Snowstorm of Our Past

"Can't pregnant women swim?" Remi laughed coldly.

"She's using her pregnancy as an excuse. She thinks that because I love her and spoil her, she can ignore everything I say! Ella, let's go inside. Don't worry about her. If she loses the baby, it's her own doing."

Ariel floated in the pond, watching Remi walk away with his arm around Ella. She suddenly laughed.

Tears poured from her eyes.

She remembered the day she found out she was pregnant.

Remi had cried until his eyes were red and held her, saying over and over, "Ariel, we're finally having a baby! You'll never leave me now! I swear, I'll never let you or the baby suffer any hardship for the rest of our lives."

But what was he doing now? For the sake of a lying woman, he struck his pregnant wife and threw her into a pond, then made her dive for a medal for another woman's child.

The man watching felt bad for her but still urged, "Ma'am, you need to hurry and find it. You're nine months pregnant. You could go into labor any time. I'm worried something will happen to you."

Even a stranger worried about her, but Remi was this cruel. She didn't answer, just bit her lip, dove underwater, and searched for that medal again and again.

From daylight to dark, the pond water grew colder and colder. She shivered but still couldn't find the medal.

At nine months pregnant, her body felt impossibly heavy. Every dive to the bottom felt like it would tear her organs apart.

The men on shore couldn't bear to watch anymore.

"It's already 10:00 pm. If this keeps up, she's going to collapse."

"But we can't go against the Commander's orders!"

After four full hours, Ariel's hands and feet had turned white and swollen from the water. Just when she was about to give up, the baby started kicking her, over and over.

The force grew stronger before turning into sharp, dragging pains. Cold sweat broke out across her skin as something warm flowed out of her body.

One of the men shouted in alarm, "God, there's blood! Pull her out of the water! Call the Commander!"

They dialed quickly, but Ella's voice came through the line. "Your Commander is with my son. He's busy. He said if Ariel can't find the medal, she's not allowed to come up."

The line went dead. The men looked at Ariel's weakening form and made a decision. "Forget it. We need to get her to the clinic now, or the baby won't make it either."

As they carried her out of the estate, Ariel turned to look back at the house. Warm light glowed from the windows. Remi was probably inside with Ella and her son, enjoying their happy family.

And her? She and her child were dying.

It was past 12:00 am when they got her to the clinic. Pain racked Ariel's abdomen. Her vision went dark.

The medic rushed her toward the delivery room in a panic. "Hurry! The patient is bleeding. She's going into labor!"

"Save my baby…"

"Don't worry. We'll do everything we can."

The medic called out urgently, "Where's the family? Someone get the husband in here!"

The men didn't hesitate. They called Remi again. But no matter how many times they dialed, he didn't answer.

Finally, he rejected the call outright.

One of the men looked helpless. "The Commander is busy…"

The medic stared at them in disbelief. "She's in this condition and he's too busy? He won't answer and he's rejecting calls? What if something happens to her during delivery?"