This Isn’t Giving Up,It’s Choosing Myself

3: 3

Daniela nodded, took the dress in her arms, and went into the changing room.

It wasn't long before she came out wearing the gown that was supposed to be mine. The fit was uncanny, as if the dress had been made for her body from the start.

Russ looked at her, and there was no hiding the awe and infatuation in his eyes.

In that moment, I understood everything.

All those times he'd made me alter the sizing, it had never been to fit my body.

It had been adjusted, inch by inch, to Daniela's taste, and my stomach turned.

Daniela lifted the hem and took two steps toward me.

Then she cried out and pitched forward, straight into me.

Russ lunged over in long strides and caught her firmly against him, and his knee slammed hard into my stomach.

Pain tore through my belly, and I dropped to the floor.

Daniela leaned into Russ, clutching her ankle, eyes brimming with tears.

"Russ, it hurts so much. I stepped on the hem by accident."

He checked her foot anxiously, his whole face soft with worry for her.

When his gaze landed on my hand pressed to my stomach, his eyes went cold and contemptuous in an instant.

"Lily, you want his attention so badly you'll stoop to faking an illness now?"

"Because of you my hand can't drive a race car anymore, and now you want to hurt Dani's feet too, the feet she dances on?"

The pain left me unable to speak. All I could do was bite down hard on my lower lip.

A warm liquid trickled slowly down the inside of my thigh.

My eyes went wide with terror.

My baby.

"Russ, help me."

I reached toward him with everything I had, my voice so faint it was almost gone.

But Russ let out a cold laugh and kicked my outstretched hand away.

"Drop the pitiful act. Apologize to Dani right now, or you're not walking out that door today."

The cramping in my belly grew more violent, and my vision began to blur.

I looked at the disgust on his face, and at the quiet triumph in Daniela's eyes as she hid against his chest.

And all at once everything felt like it had lost its meaning.

I looked at them, my voice strangely calm.

"I'm sorry."