Chapter 2
The staff secured me at the zip line’s starting point, the tightening belt pressed painfully against my belly, making it hard to breathe.
My hands and feet were cold, trembling almost uncontrollably.
“Ethan, please, don’t do this. Think of our child…”
I tried one last time, my voice barely audible through the tears.
“Xixi is still so small, he can feel my fear, it will harm him.”
I gently rubbed my high belly, hoping the name Xixi would awaken some sense of fatherly responsibility in him.
Ethan frowned.
“Don’t use the child as an excuse.”
“Think of it as a special prenatal lesson for ‘Xixi,’ letting him feel the thrill of the world early.”
My heart constricted painfully; this man was a stranger now, and my last hope crumbled.
Emily came over, her smile sweet as she adjusted my clothes.
“Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. We’re all here watching.”
“Enjoy this ‘special’ love.”
A wave of dizziness hit me, and a dull ache began in my stomach, a foreboding sense rising within me.
Ethan impatiently checked his watch, loudly ordering the staff.
“Hurry up, don’t waste time. The investors are waiting for the demonstration!”
Emily stood next to me, “accidentally” bumping my pocket.
The bottle of prenatal medication I carried fell, the white pills scattering everywhere.
“No!”
Ethan heard the noise but only shot me a cold glare.
“What’s all this fuss now?”
His tone was full of irritation.
“The medicine… my prenatal medication…” My voice trembled, pointing to the ground.
“Don’t worry, sister-in-law, I’ll help you pick it up.”
Emily pretended to squat down but deliberately kicked the bottle further away.
It rolled to the platform’s edge, precariously close to falling off.
“Oh, sorry.”
She leaned close to my ear, ensuring only I could hear.
“Sister-in-law, these are useless now.”
Suddenly, a sharp pain twisted in my belly.
“Ethan, my stomach hurts, something’s wrong, we need to go to the hospital…”
Ethan waved dismissively.
“Stop pretending, it’s always the same. Do you think I’m stupid?”
He didn’t believe me at all, turning to comfort Emily with a smile.
“Ignore her, she’s just being dramatic.”
Emily nodded with feigned grievance, her hand subtly supporting Ethan’s arm.
The staff smirked, continuing to adjust the equipment, ignoring my cries for help.
The investors watched as if it were a show; no one spoke up for me.
I watched Ethan’s back, the man who once said he would give up everything for me.
The man who proposed to me that night, swearing to give me the world.
Somewhere along the way, his eyes no longer held room for me or our child.
Ironically, our child is named Xixi, while the project is called “Emily Canyon.”
Even the names are so similar, yet he carelessly divided them between two different “children.”
The staff signaled to Ethan that everything was ready.
Ethan nodded and walked to the control room.
Emily waved at me cheerfully, as if bidding farewell.
“Sister-in-law, enjoy yourself. Ethan and I will watch you from the control room.”
The timer started counting down, and my fear reached its peak.
“Ten, nine, eight…”
I closed my eyes, the pain in my belly growing more intense.
“Three, two, one!”
The zip line launched, propelling me into the void above the canyon.
As the weightlessness hit, a warm sensation flowed down my leg.
I looked down to see a streak of red staining my dress.