Just when I’m starting to relax—maybe Anton’s right; I should rest more, I’m starting to hallucinate—I see it again.
A pair of icy blue eyes.
Marina.
They’re gone as soon as they appear. Just a swish of blonde hair disappearing into the crowd.
And my heartbeat pounding like a drum as one thought goes through my head again and again.
She’s here.
She’s here.
She’s here.
And I’m all alone…
I turn on the spot. The throngs of people that surround me are doing nothing to calm my nerves. I want one person, and he’s nowhere to be found.
I take in a big breath to calm my nerves, but it doesn’t seem to fill my lungs. I try again, and instead, I end up choking on nothing at all.
When I straighten up again, I notice a few people throwing me looks. A blonde woman asks me if I’m okay, and I jerk back from her so violently that she backs off with a scared expression on her face.
I’m panicking now, full-on melting down. I start roving between the stalls, desperately trying to locate a familiar face. It’s all strangers as far as the eye can see, no one familiar, no one friendly—
And then I see Margaret’s profile.
“Oh thank God,” I utter breathlessly.
I’m walking towards her when a blonde approaches Margaret. I can’t see the woman’s face, but another fear grips me. What if Margaret is working for Marina? What if this is all a trap to lure me to the market so that Marina could finish me and my baby off? I don’t know them, I can’t trust them, I can’t—
I suck in air, but it only seems to cut off my circulation. Oh God…
I realize belatedly that I’m hyperventilating. My vision is going foggy and there’s pain in my lower abdomen that I haven’t felt in days.
“Oh God… no…” I whisper to no one in particular. “Please no…”
My knees buckle, and suddenly, I can feel the damp grass underneath my fingertips. Someone calls out. More gasps and yells.
Then I see Margaret turning towards me, recognizing me.
I almost expect her to smile in sinister fashion, but apparently, my paranoia has gotten the better of me, because instead of the evil smirk I’m expecting, she starts moving fast toward me. Her limp is more pronounced when she trots, but her expression is all concern.
“Honey,” she gasps, falling to her knees in front of me. “Honey, what’s happening?”
I shake my head even as my eyes dart around the crowd. I see Marina’s face again. She’s staring at me from two stalls down. But the spots in front of my eyes are blurring my vision. I can’t even tell if I’m really seeing her or not.
“Where’s Anton?” I whisper. “It hurts so bad…”
The look of alarm on Margaret’s face is what alerts me to the fact that something is deeply wrong. I follow her gaze down.
That’s when I realize that there’s blood on the front of my white dress.
“Don’t worry, dear,” Margaret whispers to me. “You’re going to be okay.”
“No… no, I don’t think I am, Margaret,” I sob. “I think I’m losing my baby.”