A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four (Elite of Eden Falls Prep 4)

I cry out in unison with the doctor when she runs the blade over his cheek. Blood dribbles down his face.

"Any other comments, doc?" she asks him sweetly.

"N-No, please," he stutters. "Just let me go. Please. Just let me go. I've done nothing. I just want to leave."

"I bet you do." She pouts. "But you've already fucked up now, haven't you, doc? I can't trust you anymore. You're a traitor. And you know what I do with traitors?"

He stares at her, immobilized and terrified as she plunges the knife in his chest, giggling.

My scream echoes in the room as she laughs out loud.

"I kill them, doctor. I fucking kill them."

The doctor gurgles blood. She leaves him on the floor. I watch her pull the knife out of his chest in disbelief. This can't be happening, this can't be real. Please God, don't let this be real.

"L-Lily Anna," I whisper. "Didn't you h-hear what he said? We need to go to a hospital... I could bleed out."

"Do I look like I give a shit?" she snarls. "Just keep pushing, you dumb slut. Get my baby out."

"Your-but... I..." A scream rips through my body and I realize I don't have a choice. This baby is coming whether I want it to or not—I can't stop what's happening now. I'll just have to give birth here, and have my revenge later.

The pain is so intense I keep passing out from it. To Lily Anna's credit, she stays by my side, never leaving as I struggle. At one point, I look down between my legs and cry out when I see the amount of blood staining the snow white sheets.

"T-This doesn't look normal," I cry. "Please, you have to get me to a doctor!"

"Maybe if you weren't such a dumb bitch, the doctor would still be here," she snarls. "But you made me do this. You made me kill him. It's all your. Fucking. Fault!"

"Please, Lily Anna." Panic floods me. I'm wet and sticky with my own sweat and blood and I've never been more scared in my life. Not just for my own life, but the baby's too. "Please, I'm begging you, get me the help I need."

"Shut up," she hisses. "Keep pushing."

She positions herself in front of my spread legs. Her eyes widen when she sees the state of me, but she doesn't address it. Instead, she just waits while I do the pushing.

I don't know how long it all lasts. I'm too disoriented, too exhausted, in too much pain to pay attention to anything but the contractions twisting my body and making me double over. And then I hear it, through the thick fog that has descended in front of my eyes. A baby crying.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god."

I look up. My lashes are heavy, tears are dripping down my face, and I'm feeling lightheaded. I see her then, Lily Anna, holding up a baby boy. He's a boy—definitely a boy—and he's beautiful. Perfect.

Turns out, I don't need that paternity test at all. The moment the baby enters the world, I know who his father is.

"Reign," I whisper. "My baby Reign."

I'd chosen the name weeks ago, but had kept it a secret from Lily Anna until now. I didn't want her prying or trying to make my decisions for me. I didn't want her trying to dissuade me from using the name. And now she turns to face me. Her motherly expression of love shifts instantly into cool rage.

"That's not his name," she hisses. "You don't get to name him."

"He's my son," I rasp, but she pays me no mind. I watch her cut the umbilical cord and wipe the baby gently. He's quiet now. Almost too quiet. He only cried once or twice. "Give him to me, Lily Anna. Give me my son."

"He's not yours." She begins dressing him up and I stare at them, feeling frozen. "But here's the deal, Pandora. I'm going to play a little game with you, a game of chance. You like those?"

I can't even answer. My mouth feels thick, and so does my head. I can barely whimper.

"See, my plan was this..." Lily Anna comes up close to me and smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I was going to kill you. Then go back with the baby and tell everyone it was mine. Lai was the father, of course. He forced himself on me, so I had to kill him. I escaped then, soon discovering I was pregnant. And then I gave birth early to my son. Little Dexter Junior."

"You're s-sick," I manage to get out through gritted teeth. She shrugs, smiling.

"I had to do what I had to do to get Dex back. He's not yours, Pandora. He never was." She covers me with a blanket and I watch blood bloom on the light pink fabric. "I slipped something in your drink tonight. You didn't even notice, did you?"