, my balance thrown off.

The crowd around us gasped.

"Whoa! Is she crazy? Bungee jumping with a belly like that?"

"She's pregnant! She should stay home. Coming out in this weather... Is she hoping for a miscarriage?"

"Some women are just irresponsible. They treat their babies like accessories. When she starts hemorrhaging, she won't even have the breath to cry about it."

The whispers reached Julian. He looked at me, his expression twisting into pure disgust.

"Hear that? You're a nuisance everywhere you go. A pregnant embarrassment. I seriously regret bringing you along."

Lily jumped in, playing the peacemaker with a venomous smile. "Julian, don't be mad. You know Elena drugged your drink to trap you with this baby. Cut her some slack." She ducked her head, voice trembling. "It's my fault. If my depression wasn't so bad... If I hadn't needed this release... Julian, maybe we should just go. Elena obviously doesn't want to do it."

"No." Julian's voice was firm. He cut her off, gripping her shoulders. "Lily, I promised to make your wish come true. You're bungee jumping today."

He turned that cold, hateful glare back on me. "Elena, if you hadn't announced your pregnancy the day Lily got dumped, she wouldn't even be depressed right now. Her misery is your fault. If you have a shred of conscience left, you'll jump with her."

The bystanders finally realized the dynamic: I was not crazy, I was being coerced. The looks they shot Julian shifted from judgment to confusion.

Even the staff member looked horrified. "Sir, pregnant women absolutely cannot bungee jump. The risk of miscarriage... We can't be liable for–"

"She's doing this voluntarily. It's her choice," Julian interrupted, his voice like ice. He grabbed the liability waiver and shoved it against my chest.

"Sign it. And jump."

Four words. That was all it took to strip away the last of my delusions. He looked at me like I was a bag of trash he was desperate to toss in a dumpster.

I took the clipboard. My hand did not shake. I signed my name, Elena, with a strange sense of calm.

After dying a gruesome death in my past life, I finally saw the truth. This man, the husband I had loved for years, had a heart of stone. He did not love me. He did not love our unborn child.

Fine.

I was done holding on. I would grant his wish and disappear from his world completely.

I shoved the waiver back at the stunned staff member. Ignoring the glint of malice in Lily's eyes, I walked to the edge of the platform. The drop loomed beneath us, a gray abyss.

Right before the plunge, I turned to look at Julian one last time.

"Julian," I said, my voice flat. "This baby? I'm giving it back to you."

For a second, panic flickered in Julian's eyes.

He took a step forward, mouth opening to say something, but Lily lunged, grabbing my arm.

"Elena, let's go!"

Because Lily had demanded a tandem jump, we were shackled to the same bungee cord. The moment she leaped, I was yanked off the platform like a dead weight.

Gravity vanished. The massive inertia slammed into me, and my stomach lurched violently. Pain exploded in my abdomen. Even though I knew it was coming, I could not stop the scream.

"Ah! It hurts!"

However, my cry was swallowed by Lily's euphoric shrieking.

"Wow! This is amazing! So this is what it feels like! Woohoo!"

She had her eyes closed, arms spread wide like she was flying, basking in the adrenaline. Meanwhile, the rapid descent was tearing me apart from the inside. A sharp, tearing agony ripped through my lower belly. I looked down at my pants–blood.

"Stop... please, it hurts..."

I gasped the words out, but Lily, high on the thrill, just glared at me.

"Elena, seriously? Cut the act. Julian can't hear you from down here, so who are you performing for?"

We bounced at the bottom of the arc, the cord snapping us back up. She was laughing, shouting triumphantly in my ear, while I hung there, paralyzed by pain.

The baby seemed to sense the danger, kicking wildly in a frenzy of survival instinct, as if trying to tear right through my skin to escape.

Blood rushed to my head as we dangled upside down, suffocating me. I flailed my hands weakly.

"Pull me up... Quick... I'm dying..."

The staff on the platform must have seen that something was wrong. A megaphone crackled above us.

"What's happening? Is the tourist in distress?"

Sweat and tears blurred my vision. I tried to summon the breath to answer, to beg for my life, but Lily screamed over me, her voice echoing off the canyon walls:

"Higher! Drop us again! It's not exciting enough yet!"

The ride operator froze, staring at me with wide eyes. He turned back to the control panel, hesitating. "Are you... Are you sure about another round? That pregnant lady looks like she's in serious trouble."

"I can't..." I gasped, the air hitching in my throat.

I did not even get to finish the sentence before Julian snapped, cutting me off. "I'm the one paying the bills here, pal. If I say we go another round, we go another round. Cut the crap. If Lily hasn't blown off enough steam yet, you'd better believe I'm filing a complaint against you."

The operator took one look at Julian's face and shut his mouth. He slammed the lever forward, sending the machine spinning again.

Lily squealed with delight, her laughter piercing the air. However, for me, the world was dissolving into red agony. My lower abdomen felt like it was being put through a meat grinder. It felt like my uterus was physically tearing apart, a tidal wave of hot blood fighting to burst out of me.

...

I did not know how long it lasted. It felt like an eternity before Lily finally decided she was bored.

The staff hauled me up, but I was dead weight. I could not feel the baby moving anymore. My eight-month bump, usually so firm and full of life, dragged downward, heavy and lifeless. I had absolutely no strength left. The only thing I could do was let out a guttural, broken wail.

"Help me... It hurts... My baby..."

I thought I had prepared myself to give up on everything, to let go. However, when death actually came knocking, the plea for help slipped out before I could stop it.

Julian did not even look at me. Not a glance. He went straight for Lily, wrapping her in a protective hug.

"Lily, baby, how are you? Were you scared? Did you have fun?"

Lily nodded, her face glowing. Then, she glanced at me, feigning casual concern. "I wasn't scared, Julian. However, Elena seems terrified. She keeps screaming that she's having a miscarriage or something."

Julian's face darkened instantly. He shot me a look of pure disgust.

"Miscarriage, miscarriage! God, from the moment you got pregnant, that's all you talk about. 'Oh, I'm going to miscarry.' And look? The kid is still fine."

He walked over to where I was crumpled on the floor, looming over me. "Get up. Get off the platform. You're blocking the line for the other jumpers."

My face was paper-white. I could not form words anymore. Shaking, I reached out and grabbed the cuff of his pants, gritting my teeth against the agony.

"Please... call 911... I'm dying..."

Julian looked like he had stepped in something foul. He kicked his leg out, shaking off my grip. "No wonder Lily says you're a good actress. She nailed it. It's just a bungee jump, Elena. You're not dying."

He sneered. "You're healthy as a horse. Who is this show for? It's pathetic. Honestly, looking at you makes me sick. You're not even half the woman Lily is."

A tourist standing nearby could no longer wait on the sidelines. "Hey, buddy," he called out. "Your wife looks like she's actually in pain. Maybe you should call an ambulance?"

Julian frowned, annoyed by the interference. He started to look down, actually checking on me for the first time, but before his eyes could focus, Lily let out a soft, dramatic gasp behind him.

"Julian... I feel so dizzy..."

As she spoke, she swayed, collapsing perfectly on cue. Julian moved like lightning, catching her before she hit the ground, his eyes wide with panic.

"What is it, babe? Was it a shock? Someone called an ambulance! Quick! I… I'll get you to the hospital right now!"

He scooped Lily up bridal-style and sprinted off the platform, not looking back.

I saw it, though. Over his shoulder, Lily, who was supposed to be fainting, shot me a smirk. It was a look of pure, triumphant malice. She was laughing at me.

I watched them leave, fighting the black spots in my vision.

Then, something inside me shattered completely. A warm flood gushed out, breaking the dam.

"Ah!"

Screams erupted around me.

"Blood! Look at the blood!"

"Oh my god, she's hemorrhaging! Look at her legs! Call 911!"

"She's going to die! The baby–!"

The voices blurred together into a chaotic roar as I drifted into the dark. I felt the cold grip of death tightening.

Some kind tourists and the staff managed to get me onto a stretcher. I was vaguely aware of them covering me with a jacket; my lower half was soaked in red. It must have looked like a horror movie.

They rushed me to the bottom of the tower just as the ambulance pulled up. However, Julian was already there, shoving past everyone to get Lily into the back.

"Hurry! Doctor, get us to the hospital!"

"Wait!" The bungee operator blocked the ambulance doors. "This pregnant lady is in critical condition! You have to take her first!"

He waved for the others to bring my stretcher forward.

When Julian saw me, he exploded. "Elena! Are you never going to quit? Lily caught a chill from the wind. She's suffering, and you choose now to fight her for an ambulance?"

He pointed a shaking finger at me. "You're really committed to the bit, aren't you? You even got people to carry you down. You make me sick!"

I lay on the stretcher, vision swimming. I tried to raise a hand to explain, but my limbs would not obey.

The paramedic looked confused, glancing between us. "Sir, there's only room for one patient. Who called 911?"

"I did!" Julian shouted, climbing into the back with Lily still in his arms. "Just drive! Ignore that crazy woman!"

The staff member stepped up, furious. "What 'act'? Look at your wife! She passed out cold and is bleeding out! You haven't even looked at her. You're just fawning over your little childhood sweetheart. What kind of scumbag are you?"

Lily, huddled in Julian's chest, decided it was time for another Oscar-winning performance. She wiped a fake tear from her eye. "It's okay, Julian. Don't fight with Elena. If she wants the ambulance that badly, let her have it. I... I'll be fine..."

She swayed again, clutching her head.

That broke Julian. He held her tighter and shoved my stretcher away with his free hand. "No way! As long as I'm here, Elena is not setting foot in this ambulance!"

Just then, a nurse from the ambulance team lifted the jacket covering my legs. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Holy! Call the ER, tell them to prep for immediate surgery! She's miscarried! She's hemorrhaging! She's critical!"

Julian froze. The color drained from his face as he stared at the blood.