I laid on one of the beds, sweating and panting.

Every time I felt my eyes rolling to the back of my head, Agatha squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"You're doing amazing, Loretta."

"Breathe, Breathe."

I tried so hard to breathe just like she said but it wasn't so easy.

The burning sensation in my abdomen and lower back intensified each passing second.

"You're almost there. Just one more push." I heard Janet encourage me from where she assisted her father.

I tried to push again but I felt like I was being ripped from inside out.

"You're going to have your baby in your arms soon, Loretta." I heard Agatha's voice again.

For the first time, Theo spoke to me, "One more push, Loretta. You can do this."

His eyes was fixed on my baby while he spoke to me.

I took a deep breath and pushed with every ounce of strength that I had.

After what felt like forever, I heard a cry that I knew too well didn't belong to any adult in this room.

"My angel." I cried when Janet put her in my arms.

She was much more beautiful than I had imagined.

"Hey, Mommy's here. Don't cry, my love." I kissed her head.

Every pain that I felt within the last three hours, every pain that I had ever felt in my entire life melted away.

Nothing else mattered right now but my precious angel in my arms.

I didn't think of anything or anyone else.

Not Noah, not my seemingly bleak future.

Nothing else.

Nothing could replace the overwhelming love and peace that filled my heart.

Tears streamed down my face in joy.

Suddenly, I felt a fierce sense of overprotection.

I had brought this precious life into the world.

I would anything and everything to protect her.

"Congratulations Loretta. You do have one very beautiful baby." They all congratulated me and allowed me some time with my child before taking her for examination and cleaning.

I laid back on the bed while Theo administered an IV drip to me.

"Janet will clean up your daughter and bring her to you soon. Until then, I'll administer oxytocin to stimulate uterine contractions. You might get a little lightheaded but don't worry, it'll be gone after a good nap."

"When you've regained consciousness, I'll administer pain medications that'll help you feel better over time. My wife will have your dinner heated by then."

He explained as he inserted a needle into my arm.

As he had said, I began feeling lightheaded the moment the fluids began to flow into my vein.

"Once again, congratulations." He finished the IV treatment and proceeded to clean me up.

I was so dizzy and my eyelids felt so heavy. I didn't even bother fighting to keep them open.

"Thank you." I whispered to Theo before my eyes closed.

When I woke up, my head felt really heavy.

It felt like someone had driven a plank through my head and left it there.

I struggled to remember where I was and how I had even gotten here but my brain was too slow.

My eyes threatened to close but I fought to keep them open.

I couldn't recognize the ceiling I was staring at.

It looked familiar and I tried so hard to remember where I was but I just couldn't.

I felt something fluffy under me- a mattress.

I bent my head to the right, there was an empty bed beside me.

What was I doing in a hospital?

I heard the cry of a baby and my memories instantly returned to me.

How Jessica had helped me escape.

I left Scottin with Jake, to his family in Reinwade.

I remembered instantly falling in love with his family.

Agatha, Janet, Theo, I remembered them all.

They had assisted me during the birth of my baby.

Janet and Agatha left with my baby to clean her up while Theo had administered some medicine to me through an IV drip.

I had fallen asleep afterward.

My baby!

That was my baby crying.

"A...a...angel?" I called out to her.

I pressed my weight into the mattress in a bid to sit up but my body suddenly went limp.

I felt something cold flowing into my vein that only worsened my dizziness.

I tried so hard to move my arms and legs but neither would budge.

What the hell was happening?!

"Angel?" It was beginning to become difficult for me to speak.

It was like my tongue had twisted and swollen so much, it stuck out of my mouth.

I could feel the drool flowing down the side of my face.

"Angel!" I tried to scream but my voice barely came out as a whisper.

I managed to bend my head to the left where I saw someone standing really close to the IV pole.

My vision had suddenly become so blurry that I couldn't make out the face of the person.

"W....w....who are you?" My words sounded mumbled.

"Your daughter, she's really beautiful." Somehow, I can clearly hear the words of this person but I can't make out their voice.

I can't tell if it's feminine or masculine.

I strained my eyes, trying to make out any bodily feature that could help me tell the gender of this person but my vision is way too blurry.

"If you hadn't been foolish enough to try to run away after everything we gave you, you wouldn't be paralyzed and less that five minutes away from death, Loretta."

No.

It couldn't be.

Noah?

How had he even found me?

This couldn't be happening.

"P...p... please don't take her away from me. I promise, I'll never return to Scottin. I'll change my name and disappear for good, I promise."

I stared at my fingers, willing them to twitch, to flex, to do anything but they are lifeless and unresponsive.

More tears rolled down my face as frustration and fear bubbled inside of me.

I could hear rustling sounds, Noah had carried my child.

"Don't do this please." Speaking was useless as he can't even make out my words.

His frame covered my vision as he pushed himself in my face.

"On the brighter side, you didn't do anything stupid like trying to hurt the child. Your served your purpose and that's good enough."

No, no!

I can't even speak any longer at this point.

I'm screaming and raging inside but out loud, I'm silent, my voice trapped behind my lips that won't move.

Right before he moves away, something falls out of his shirt but hangs unto his neck.

I can make out the outline of the object. It's a necklace and there is a pendant attached to it with the letter 'M' boldly engraved in it.

Moore.

"You can rest in peace. I promise you, your child is in safe hands. Unlike you, she will grow up in affluence and wealth, as the Moore family heiress." I could hear the smile in his voice.

If only I could hold my baby, one last time.

"Goodbye, Loretta." The sound of footsteps followed and the gentle click of the door left me in silence.

With each passing second, my body became even more difficult to move.

My muscles screamed as loud as my voice in my head.

As I took in my last breath, my life flashed before my eyes.

All of the beautiful memories I shared with my father before he died, all the time I spent with my mother and sister.

The day I received my admission letter into College.

My mother had been so proud, she made my favourite food for the rest of the week, everyday.

My very first day of College, my mother had called twelve times to remind me to wear a thick sweater so I didn't fall sick.

We didn't have exceptional generational wealth but we had each other and we were happy.

That happiness started slipping away the day I met Noah.

I was immediately attracted to him.

While my sister fawned over my relationship with him, my mother never really agreed to him.

He had lied about his name but not about his wealth.

At that time, I had thought my mother just found every rich person suspicious and didn't really have a valid reason to disagree with our relationship.

I was so blinded by love, I didn't see the red flags.

He always made sure our dates were in private places.

Before our marriage, we never really went anywhere public together.

Even our wedding had been done in a very small church.

I never read special meanings to any of this.

Even after we got married, the same thing happened.

Once, I had given him a surprise visit at work to give him lunch.

He didn't show up even after the receptionist called his office over and over again.

And when he returned home, he had been so mad, we had a huge fight about my visit.

I was so in love with him, I was so desperate to keep our marriage that I was willing to do anything to please him.

My mother had thrown a big fit when I told her I wasn't going to practice neurosurgery.

Noah had promised to build a clinic for me because he didn't want me getting stressed out going in and out of operation rooms.

I thought he just wanted what was best for me.

I put away my dreams and happiness only to be a surrogate mother.

My family would never get to know the truth behind my death.

Since he had my baby now, he was probably not even going to be decent enough to tell them I had died.

I couldn't get to say my goodbyes to them, I will never be able to let my mother know that she wasn't being a problematic mother but she had been right all along.

Luke Garcia wasn't even a real person.

They will never be able to investigate my disappearance.

And my precious angel?

I wasn't even spared enough time to watch her grow.

I couldn't even get to hear her laughter.

She would never know who her real mother was.

Worse? She will grow up with wolves and call them family.

They will only ever love her for the purpose she will serve, the Moore family heiress.

She will never experience genuine, real love.

And that will all be because of me.

If I had been wiser with my plans, if I wasn't so blinded by love and realized who Luke truly was, maybe I could have given her a better life.

One where she was loved,one where she was happy, one where I was present.

It suddenly felt like hands were squeezing my chest.

Breathing became too hard.

I could neither breathe through my nose nor my mouth.

Fear and helplessness overwhelmed me.

I was aware of what was about to happen.

It was going to be over in a matter of time.

I pushed out thoughts of everything and everyone else so the only thing I was thinking of in my final moments, is my daughter.

Her beautiful face is the only thing I can see right now and the sound of her cries, filled my ears.

An image of her in my arms for the very first time, manages to comfort me as I slowly surrender to the dark.

Even when the cold hands of death pull me from the light of life, she still provides me with warmth.

Warmth that she'll never be able to feel, not in the midst of cold hearted killers.

"I failed you my angel and I'll never forgive myself for it. If I could get another chance to protect you, I promise I'll fight harder and fiercely to keep you safe, to keep you with me."

"I'm so sorry, my angel."