Rosa was sprawled on a couch in a room, that looked like it belonged to some dingy motel.
The lights were off and it was barely lit by a flickering TV screen. Her eyes were glued on to the screen as she sat there, munching on popcorn. The room looked like it was in a mess. There were packets of chips and chocolates everywhere. Empty bottles of milk and beer was stacked in the corner. It was clear there had been no housekeeper in that room for a few days.
She sat there with two burly men sprawled lazily on the floor. Suddenly, a pathetic whimpering sound cut through the stale air, coming from the room right next to them. Annoyed, Rosa smacked one of the men on the back of his head. "Get your lazy ass up and shut that kid up!" she snapped.
The man grumbled but got to his feet, lumbering into the other room as he fumbled with the keys on the door.It was locked but he opened it with a kick. "Hey! Pipe down in there!" he barked.
But the whimpering only grew louder. Rosa made a disgusted face, tossing the remote aside as she stormed into the room herself.
The stench hit her in the face. She hadn't been there since the first day and definitely wasn't prepared to face what her actions had brought on the little baby. .It was blood and urine mingling in a rancid cocktail. " Didn't you take him to the toilet? What am I even paying you for? It looks like he shit his pants. Damn! It really stinks! " She shoved the man and walked inside.
The kid was curled up in a corner, whimpering with his eyes shut, too weak to move. Rosa marched over, ready to yank his head up, but when she touched him, she froze. His forehead was scorching hot."Shit," she muttered, panic creeping into her voice. "This kid's burning up."
She turned to the men ,chewing on the remains of the popcorn still in her mouth. "One of you idiots, get to the pharmacy and grab some fever meds, now!" The man lying outside, hurried up and scurried away.
Rosa paced the room with a frown between her eyebrows. She picked up her phone and dialled Percy's number . The phone kept ringing finally going into voicemail. She called again, panic surging in her breast. "Damn it, Percy Rodgers, pick up!" she muttered, frustration creeping into her voice.
Her eyes flicked to the CCTV monitor, where she saw Lea still obediently following her orders. But desperation crept in as she called Percy again, but there was still no answer.
Meanwhile, her minion, who had left ran into the nearest pharmacy. Breathless, he asked for fever medicine for a child. The pharmacist eyed him suspiciously. "Do you have a prescription?" He looked nothing like he had a child under his care.
He stammered, "No, I just need it for a kid.My neighbor. The mom is alone and wanted me to help. " He came up with the smartest story possible but the pharmacist didn't seem convinced. "Sorry, can't help you without a prescription," he replied curtly. Frustrated, he got out of the shop and called Rosa. "They won't give me the meds without a prescription.What do I do? "
"You idiot! Go to another shop and ask for fever medicine for yourself. Or get pain relief or something! Just pretend you're hurt. Got it?" She was on the verge of yelling at him but held back with much difficulty "But kids and adult don't take the same... " Rosa snapped as he tried saying probably what were the first intelligent words in his entire vocabulary. " Don't try to use that dumbass brain. Just do as you are told! " She barked.
Got it," he hung up, sprinting towards the next block.
Rosa peeked inside. The whimpering had stopped and the child lay there absolutely motionless. She had been so engrossed in dialing Percy's number that she hadn't even noticed when the child went limp.
She felt a fang of concern, feeling sorry for the child and his condition. Somehow she saw her own child in that baby for the flicker of a moment. They both shared the same hair colour like their father, Jake. Even they had the same smile. She remembered those moments when she held him in her arms. She had no intention of being a mother or wrecking her career. The sole reason she allowed herself to get pregnant with Jake's child was because she wanted to tie him. He was like an obsession for her. A forbidden fruit that she desired but never could truly have. He was like a challenge.She needed to win at all cost. Even till the very last moments of her pregnancy, she had absolutely no emotional attachment with the baby until the day of her delivery. That was the moment when she truly felt alone, an overwhelming feeling that threatened to consume her soul. But then he baby was born like a light in her darkness. He was like a beacon of hope. He held her finger with his tiny little hands as she sniffed his hair and his smell was heavenly. Absolutely divine. Rosa knew she had won somehow. There was no way Jake could abandon that little miracle whether or not he loved her. She knew she had won and she was starting to warm up. Her heart, her soul was healing again. She had lost everything at that point. Career, fame, money, she had nothing. But she knew Jake was a billionaire at that point and once she walked in front of him with her baby in her arms, he would surrender to her will.
But she was pulled back from heaven to her living hell real quick. The baby started coding and the nurses snatched the child from her arms and stuffed inside that glass box. That was the end. She could never hold his warm body again. When they took him out of that thing, he was dead and cold, his light completely extinguished.
She hesitated for a few moments but then she eyes went up towards the screen and the moment it fell on Lea, all her compassion vanished like camphor in open air. A stinging sensation of jealousy and hatred penetrated through her body and a voice inside her head told her that what she was doing was absolutely right. They deserved it. Lea deserved that pain for what she did to her. And so did Jake.