Lily hadn't left. She seemed to have just finished a shower, her damp hair draped casually over her shoulders. She was wearing my old nightgown from before I got pregnant, the fabric stretched tight over her ample figure.
When she saw me, she let out a startled gasp, as though I were an unwelcome intruder in her home.
"Oh, you're back, Cammy," she said with feigned surprise, her voice laced with artificial sweetness. "I just got back from abroad. My own place isn't ready yet, and Mark kindly offered to let me stay here. You don't mind, do you?"
Even as she spoke politely, her eyes ignored the open neckline of my nursing clothes, and she walked right up to me, her presence brimming with unspoken provocation.
Her lips, painted in an exaggerated pout, curved upward as she purred, "Mark, Cammy looks great even after pregnancy. She must have really taken good care of herself."
But in the corner of her gaze, the one Mark couldn't see, mockery gleamed. She stared pointedly at my sagging breasts and the stretch marks scrawled across my abdomen, as if to underline my imperfections.
Mark, oblivious to her veiled hostility, took her words at face value. "Are you kidding? She's lazy as anything. Ever since she gave birth, she hasn't even bothered putting on makeup." He chuckled, as though reciting a joke.
"Lily, you're too kind for your own good, always speaking up for her like this," he added.
His words flowed freely now, cruel in their ease. "Just look at her flab, piling up like layers of dough. I told her to lose weight, and she acts like I'm torturing her.
"Other women bounce back after giving birth like nothing happened. But it seems I've spoiled her too much, and now she's just… fragile."
Lily burst into giggles, her delicate arms playfully swatting his shoulder. "Oh, Mark, I never knew you were so funny! Stop it, or Cammy's going to get mad."
"Mad? Over what? I'm just stating facts."
I felt my hands tremble as I held my son tighter. If it had been only Lily's taunts, I might have endured it, brushing it off as insignificant. But my husband—my partner, my son's father—had no hesitation in slicing through my vulnerabilities, all for the sake of making her laugh.
The fragile threads of dignity I'd clung to shattered into shards.
I pulled my clothes tighter around me, trying in vain to hide my stomach. Blinking back tears, I forced myself to look Lily in the eye.
"Get out," I growled.
Lily froze, her expression faltering. "What did you say, Cammy?"
"I said get out. Get out of my house. Now."
Her shoulders shook, her face paling as tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks like a broken dam.
"Mark," she whimpered, her voice quivering with manufactured sorrow, "Cammy really doesn't like me. I shouldn't have come back. I shouldn't have imposed on anyone."
And just like that, she turned on her heel, still wearing my silk nightgown, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor as she fled.
"Lily!" Mark shouted after her, his voice frantic.
His gaze turned to me, blazing with fury. He shoved me roughly.
"Cammy, have you completely lost your mind?" he snarled.
"She was just being kind, and you threw a tantrum for no reason! Do you even know how cold it is outside? Lily's only wearing a nightgown. If she gets sick, will you take responsibility?"
"Come with me," he demanded, grabbing my collar. "We're going to find her, and when we do, you're going to apologize."
Our son, nestled in my arms, began wailing in fear, his cries piercing through the room. But Mark didn't care. He tugged at me forcefully.
My body hadn't fully recovered, and Mark's pace was relentless. I could only trail far behind, watching him frantic over another woman.
After combing through eight streets without any sign of Lily, he lost his composure entirely.
"Cammy, can't you stop dragging your feet on purpose?" he snapped, spinning around to glare at me. "What if something happens to Lily because of you?"
Before I could muster a response, his phone rang.
He answered it almost instantly, and even in my state, I noticed the peculiar ringtone—distinct and unmistakably personalized. From the other end came Lily's panicked scream.
"Don't touch me! Help—! Mark, save me!"
"Lily! Where are you? Don't be scared, I'm come for you!" His voice was sharp with desperation.
The line went dead with a harsh click before any reply came through.
Mark turned to me, his eyes wild, and yanked my arm, ignoring my resistance as he broke into a run.
"Let me go, Mark! My wound hurts!" I pleaded, but he didn't even glance back.
"Stop faking it already!" he barked. "At a time like this, you still want to put on an act? Do you want Lily to get hurt? Cammy, you're freaking vicious!"
The pain was unbearable now, and my protests choked in my throat. All I could do was let him drag me along.
Finally, in a narrow alley, Lily's scream pierced the air again.
Several men stood around her, jeering and taunting.
Mark charged forward, his fury palpable as he swung at them. In just a few blows, the men scattered like leaves caught in a storm.
"Mark… it's really you… You came to save me…" Lily's voice wavered as she clung to him, and before she could finish, her body went limp in his arms.
"Lily! Don't scare me. Are you okay? Stay with me!" His voice was trembling now, all gentleness and panic.
He cradled her in his arms and turned to leave without so much as a glance in my direction.
"Mark, take me too," I called out weakly, my voice shaking from the pain spreading through my abdomen and lower body. Warmth pooled beneath me, and dizziness crept into my vision.
But Mark didn't even pause.
"Stop pretending, Cammy. Were you scared too?" His words dripped with scorn. "If you hadn't been so jealous of Lily, would she have run off? Would she have gone through this? You did this to her.
"You've got hands and feet, don't you? Go back yourself. When Lily wakes up, I'll settle things with you."
With that, he ran out of the alley, Lily still unconscious in his arms, heading straight for the hospital.
Darkness began closing in on me. I clutched at my fading strength, barely managing to send my location to Stacy before everything went black.
