Chapter 2 - The Descent
The push was not frantic; it was measured, a calculated displacement of weight meant to send Emily into a freefall. As Margaret’s palm made contact with the small of her back, the world tilted violently. Emily’s breath hitched in her throat, a high-pitched sound of pure, unadulterated terror.
'Margaret, stop!'
May you like
The words were choked out, swallowed by the sudden rush of air as her feet lost their grip on the smooth wooden steps. The sensation was surreal—a slow-motion blur of ornate railings and white-painted walls. Her hands clawed at the air, trying to find purchase, but there was nothing to hold onto but the cold, indifferent wood. Gravity became a cruel master.
She tumbled. Her shoulder slammed against the sharp edge of a stair, the impact radiating agony through her side. She hit the floor with a bone-jarring thud, the breath knocked entirely out of her lungs. Silence descended for a heartbeat, broken only by the rhythmic thumping of her own terrified heart. The room spun. The chandelier above pulsed with a sickening, golden light. Emily curled into a fetal position, her hands instinctively shielding her belly. Pain was a white-hot knife twisting inside her, but beneath the physical agony, there was a colder, sharper realization: this was not an accident. This was an attempt to end everything.
