The Borrowed Womb

My best friend, Jayde Shepard, and I got pregnant at the same time.

She gave me a chubby baby charm, saying she’d had it specially blessed for me to help the baby grow strong.

However, just three months in, my belly had already swollen to an unnatural size, like I was about to give birth at any moment.

I went through every test at the hospital, but everything came back normal. With no answers left, I turned to the internet.

An anonymous user replied: "You’re wearing a cursed charm. She’s using your womb to grow her child. You’ll suffer the pregnancy, but your baby’s fate will be stolen."

I thought about how, ever since I got pregnant, she had quietly taken several of my clients.

A chill ran through me.

That night, I took off the charm and hung it around the neck of the pregnant sow in our yard instead.

The next day at work, Jayde Shepard hurried straight over to me the moment I walked in, her eyes flicking repeatedly toward my neck.

"Colette, why aren’t you wearing the charm I gave you?"

I answered casually, "I took it off to shower and forgot to put it back on."

To my surprise, Jayde instantly grew alert. "How could you forget something like that? I had that charm specially blessed for you. It helps the baby develop. Look at you, you’ve been looking better and better lately, and your belly’s already so big. That just proves the charm is working. Why wouldn’t you wear it?"

Seeing how strongly she reacted, I let out a quiet, inward sneer. 'You’re worried you can’t keep using me to carry it anymore, aren’t you?'

Keeping my face calm, I said, "If the charm’s really that good, then why hasn’t your belly changed at all? It’s still completely flat."

As I spoke, I reached out toward her stomach.

Jayde jerked back like she’d been shocked, immediately retreating a step. She pulled out the charm hanging around her neck and gave an awkward smile. "See? I wear mine every day too. Maybe my baby just isn’t as lucky as yours."

At three months, it was usually too early to tell, but with how slim Jayde was, she didn’t look pregnant at all.

I smiled back at her and said softly, "If wearing yours isn’t doing much, and I forgot mine today anyway, why don’t you let me borrow yours for a day?"

The moment the words left my mouth, her expression changed. Her face tightened, and she said seriously, "I had these charms made based on our birth charts. They’re different for each person. Wearing mine wouldn’t do anything for you."

The anonymous user had told me there were two charms. The one Jayde wore could release the child’s life essence, while mine absorbed it.

As long as she destroyed her own charm before the birth, her child would drain my baby’s fate and return to her womb.

Watching her reaction now, I felt a cold certainty settle in my chest. So it was true. Jayde really was planning to use my body to carry her child.

I gave a light laugh. "I was just kidding. Look how stingy you are. If the charm’s that good, why would I try to take yours?"

The moment I finished speaking, a sharp pain suddenly twisted through my stomach.

With no other option, I reached out to @HollowBranch again.

@HollowBranch replied, "You just removed the charm, so the life essence has separated from your body. Some reaction is normal. I’ll teach you a method to ease the pain temporarily."

I silently repeated the phrase they gave me several times. Sure enough, the pain gradually faded.

When I touched my stomach again, it had noticeably shrunk.

I had just let out a breath of relief when another message came through.

"The person who gave you that charm is vicious. She didn’t just use your birth data to have it made. She sealed a drop of her own blood inside it. Feeding the charm with blood lets that energy seep into your body. Even if you don’t wear it sometimes, she can still use your womb to grow her child."

A chill ran down my spine.

@HollowBranch continued, "I’ll tell you how to break it."

That night, as soon as I got home, I followed their instructions and cooked a pot of warm ginger oatmeal with brown sugar. I had three full bowls before I finally started to feel better.

Just as I finished eating, my phone rang.

It was Jayde.

"Colette, did you lose the charm I gave you?"