Chapter 13

From a distance, Sophia caught sight of Eva holding a child in her arms. Her body was a mess of old wounds and new injuries. She had to rely on crutches, dragging herself forward with a grim determination. "Look who it is—long time no see, Sophia. I was sure you'd be dead after they sliced you up and drained your blood like some human filter, not to mention that car crash. But here you are." Eva smirked, head tilted high like she was on a stage. "Guess it's true, cockroaches really don't die easily." "You didn't call me here just for a chat, did you, Eva? Say it—what do you want from me to give my child back?" Hatred flared in Sophia's eyes just at the sight of her. Eva snickered, "It's freezing out here. Why don't we take this inside?" But the moment Sophia stepped into the old warehouse, a group of thugs jumped her, slamming her onto the ground. "What the hell are you doing, Eva?!" "Doing? Didn't I spell it out in that message? On the way here, these $700 shoes of mine got dirty. You got work to do." Sophia barely had time to react before the thugs shoved her face down in front of Eva's shoes. "Not gonna lick? Don't you want your kid back?" That saccharine, fake voice of Eva's made Sophia's stomach turn. Her nostrils flared as tears welled up, but in the end, she bowed her head and cleaned the damn soles with her tongue. Her child… that was all she had left. More than her life… Way more than her pride… "Now you'll give the kid back, right?" Dirt smeared around her lips, Sophia still lowered her head, voice breaking. "Chill. I'm not done with you yet. Strip. Lucas was obsessed with your body, so I'm guessing you're decent in bed. My guys are curious too." "Eva, aren't you afraid Lucas will come after you for this?!" "Seriously?" Eva erupted in laughter, resting a hand on her hip. "Sweetie, you think you'd have even seen the kid if Lucas hadn't given the go-ahead? You're useless now. He can't wait to get rid of you—why would he stop me from taking out the trash for him?" Lucas. Again. Time and time again, the betrayals, the pain—she thought she was numb by now. But right then, it all came crashing back, sharp and unbearable.After a long silence, she finally looked Eva straight in the eye and said, "Fine. I'll do it. But I want to see the baby first." "What's that supposed to mean? You think I brought a fake one?" Sophia gave a dry laugh, her lips twitching. "Can't be too sure, can I?" "Whatever, it's not like you can pull anything off." Eva scoffed, then picked up the baby and flashed it in front of Sophia's face for just a second. But that brief glance was all Sophia needed to suddenly lunge forward with everything she had! The sheer intensity of her rage and hatred caught Eva completely off guard. In that split second she froze—and in the next, the baby was already in Sophia's arms. "Baby, baby, it's mommy. I'm here to take you home!" She didn't even have time to check if the baby was okay. She turned and ran. …Only to be tripped and slammed to the concrete floor by one of the kidnappers. In pain, bleeding from her reopened wounds, Sophia ignored it all and hastily looked down at the baby. But after that fall… the tiny, skinny newborn lay there with eyes closed, mouth sealed tight—not even the slightest movement. In that instant, it felt like Sophia's whole world shattered, like she was falling into a pitch-black endless void. She gently leaned in to feel the baby's breath. …Nothing. She pressed her ear to his chest. …Still nothing. She touched his skin. …Ice cold. And then, in that suffocating silence, the sound of mockery erupted—Eva and the others were laughing their heads off. "Hahaha!" "Hahahaha!" "Sophia, your kid's been dead for a while! Just a pathetic corpse now. And you're still clinging to him like he's treasure—ha!" "Eva… I'll kill you!" Sophia's eyes flooded with blood-red fury. She lunged at Eva, hands clamped around her throat, trying to drag her into death together. Eva started to choke, her face turning red—but quickly, the kidnappers rushed in and peeled Sophia's fingers off, one by one. They yanked Eva away. "Kill her! Do it! Kill her now!" Eva screamed like a madwoman. She grabbed a can of gasoline she'd stashed nearby and doused the ground, tossing a lit lighter before anyone could stop her. The fire exploded to life. Inside the abandoned warehouse, Sophia clutched her lifeless baby in her arms. She didn't move, didn't flinch—like a statue—letting the flames consume her whole.