Chapter 31 Kashmere Charm #2
Capable hands? My whole body felt like it was collapsing on itself. My mind was spinning too fast to think straight. The pain in my stomach kept coming in waves now, stronger each time. I wanted to stand up, to run, but my legs felt weak.
Before I could say anything else, two large men walked into the room. They looked like they worked for her. Both had broad shoulders, dark suits and no emotion on their faces. One of them pulled out a gun and pressed it against my head.
“Get up,” he said coldly.
My heart felt like it stopped. Tears ran down my face as I slowly tried to stand. My knees buckled, and another contraction hit so hard I cried out. Abeni turned to them, still calm. “Be gentle with her,” she said softly. “She’s a first-time mother.”
They held me by my arms and half-dragged, half-walked me toward the living room. My feet felt like they weren’t even touching the floor. The pain came again, sharper this time, radiating from my stomach down to my thighs. I cried out, clutching my belly, but they didn’t stop.
When we reached the living room, I gasped.
Treasure was already there, laying down thick blankets and clean sheets on the floor.
There were towels folded neatly, a bowl of warm water, medical gloves, and a small suction bulb.
The smell of disinfectant mixed with the metallic scent of fear in the air.
And then I saw Lyrick…
He was sitting on the couch with a gun pressed to his temple. His face was swollen, his lip busted, his eyes tired and defeated. He looked up when he saw me, his face crumpling in pain and confusion. “Kashmere…” he whispered, his voice hoarse.
I screamed. “Oh my God, Lyrick!”
One of the men shoved me down toward the pallet. My body was shaking uncontrollably. Treasure crouched beside me, her tone calm but firm. “Kashmere, listen to me,” she said. “You’re going to have to breathe through it, okay? Just breathe. I know you’re scared, but your body knows what to do.”
I couldn’t hear her. Everything felt distant, like I was underwater. My whole body was consumed by pain. My hands gripped the sheets beneath me, and I tried to focus on the rhythm of my breathing, but every time I exhaled, a sob broke through.
Treasure put on her gloves and checked me, her face calm but focused. “She’s three and a half centimeters,” she said, glancing toward Abeni.
Abeni nodded slowly, folding her arms. “Right on time.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight, but my body was in so much pain.
The contractions kept coming, each one stronger than the last, until I thought I might pass out.
Treasure was by my side the whole time, pressing a cool cloth to my forehead, whispering for me to breathe, rubbing my lower back, and adjusting me into positions that were supposed to help the baby move down.
Hours passed. The sun went completely down, and the living room filled with the glow of a lamp. I was drenched in sweat, crying, gripping Treasure’s arm so tight I left marks.
When she checked me again, her tone shifted. “She’s ten centimeters. It’s time.”
Abeni moved closer, her expression unreadable. Lyrick was still on the couch, shaking his head, tears in his eyes. “Please, just let her go,” he begged, his voice broken.
“Push, Kashmere,” Treasure said firmly.
“I can’t,” I sobbed. “I can’t—”
“You can,” she said, her voice strong now. “You have to. Do it for your baby.”
I pushed with everything I had left. Pain tore through me like fire, ripping my vagina open from the inside.
I screamed until my throat burned. Treasure kept her voice calm, guiding me, telling me when to push, and when to breathe.
Lyrick was crying on the couch, whispering prayers under his breath.
Then I heard the sound of my baby crying.
My whole body went limp. Tears ran down my face as I reached my arms out, desperate to hold him. But instead of handing him to me, Treasure lifted him carefully, cut the umbilical cord, and turned to Abeni.
Abeni took him in her arms, rocking him gently with that same calm expression. “He’s beautiful,” she said lowly, smiling down at him.
“No, please!” I screamed, trying to sit up, my body trembling. “Please, Abeni, give me my baby! Please!”
She didn’t even look at me. Her attention stayed on my baby as she rocked him slowly. Then she finally lifted her eyes to the man holding the gun to Lyrick’s head.
Before I could say anything, the man pulled the trigger.
The sound was quiet but sharp, a quick pop that echoed through the room like it could’ve been a silencer. Lyrick’s head fell forward, blood dripping down his shirt.
I screamed so loud it felt like my lungs tore. My whole world collapsed. I had just brought life into the world and watched another one end.
Through my tears, I looked at Abeni, but she didn’t flinch.
She just rocked my baby like nothing had happened.
“You’ll live, Kashmere,” she said softly.
“Only because my son wishes it. But understand something. Going to the police will be useless. Coming after me or my family would be suicidal. This child is your debt, and I came to collect.”
Her voice was calm, almost kind, like she was giving advice instead of destroying my life.
As her men began removing every camera from the walls, Abeni turned with my baby still in her arms and walked toward the door. Treasure followed in silence with her eyes low.
And then they were gone…
I was left lying there, bleeding, probably needing stitches, shaking, and staring at Lyrick’s lifeless body. The house was quiet again, but it didn’t feel like home anymore. It felt like the end.