Chapter 1: The Silence After Impact
The room didn’t erupt the way chaos usually does.
It went quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of silence that stretches thin over something fragile—like glass about to shatter.
Khloe Thorne’s breath caught halfway in her chest as the pain spread slowly, not sharp, not loud—just heavy. A weight pressing inward. Her hand moved instinctively to her abdomen, fingers trembling, not from panic but from something deeper… instinct.
Across from her, the woman who had delivered the kick stood frozen.
Not triumphant.
Not even angry anymore.
Just… still.
As if she hadn’t expected the world to stop with her.
A nurse dropped a clipboard somewhere behind them. The sound snapped the room back into motion. Footsteps rushed in. Voices layered over one another, low but urgent.
“Get a doctor—now.”
“Careful, careful—don’t move her too fast.”
Khloe didn’t scream. She didn’t cry.
She just whispered, barely audible—
“I’m okay…”
May you like
But her eyes said something else.
Something no one in that room could ignore.
