Lethia clutched the fabric of her shirt over her lower belly so tightly that tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
Not because the pain was unbearable, but because she hoped that pressure might somehow suppress the heat pooling deep in her core.
She'd come this far, fought this hard, sharpening her skills just to win. She wanted to break into the system where she could drag Varrel straight into hell.
But if she lost now, every bit of it would be wasted.
"Oh dear, my baby… please," she whispered. "Let me finish this game first, hm? Please don't act up now."
Her gaze dropped to her belly, pleading openly with a pitiful expression.
She considered taking the medicine again, but the clock hadn't hit the twelve-hour mark since her last dose, and what if it caused something worse?
Her eyes shut tight as she swallowed the sting rising in her throat, sharp and dry like a fishbone scraping its way down.
