The streets of Chinatown buzzed with its usual noise, vendors could be seen yelling out prices, car horns were blaring, and footsteps could be heard along the narrow alleys.
Amidst it all, Giulia stumbled, her swollen belly straining against her torn dress. Her feet were bare and bleeding. Her hair, which used to be sleek and shiny, was now matted to her forehead with sweat and dust.
The small paper cup in her hand was filled with a few crumpled bills and coins, which was barely enough for a meal. All through her nine months of pregnancy, she had been surviving by begging on the streets.
She stopped to lean against a cracked wall, panting and trying to steady her breath, when a deep, slicing pain tore through her body.
She gasped, clutching her belly as a warm gush of liquid spilled down her legs.
"The baby is coming, oh goodness, someone please help me!" she cried out.
People turned and woman across the street dropped her grocery bag, rushing over to her. "She's going into labor!"
Three more women hurried over from different directions. One shouted, "help me take her inside, now! The back room of my shop, quick!"
"Oh no. The baby, please help," Giulia sobbed, already half-collapsing.
"Don't worry, we are with you and will not let you do this alone," the woman barked.
Together, the women helped her inside a tiny herbal medicine shop. They laid her on a makeshift bed in the back room, where it smelled of camphor, incense, and dried roots. One of the younger women, probably in her twenties, grabbed a clean towel and a metal bowl.
"It's gonna be okay," she whispered, brushing the sweat off Giulia's forehead.
"Just breathe, alright? Breathe for your baby."
Giulia screamed as another contraction hit. She grabbed the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"I can't—I can't do this!" she gasped, tears streaking her face.
"Yes, you can. We're here," the older woman said firmly, lifting Giulia's legs and positioning them properly. "Now push, child. Push!"
Giulia clenched her teeth and screamed again, trying to bear down.
"That's it. One more push. One big push!"
The younger girl leaned in closer. "You're doing great! We can already see the head. Come on, Giulia. Just one more."
"I'm-," Giulia murmured, her voice slowly slacking off.
"Don't be. Your baby's coming into the world, and you're strong. Do it for her."
Grunting through the pain, Giulia gave one final, earth-shattering push and then collapsed as the cries of a newborn pierced through the air.
Outside the room Lei Feng stood watching through the crack of a window. He had paid one of the women to tell him whenever Giulia went into labor.
He stepped back into the alley and quickly pulled out his phone. The line rang once before Madam Li Na's cold voice snapped, "why are you calling when you can just text?"
"I have important news. She gave birth."
"Who?"
"Giulia, of course. She has finally given birth."
"Hmm." There was a short pause. "What is the gender of her child?"
"It's a girl."
Madam Li Na laughed dryly. "Of course it is. She can't even bear a proper heir. Such a pathetic, stupid sore loser. That miserable daughter of hers would only grow to be like her."
Lei Feng cleared his throat, unsure of the next action to take. "So… what now?"
"You know what we agreed."
There was silence on the line for a beat too long. "Huh? You were serious about that? You really want me to…?"
"Yes. Get rid of it. The baby must disappear. No ties. No trace. I do not want the bitch using that thing as an entrance back into Yong Li's life."
Lei Feng let out a deep breath. "Do you realize that you are asking me to kill a newborn?" he asked flatly, his tone sharpening.
"There is no water in my mouth. We have to finish up the mess that we started," she hissed. "And you promised you'd handle this."
"I did," Lei Feng said carefully. "But you also promised I'd be paid well. I have risked everything for you. Involving myself in murder is quite a stretch."
"Go straight to the point."
"I want a raise. You have to add five grand more to my balance."
"Excuse me?" her voice shot up, icy. "This wasn't part of the original deal."
"You want me to kill a baby. That's an entirely different ballgame. If I'm going to hell, I will not be doing it for a discount price."
Another pause. Then, a breath. "Fine. You'll get fifteen thousand in total but not until I see proof that the problem is handled."
He nodded slowly, feeling satisfied. "Deal."
She ended the call without another word.
—-
Back in the tiny shop, Giulia had finally woken up. Shr sat against the wall, her baby wrapped tightly in a threadbare shawl. She placed a soft kiss on her baby's forehead, trying not to cry, while the memories of what Yong Li did to her kept replaying in her head. She was finally willing to accept that Yong Li wasn't going to come for her.
Maybe Madam Li Na was right, he never really loved her.
"I promise to take care of you. You don't need a father. Gosh, you are so perfect," she choked with excitement. "Because of your red hair, I will call you Rossella."
She stared at her little baby with a smile and pulled her to her chest, after which she stood. She was famished and hadn't eaten yet.
With the little strength she had left, she cradled her baby and stepped out, wandering along the street until her eyes spotted a small convenience store, with a TV featuring a familiar face.
Stepping closer, she squinted her eyes to see who it was and there was the father of her baby, the love of her life.
Yong Li.
Her heart skipped a beat.
He was standing in front of a luxury car, dressed sharply, and smiling but what made her stomach twist was the woman beside him, who was clinging to his arm like she owned it, her head thrown back in laughter. He said something that made her giggle, then brushed her hair behind her ear. The camera flashed.
She froze when she noticed the lady's protruding stomach, meaning she was pregnant.
Giulia felt her chest cave in, as if someone had reached inside and squeezed her lungs. Her baby stirred in her arms, but she couldn't even move. A single tear slid down her cheek, then another and more.
Still staring, she whispered, "He moved on with another woman, so fast?"
She shut her eyes tight and turned away from the TV screen, stumbling down the alley, her arms tightening around her baby.
Lost in her sadness, she failed to hear the footsteps behind her and in a flash, a hand yanked her shoulder, while another snatched her daughter.
"Wait! That's my baby!" she screamed, spinning around. "Return my daughter!"
The man was already sprinting away, the baby's cries filling the atmosphere.
Giulia ran after him, tripping over a rock and falling face-first into the dirt. Her knees scraped and her arm began to bleed but none of it mattered.
"No, not Rosella, please!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, clawing her way up to her feet. "Give me back my baby, she is all I have left!"
She continued to cry for help but no one cared. She tried to run after them again but she stumbled once more and collapsed, her sobs turning into painful wails.
Hours passed by and Giulia continued to search for her baby but there was no sign of her. Her eyes now looked weak and red from endless shedding of tears.
"Yong Li has another woman, I have lost my baby, of what use is my life?" She muttered in tears, as she stepped into the road, finally deciding to end her life.
At that point, a car was speeding off but before he could hit her, he hastily stopped on his brake, stopping a few inches away from her.
Giulia shut her eyes in tears and fell to the ground, while the man immediately rushed out of his car.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I could have killed you just now?" He asked in anger but Giulia didn't care to reply to him, she didn't even spare him a glance.
This man, noticing that Giulia seemed to be going through a lot, knelt beside her. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"
She said nothing still, so he quickly grabbed her, helping her up. "I am trying to rush to the hospital, my wife just got into labor…"
The moment Giulia had the word "labor" she turned to him and tears began to drop from her eyes.
"You don't seem okay and I will not be at peace if I leave you this way, so you will be coming with me."
With that said, he helped Giulia into his car and drove off.