The next morning, two police officers came to my hospital room. They looked serious and a bit uncomfortable.
"Mrs. Lucy?" one of them asked. I nodded.
"We're here about the report Dr. Simmons filed. Can you tell us what happened?"
I took a deep breath and told them everything. About Aris's confession, our fight, and how she stomped on my stomach. My voice shook as I described losing my baby.
The officers wrote everything down. They asked a lot of questions, some of them hard to answer. But I told the truth, all of it.
"We'll need to investigate this further," one officer said when I finished. "We'll be talking to Aris and others who might have seen what happened."
Just then, there was a commotion outside my room. I heard Cherish's voice, loud and angry.
"You can't do this! This is pack business!" she yelled.
The door burst open. Cherish stormed in, followed by Alfred. They both looked furious.
"What have you done?" Cherish demanded, glaring at me. "How dare you involve authorities in pack matters!"
The officers stepped between us. "Ma'am, this is a criminal investigation. Please step back."
Alfred looked at me, his face a mix of anger and confusion. "Lucy, why didn't you come to me about this? We could have handled it within the pack."
I felt tears in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Because you chose her side before. Why would this time be any different?"
The room fell silent.
One of the officers cleared his throat. "We'll need to speak with Aris. Where can we find her?"
Cherish's face went pale. Alfred looked away.
"What?" I asked, suddenly scared. "Where is she?"
Alfred finally spoke, his voice quiet. "She's also not feeling well as a result of the fight. While they were at each other, Lucy also matched her which resulted in her having complications but thankfully she did not loose her child like Lucy did.
I looked at Alfred, too stunned to speak. What the hell did he just say? Lying and covering up for her.
The officers looked between Alfred and me, confusion clear on their faces.
"So, it was a mutual fight?" one of them asked Alfred.
Alfred nodded, not meeting my eyes. "Yes, they both got physical. It was unfortunate, but not intentional."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Tears started rolling down my cheeks, but this time they were tears of anger.
"That's not true!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "She attacked me! She deliberately stomped on my stomach to kill my baby!"
The officers exchanged glances, looking uncomfortable.
"Mrs. Lucy," one of them said gently, "if this was just a fight that got out of hand..."
"It wasn't!" I screamed, trying to sit up in my bed. "Why won't you believe me? They're lying to protect her!"
Cherish stepped forward, her face a mask of false concern. "You see, officers? She's clearly distraught. This has all been a terrible misunderstanding."
I looked at each of them - the officers, Cherish, and finally Alfred. I saw no support, no belief in my words. Just pity and lies.
"You're all evil," I spat out, my body shaking with rage and despair. "How can you stand there and lie? How can you protect someone who killed an innocent baby?"
The officers started backing towards the door. "We'll... we'll look into this further," one of them said, but I could tell they didn't believe me.
As they left, I turned my fury on Alfred and Cherish. "How dare you? How could you do this to me? To our baby?"
Alfred looked pained, but Cherish just glared at me. "You brought this on yourself," she hissed. "Learn your place, or next time will be worse."
They left me alone in the room, my screams of anger and grief echoing off the walls. I had never felt so betrayed, so alone. In that moment, I knew I couldn't stay with this pack anymore. I had to find a way out, no matter what it took.
After they all left, I lay in my hospital bed, feeling more alone than ever. My body shook with sobs as I realized how truly trapped I was. The pack, the people I thought were my family, had turned against me completely.
A nurse came in, looking worried. "Mrs. Lucy, is everything okay? We heard shouting."
I wiped my tears, trying to compose myself. "I'm fine," I lied. "Just upset about... everything."
She nodded sympathetically and checked my vitals. As she was about to leave, an idea struck me.
"When can I be discharged?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
The nurse looked surprised. "Well, Dr. Simmons wanted to keep you for observation for a few more days, but physically, you're recovering well. Why do you ask?"
I forced a smile. "Just wondering. Thank you."
As soon as she left, I started planning. I couldn't stay here, couldn't go back to the pack. I needed to escape, to start over somewhere new.
That night, when the hospital was quiet, I carefully got out of bed. My body ached, but determination pushed me forward. I found my clothes in a small closet and changed quickly.
Peeking out into the hallway, I saw it was empty. Heart pounding, I made my way to the elevator, praying I wouldn't run into anyone who knew me.
Once outside, the cool night air hit my face. I took a deep breath, feeling very anxious . Where would I go? How would I survive? I didn't know, but anything was better than going back to that pack.
I started walking, each step taking me further from my old life and towards an uncertain future. As I reached the main road, I stuck out my thumb, hoping someone would give me a ride to anywhere but here.
A car slowed down, and I held my breath. This was it. The start of my new life, away from Alfred, Aris, and all the pain they had caused me.
As I opened the car door, I whispered a silent goodbye to the baby I had lost. "I'll make a better life for us both," I promised. "Somehow, I'll fi
nd a way to be happy again."
With that, I got into the car, ready to face whatever came next.