“One day?” I gasped, my heart racing. “What will happen to Vanda after the baby is switched back?”
The old woman narrowed her eyes. “The dead fetus has consumed a lot of these cursed insects and was under her control for some time. It’s developed a connection to her. Once it’s switched back, it’ll parasitize her instead.”
She continued with a grim tone. “Either she’ll live for a few years in agony with the dead fetus inside her, or she’ll attempt to have it removed. But if she does, the fetus will leave her body–and take her life with it.”
I stayed quiet, unsure how to respond, but she must have mistaken my hesitation for pity.
The old woman added, “Right now, the fetus hasn’t fully attached to you. If you go for an abortion now, you might still survive–and she won’t die, either.”
I clenched my fists and shook my head firmly. “No. I want my baby back! I don’t care what happens to her! What should I do now?”
The old woman took out some black jars and muttered something. Then, two insects crawled out one after the other.
She held one bug out to me, her voice cold and commanding. “Eat it.”
This time, I did not hesitate. I pinched the wriggling thing between my fingers and shoved it into my mouth, swallowing it whole.
S
The old woman handed me the second cursed insect, carefully contained in a glass jar. You’ll need to make Vanda eat this.
“After that, find a safe place and hide for the night. By morning, the baby will be back where it belongs.”
Nodding, I grabbed the jar and raced out the door. Time was ticking, and every second counted.
On the way to the hospital, I tried to think of a way to make Vanda swallow the bug. She already suspected me, so there was no way she would willingly eat or drink anything I handed her.
To be safe, I stopped by a convenience store and grabbed two sandwiches. Maybe… just maybe, this would work..
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When I arrived at the hospital, I headed straight for Vanda’s office. But before I could reach it, I saw Hector being wheeled into the emergency room on a stretcher. His face was
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Chapter 6
covered in blood, but somehow, he was still alive.
He spotted me and narrowed his eyes, his voice a weak rasp. “Luna… give me back… the bug … now.”
I stepped closer, keeping my voice cold and steady. “Give it back? So you can use it to kill me?”
The look of shock on his face told me he had not expected me to know the truth. His bloodshot eyes widened, and he tried to sit up, muttering something incoherent under his
breath.
A nurse firmly pushed him back onto the stretcher. “Don’t move!” she barked, clearly annoyed.
I did not have time for him, so I turned and walked away, heading toward Vanda’s office. But when I got there, it was empty.
“Where’s Dr. Watson?” I asked a passing doctor in a white coat, grabbing his arm.
He looked me up and down. Then, recognition flashed across his face, and he exclaimed,‘ Oh! You’re the one who helped her with that creepy bug this morning, right?”
I forced a weak smile and nodded. The doctor gestured toward another wing of the
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hospital. “She’s in the recovery ward. That bug freaked her out pretty bad, and she’s been a mess ever since.”
Following his directions, I walked through the long corridor, checking each room until I finally found her.
Vanda was lying on the hospital bed, her face pale and her eyes dull as she stared blankly at the ceiling. She looked so frail that, for a second, I almost pitied her.
I stepped into the room and called out softly, “Vanda.”
Her head snapped toward me, and the sight of me made her eyes blaze with fury. Her voice was sharp and venomous as she hissed, “Luna, give me back the bug!”
I secretly sneered at how she and Hector were saying the same thing. I really could not understand how swapping our babies and killing me could benefit them at all.
Nonetheless, I kept my expression neutral and shrugged. “What do you want it for? That thing was disgusting, so I threw it away.”
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