Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 117774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
“We gave her a spinal tap. She will have some feeling, though not all. She will go in and out of consciousness.”
My eyes fluttered closed as a rush of cool air whisked over my lower abdomen. I winced, turning from left to right. I couldn’t have scars, I knew that. So either they were going to kill me anyway—or…
I realized they were between my legs. Pause, silence, then a soft wail of a baby crying. Someone entered from behind the doctor, and I begged, pleaded with my body to move.
“Give me my baby!”
“Give her more. I can’t work with her awake.”
“I’m going to kill you one day, Kennedy, and I’m going to think of my child while doing it.”
She ignored me, and I lay back down on the bed with tears rolling down the corners of my eyes, wetting my pillow. They worked in silence, and every now and then I’d wiggle my toes to see if I could move anything. Frustration seized me every single time when nothing worked. I vowed I would kill her. I would.
“What are you going to do with the child?” My tone was flat, and doors were opening and closing. The soft cries of my newborn continued to disappear, and with every fading cry, I found my hope slipping. By the time I could move, they could have taken him or her anywhere.
“She will be safe for now. She’s valuable to us. Now you are not.”
A sob escaped me and I allowed all of the pain and loss to crush me. “Please don’t take my baby, Kennedy. How could you?”
“Easy,” she murmured, and then tools dropped onto a sterile plate. “Because, unlike you, I know what I want. And what I want is power. All of it.”
My lips cracked around my next words. “She is your grandchild.”
She didn’t answer, and I knew she must’ve been shocked that I knew that, since she had never once implied or said it. “That means nothing to me, Lilith.” Removing her gloves, she came to the side of my bed near my head, resting her palm on my head. Blood and fluid stained her gown, but I didn’t care. I wanted my child. “You gave birth, and then I performed your hysterectomy.”
I didn’t care about the hysterectomy. I just wanted my child.
“There’s around a thirty percent survival rate when doing this directly after childbirth. In fact, it’s so dangerous that no one does it.”
My shoulders shook as the tears continued to roll.
“Your punishment starts now, Lilith, and may God help you. Because we sure as hell won’t.”
As soon as the door opened and closed, Kij and my father entered. Both dressed in suits, they stared down at my nude, broken body.
Kij whistled. “Well, sorry, Little Doll. The next seven days are going to be painful for you, but don’t worry.” He patted my shoulder and my tears stopped. Sweat pooled around the creases of my neck, but the only thing that was rushing through my mind now was how I was going to kill him. And my father. And more theatrically her. Kij looked up at Kosta and nodded. “Pull her up.”
Both of their arms were beneath me on either side, all my weight falling against my armpits. They hiked me up until I held myself up on either side, and that’s when I heard it. Splashing sounds. Like water balloons being thrown against concrete. I sobbed, looking down between my legs and seeing the blood clots that slid out, hitting the floor with crushing explosions.
“Think of it this way.” Kosta chuckled beside me. “You’re going to get all that bleeding taken care of real fast.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about or where I was going, but I squeezed my eyes closed and let them carry me wherever they were going. Minutes passed, my tears drying. I’d lost my child for right then, but I would get her back. I would. If I survived, that’s all I would do.
Someone grabbed my wrist and I opened my eyes. I was in the middle of the bar. People I knew—surrounded me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, finding Kosta to plead with him. “Get me out of here!”
“No.”
He pulled me up onto a makeshift stage, when I realized I was being tied to a long piece of wood. He yanked my arms above my head and wrapped the rope around my wrists and to the wood, tying it tightly.
“Please, no—” I would not cry again.
They stopped talking. Kij bent down and did the same knot around one ankle, pulling my legs wide and wrapping the rope around another piece of wood that looked to be lying vertically near my feet like an upside-down cross. Kosta did the same on my other. No one spoke a word. My eyes flew around the room, but The Dolls weren’t there. Bear was gone. No one I trusted was in this room, though I knew they couldn’t do anything to help me. This was my punishment, and I was sure I would not survive. The pain hadn’t even kicked in at full effect yet.