Page 94 of Broken Destiny

I ran to the kitchen and froze.

The dogs were barking furiously, darting anxiously around the room while Geeta stood there screaming, her hands shaking helplessly in front of her. Emma’s eyes were squeezed shut as she cried hysterically, her tiny body trembling.

Lucas had gone completely still, his face drained of colour.

Everything slipped from my hands and crashed onto the floor.

Blood gushed out from Emma’s forehead.

She had hit her head against the sharp edge of the kitchen island.

Fear shot through me.

I grabbed a kitchen towel, dropped to my knees, and pressed it firmly against the wound. Blood immediately soaked through the fabric.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” Lucas cried, his voice breaking. “We were running, and she slipped. I’m sorry.”

“Ma... maa... maa... maaa,” Emma wailed in between sobs, her cries piercing straight through my heart like tiny daggers.

“Baby, it’s okay,” I said to Lucas, forcing my voice to stay steady even though terror clawed at my insides. “Accidents happen, okay? It’s not your fault.”

The amount of blood nearly shattered my composure, but I forced myself to stay calm.

I looked at Geeta. “Grab the keys, lock the door and get in the car.”

Scooping Emma into my arms, I ran outside and carefully strapped her into the car seat while she cried uncontrollably.

Geeta rushed out with Lucas moments later.

“Keep pressure on the towel,” I instructed as Geeta climbed into the back seat beside Emma.

She nodded immediately.

I strapped Lucas in, ran around the car, and slid into the driver’s seat.

Sweat coated my palms as I gripped the steering wheel.

Dear God, please take care of Emma. Let it not be anything serious. Please.

I was not a doctor, but I had seen the cut, and I knew my daughter would need stitches. The thought of what might be happening inside her head terrified me.

Minutes later, my tires screeched in front of the emergency ward.

I jumped out, rushed to the back seat, and lifted Emma into my arms again. She clung to my jacket while blood continued soaking through the towel onto my hands and clothes.

I did not care about the mess or the stares around us.

Nothing mattered except getting my daughter inside and making sure she was safe.

29

JIYA

Back home, I changed Emma’s clothes and eased her into bed for a nap, the pain medication already making her drowsy. Her tiny lashes rested against her cheeks, and I found myself watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest, needing the reassurance that she was finally safe. One small hand remained wrapped tightly around Mia, the doll Cole had given her for her birthday, as though even in her sleep she wasn't ready to let go of it.

Lucas refused to leave her side. He sat close to the bed, watching her quietly, his small hand resting near hers while Milo and Oreo nestled beside the children protectively, unusually calm after the chaos of the day.

Exhaustion eventually claimed Lucas, and he fell asleep shortly after, curled beside Emma. I covered him gently with a blanket and slipped a pillow under his head, careful not to wake either of them while the dogs remained lying nearby.