Lydia


    I sat on the examination table, the paper crinkling beneath me as I shifted. My fingers twisted together, my nails digging into my palms. Gloria stood a few feet away, her back to me as she prepared whatever tools she needed for the check up. “Alright,” she said, turning back to me with a clipboard in hand. “You ready to take a look?” I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I was. My stomach churned with nerves as she squirted the cold gel onto my abdomen and began the ultrasound.


    The machine beeped steadily, the faint whooshing sound of my heartbeat filling the room. “Wow,” She muttered underneath her breath. I craned my neck, wanting to know what the matter was. She smiled softly, and I didn’t think I was imagining the way her eyes glistened. “You’re pregnant with twins,” She informed tracing two faint outlines on the screen.


    Twins.


    I wasn’t carrying just one baby, but two? My hand went to my stomach. I had two tiny lives growing inside me. Two innocent souls I hadn’t nned for, hadn’t expected, and didn’t know how to protect in a ce like this. Gloria must have noticed the torn expression on my face because her eyes softened. “It’s a lot to take in, I know,” she said gently. “Do you have any family on the outside who could help? Someone to take care of you?”


    I thought about the people who had all turned their back on me.


    I shook my head. “No. It’s just me.”


    Her eyes searched mine, and not for the first time, I saw something other than detached professionalism in her gaze. There was empathy, curiosity. “What are you in here for, Lydia?” she asked quietly. I froze at her question, my breath hitching in my chest. My first instinct was to lie, to deflect, but somehow it didn’t feel right. It wasn’t like the crime I’d been jailed for was any secret anyway. There were only a few people who hadn’t gotten wind of what was one of the hottest gossip in the country.


    “It was my step father inw,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Her brows furrowed, but she didn’t interrupt. She simply nodded, urging me to continue.


    The memory washed over me like a tidal wave, dragging me back to that night.


    ***


    It waste, the kind ofte where even the moon seemed too tired to shine. I had gone downstairs to get some snacks and I was heading back to mine and Mason’s room when I heard the noise; muffled whimpers and soft grunts. Frowning, I’d traced the noise down to my step father inw’s room. My hands were shaking when I reached for the doorknob, my breath hitching in my throat when I heard Zoe’s muffled sob. “Stop,” she whimpered from inside the room, her tone thick with desperation. “Please, stop-”


    A cold dread settled in my chest, rooting me to the spot. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. God, please no. Let the situation not be what I was thinking. When Jared’s sickening growl followed, I realized it was exactly what I was thinking. “I’m doing this for you, Zoe, so it wouldn’t hurt when you want to do it with the boys at school.” he said, his voice low and menacing. “This is for your own good.” My ears rang. For her own good? He was sexually assaulting her for her own good? Something in me snapped. I pushed open the door, the force of it mming against the wall with a deafening crack.


    “What the hell are you doing?” I shouted, my voice shaking with rage as my eyes locked on the scene before me. Jared’s hulking frame loomed over Zoe’s trembling figure, his hands gripping her arms so tightly I could see the red marks already blooming on her pale skin. Zoe’s tear-streaked face turned toward me, her eyes wide with fear. She tried to run towards me but her step father easily grabbed her, pushing her behind him. “Lydia,” she croaked, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Jared’s head snapped in my direction, his eyes narrowing with cold fury. “Get out,” he barked, his grip on Zoe tightening as if daring me to intervene.


    “No,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. I stepped further into the room, my body trembling with equal parts fear and fury. “Let her go. Now.”


    Jared smirked, a cruel, twisted expression that sent chills down my spine. “And what are you going to do? You think you can stop me?”


    Zoe whimpered again, and that sound – it shattered something inside me. Without thinking, I lunged at him, grabbing his arm and trying to pry him away from her. He shoved me back with ease, sending me stumbling straight into the dresser. “Stay out of this,” he sneered. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” If anything his words only sent me into another daze of rage. No idea what I was dealing with? Everyone had epted this bastard as a member of the family, and this was how he repayed them? He pinned me to the ground, smiling devilishly above me.


    I struggled beneath him, trying to free myself. Before I could pry myself off of him, Zoe moved. Her hands darted toward the nightstand, and before I fully understood what was happening, she had Jared’s gun in her trembling grip. “Let her go!” she screamed, her voice breaking with panic as she pointed the gun at him. My eyes widened and I immediately tried to get her attention before she did something stupid. Jaredughed – a low, guttural sound that made my stomach turn.


    –


    “You don’t have the guts,” he said, getting off me and taking a step toward her.


    “Stop!” I shouted, trying to gain control of the situation. “Zoe, put the gun down!”


    His smile was mocking. “Do it. I dare-”


    The gun fired.


    Once. Twice. Three times.


    The deafening cracks echoed through the room, and then there was silence.


    Until Jared’s body hit the floor with a resounding thud.


    ***


    The memory faded, and I realized my hands were clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. I opened my mouth to continue, but no words came out. Gloria seemed to understand, rubbing my back soothingly as I silently cried. “It’s okay. You don’t need to let me know everything if it’s too much for you to handle right now,” She consoled. I squeezed her hand in a wordless thanks before cing my hand on my stomach, and trying to gather myself. I knew I was going to let her know everything eventually.


    Just not today.


    We were quiet for a moment, and then she ced a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot, Lydia. But those babies… they’re a chance for something good. Something worth fighting for.” Her words hung in the air, and as I looked back at the ultrasound screen, at the two tiny lives flickering on the monitor, another tear slipped down my cheek. She was right. My babies were my only chance for a better life. As I went back to work, I knew no matter how broken or lost I felt, I