πππ
I squeezed her hands gently and replied, "Si, if the results are positive, then we will deal with it! Why do you think you'll be such a terrible mother?"
Her gaze dropped to the floor, and she muttered, "I don't know, it's just I know how hard my mother was on me all my life, and I just don't want that for my child."
I cupped her face, smiling softly. "Sienna, you won't be anything like your mother, I promise."
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "You think so?"
"Yes, Si," I assured her. "You will be so supportive of your child, no matter what they want to do. You will always uplift them when they're feeling down and, most of all, you'll shower them with love and affection. I know this because you've been doing it for me since we were in high school."
Her eyes glistened with tears as she stared at me. "Aw, come here," she whispered, pulling me into a tight hug. I held her close, feeling her body shake with sobs.
"Sienna, you've been putting off coming to the hospital to confirm your pregnancy because you're terrified of the outcome," I said softly. "But you've been waking up with morning sickness, and deep down, I know you're pregnant."
Just then, the door opened, and I pulled back to see Sawyor walking in with a file. "Uh, I don't think this department is your job, Sawyor. What are you doing here?" I asked, confused.
He grinned. "I know it isn't, but I begged the nurse to let me come in here and give the results."
Sienna and I laughed, and Sienna asked eagerly, "So? What are the results?"
Sawyor remained silent for a moment, building suspense. Sienna's impatience got the best of her. "Sawyor, do not fucking play with me right now! What are the results?"
Sawyor finally broke into a smile. "We're pregnant, bitch."
The room erupted with squeals of joy as Sawyor and I hugged each other, jumping up and down. But the sound of Sienna breaking down brought us back to reality. We turned to see her crying into her hands.
"Si, what's the matter?" I asked, concerned.
"You don't want the baby?" Sawyor questioned gently.
Sienna shook her head. "No, it's not that... it's just that Akhilles and I agreed we wouldn't have children for another few years."
Sawyor rolled his eyes. "Oh, spare me! You two shouldn't have been fucking raw, then you wouldn't have this problem!"
I smacked Sawyor on the back of his head. "You're not helping," I said.
He knelt in front of Sienna, his tone softening. "Sienna, listen to me, okay? I'm going to speak to you as a big brother, not a doctor."
Sienna looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.
"You and Akhilles are grown, successful people. He cannot be upset about this pregnancy, and neither can you! You two laid down and created this child, so you need to put your big girl panties on and prepare to be parents!" Sawyor said firmly.
I couldn't help but laugh at Sawyor's big brother speech. "Sienna, he's right. But listen, you're not going to have to go through any of this alone. You know we will all be here for you through it all."
Sienna looked up at us, her eyes softening. "I don't know how to tell him," she admitted.
"Akhilles is in love with you. I'm sure he won't be as upset as you think," I reassured her.
"Yeah, besides, you won't be the only one pregnant for long," Sawyor teased, side-eyeing me.
I laughed, shaking my head. "Sawyor, please shut up."
Sienna wiped her eyes and said, "Speaking of him, has he spoken to you since the whole Beau situation?"
I sighed, feeling a pang of sadness. "No, he hasn't."
Sawyor shrugged. "It's been two days. He can't possibly be that upset."
"Well, I mean, he did walk in to see his father kissing his girlfriend's neck," Sienna pointed out.
"Sienna, you're not helping," Sawyor grumbled.
I forced a smile, hiding the sadness that Wyatt and I hadn't spoken since the incident. "Uh..I'll see you two at home. Congrats again, Sienna." I started walking out the door.
"Milia, come on, I didn't mean it like that," Sienna called after me, but I just shook my head and kept walking.
??Β°
I was exhausted after a long day, so I decided to stop by the store to pick up a few things.
I wanted to settle in for a cozy night, watch a movie, and lose myself in the comfort of my room.
The only thing I really wanted, though, was to talk to Wyatt.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tried giving him a quick call, but he didn't answer.
A sigh escaped my lips as I finished checking out and headed toward my car.
As I walked, a strange feeling crept over me.
I turned around, but the parking lot was empty.
Just as I was about to brush it off, I heard a noise in front of me.
My heart dropped, and I screamed when I saw someone standing right there.
My instincts kicked in, telling me to run, but before I could make a move, the person lunged at me, gripping my arms tightly. "Shhh." The person whispered.
I opened my mouth to scream, but before any sound could escape, he placed his hand over my mouth. Panic surged through me as he pulled back his hood, and my heart sank when I recognized him.
Malakai. My abusive ex, the one who was supposed to be in jail. How could he be out? My mind raced, and tears formed in my eyes as I looked into his face, seeing a disturbing smile. He looked differentβhis facial hair had grown wild, and his curly locs was gone.
"M-Malakai?" I stammered, my voice trembling.
"Hey, Milia. Did you miss me? Because I sure missed you," he replied, the edge in his voice making me shiver.
I whimpered and instinctively tried to pull away, but he just pulled me closer. "No, no, no, baby, are you scared?" he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. I was genuinely terrified but couldn't find any words to say something.
"You know, I still remember that time at the bar when your little boyfriend knocked me on my ass.
I can't lie; he definitely knocked me cold," he chuckled, reminiscing.
"I'll never forget that day. I'll also never forget when my little sister called me to tell me that you beat her up at the fair because she called you out. "
"Malakai, please... it wasn't like that," I protested weakly.
He laughed again, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine. "It's never like that with you, Milia. You're such a fucking liar it hurts. It hurts more to even know I was in a relationship with someone who lied so much."
Malakai then shoved me to the ground, and my belongings scattered around me.
I scrambled to stand, but he pushed me down again.
"Stand down, bitch; I'm speaking," he barked, towering over me.
I sat there, heart racing, looking up at him.
That's when I caught sight of an orange jumpsuit peeking out from under his hoodie.
"Malakai, did you escape from prison?" I gasped.
"Sure did, with the help of your little boyfriend's dad," he said, crouching down to meet my gaze. My heart dropped at his words.
"W-what? Beau helped you escape? Why?" I stammered, disbelief washing over me.
"Hmmm, I don't know... I guess I wasn't the only guy who hated how much of a bitch you could be," he sneered.
I was in shock, unable to comprehend that Wyatt's dad had anything to do with Malakai. How did they even know each other? "I never thought I'd meet someone who hates you more than me... but God, whatever you did to piss that man off? Whew," he continued.
"Malakai, what are you doing here?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"I'm here to kill you," he said simply.
My heart sank, and I instinctively began to back away.
I scrambled to my feet, desperate to escape, but he grabbed me by the neck.
In a moment of panic, I head-butted him.
He stumbled back, but only for a second.
Before I could make my getaway, he tackled me to the ground again.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, but he quickly wrapped his hands around my throat, choking me.
"I'll make sure you die a slow, painful death," he hissed, his grip tightening. I tried to fight back, but he was too strong, just as he always had been.
As the air left my lungs and my vision began to blur, tears streamed down my face. I realized this could be the end. Malakai was going to be the reason I died. I accepted my fate, staring into his eyes, waiting for the darkness to close in.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone rushed over and swung a pole, hitting Malakai on the back of the head.
He let out a yelp of surprise, and his grip on my neck loosened.
I gasped for air, my lungs burning as I tried to catch my breath.
Blinking through the haze, I saw Akhilles standing in front of me, eyes wide with panic.
"Milia, we need to leave now!" he shouted, reaching down to help me up. I grabbed his hand, and together we scrambled to my feet.
As we rushed toward his truck, I felt a mix of relief and lingering fear. Just as we reached the vehicle, I realized I left my keys behind. Panic surged through me. "Akhilles, IβI dropped my keys!" I exclaimed, glancing back at the parking lot.
"Don't worry about it!" he replied, urgency in his voice as he started the truck. "We'll get them later!"
He pulled out of the parking lot, and I turned to him, trying to steady my racing heart. "What were you doing at the store?" I asked, my voice shaky.
"Sienna asked me to stop and get her some snacks so I could come over. Apparently, she has something urgent she needs to tell me," Akhilles explained, and suddenly, I realized what that might mean. "Oh," I murmured, feeling a weight settle in my chest. "Have you talked to Wβ"
Before I could finish, a loud boom erupted from behind us, jolting my body in my seat. I turned to look back and saw my car being rammed by Malakai in a white 2020 Jaguar XF. My fucking car!
"Akhilles!" I screamed, my heart racing.
"Just hold on, Milia!" he shouted, gripping the steering wheel tighter as he sped down the highway.
"Call the police! Now!" he demanded, and my hands trembled as I reached for my phone.
I dialed 911, my voice shaky as I spoke. "Hi, my name is Milia Zorell, and I'm with my friend Akhilles Diggs. We're being attacked by my crazy ex-boyfriend who has broken out of prison!"
Malakai slammed into the back of the truck again, and the dispatcher said, "Okay, miss, what is the name of your ex-boyfriend?"
"His name is Malakai West," I replied, glancing back at him, seeing a sinister smile plastered on his face.
The dispatcher went quiet for a moment before saying, "Ma'am, Malakai West was reported as an escaped inmate three hours ago! Where are you?"
"We're currently on the exit 48 freeway! He's behind us in a white 2020 Jaguar XF! We're in a grey 2022 Ford F250 on the freeway! Please hurry!" I pleaded, my voice rising in desperation.
Malakai sped up, pulling alongside us, his expression twisted with rage. He swerved dangerously close, hitting our truck.
"Milia, hold on!" Akhilles shouted, trying to maintain control.
The dispatcher's voice came through again, "We're sending all units to you now! Do not hang up!"
I turned to the side, watching Malakai, and my heart raced as he grinned at me, his eyes widen as if he was a fucking psychopath. Just then, we approached an overhead pass, and I sensed what he was planning. He swerved again, this time with full force.
"Akhilles!" I screamed, my voice filled with terror as the truck began to lose control again
We swerved off the road, flying over the overhead pass. Time seemed to slow as we screamed together, and the truck flipped through the air, my world turning upside down. The airbags deployed with a loud whoosh, and I felt a sharp pain as my head collided with something hard.
Then everything went black.