"What are you doing?"

Olivia made sure to spread her arms even wider to cover Grace as she glared at the man in front of her. Her gaze was stern and her eyes were swollen from not getting any sleep the day before and the day before that.

It was barely eight AM in the morning but she had been at alert the moment she heard the lock to the door click. Olivia made sure to get up on her feet when she noticed the man she had seen before, the same one that took the doctor away l earlier, walk into the room with a glare on his face.

Her instinct for some reason, told her that whatever it is he wanted wasn't good especially after she noticed how Austin had walked in behind him and was leaning on the door. She knew she had to protect all she had, Grace, especially since she was the first thing he had his eyes on the moment he walked in. Protecting Grace was all she could think of and she was going to stand in his way and stretch her hands as far as she could if it could stop him from doing what she was thinking he was about to do.

"Stay back." She warned him. "If you touch my daughter, I won't let it go." Even when her voice was trembling, Olivia managed to summon up the most intimidating look that she could find. She noticed how the man had stopped and turned his cold gaze to her. He was hesitating now.

"What are you waiting for?" She could hear Austin say from the door. "Get the child." He ordered the man and at that moment, he took a closer step to the bed but Olivia met him before he did. She pushed herself closer to him and even closer to the bed. Like there was any chance in hell she was going to let them take Grace away on her watch.

"Don't!" She yelled at the man and he stopped immediately. He looked into her eyes and could see how fearless she was. She didn't move from where she stood either and it didn't matter how much her hands were hurting, she kept stretching them as far as she could. Tell your boss that the moment you take one more step towards my child, the moment you lay your hands on her, I would kill my self. I would bite my tongue right here, right now and die."

Even though she wasn't looking at Austin, her glare at the man told everyone in the room just what they needed to know. It didn't look like she was bluffing and she could see how her words had suddenly terrified the man in front of her. He wasn't the only one terrified, Grace was too but is she wasn't already between life and death, she would have screamed in fright. She was crying however, so weakly.

She watched him turn slowly to Austin like he was wondering what to do now that she had threatened him with her life. Austin just stood where he was with his arms folded, observing the drama before him with the frown on his face getting worse. He turned to the bed so he could see Grace on it. She was barely moving, and barely had her eyes open.

He exhaled weakly and stood straight for about three seconds before he started to make his way towards them, keeping his gaze on Olivia. She wasn't going to be intimidated by his cold stare, she had prepared herself mentally for the worst and was sure that the only way she was going to let any of them get to Grace was only if they got to her first. She was trying her luck this time, and was placing all her cards and hopes on Austin's feelings for her. She knew he was never going to hurt her or at least, she wanted to believe that.

She could feel her hands tremble from being stretched out so long and how her heart had picked the fastest rhythm the moment Austin's tall figure had replaced the man that had stood in front of her. She watched how his gaze pierced through her skull like invincible lasers. If he could stare at her like that, she could do the same and even more.

Austin pushed his back gaze to Grace and was about to take a step to her when Olivia blocked him again, making sure she never left his sight. He placed a hand on her arm and pushed her out of his sight until Olivia found herself on the ground immediately. She could have sworn that she had broken her back with the way it suddenly began to hurt, her lower abdomen too.

She held on to her belly, groaning silently in pain but still choosing not to dwell on it for too long. She turned to meet Austin slowly lifting Grace from the bed and carrying her in his arms. Olivia tried to fight her way up the moment she watched him turn with her towards the door. He was doing it, he was taking her away and she couldn't imagine where. She was terrified, and she was in pain too but she knew she had to fight with whatever strength she had left to stop him.

Olivia crawled to him as fast as her body could take her since her legs and strength failed to bring her back on her feet. She grabbed Austin's legs and held on to them tightly to stop him from leaving the room. It was the only chance she had to stop him.

"Please." She begged him as she winced in pain and shut her eyes for a second to catch her breath. She was hurting, every side felt like a thousand needles piercing her abdomen. "I beg you, don't take my daughter from me, don't hurt her."

Austin took a deep breath and raised his head to the ceiling like he was already sick of it. He tried to pull his legs away from her hold but Olivia held on to it tightly.

"Fine!" She yelled at him as her eyes became teary again. He froze and stopped struggling to free himself. He didn't lower his gaze to her anyway.
"I admit it, I wronged you. You were right, i did it, it was all my fault."

Austin lowered his gaze on her like he was trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"I would do everything I can to make up for all I've done but Grace, she didn't do anything wrong. If anyone has to be hurt, then take me, do whatever you want with me but let my child go. You said it yourself didn't you? She's your family too, that should be enough reason to save her life."

Austin turned to the man in the room and nodded his head as a signal to get Olivia off him and immediately he did, Olivia watched how the man slowly started to approach her. It wasn't working, and she knew she wasn't strong enough to protect herself or push him away if he ever got her. She was running out of options and ways to save Grace. She gasped loudly and sniffed to push back the snort in her nose from all that crying right before she grabbed Austin's other leg, holding on to the both of them tightly.

"I would do it." She said so abruptly before he got even got closer. "I would do it, I would marry you."

Silence,

The silence in the room only lasted for about three seconds while it looked like Austin was taking his time to intercept what he had just heard. Olivia could see how he had suddenly changed the look in his eyes and on his face as he lowered his gaze to her. She had reached him, the words she said, they reached him. She could see it.

She slowly took one hand away from him and placed it on the ground for support and to help herself rise to her feet again. Even though she felt like she was dying from all the pain, she took it in if it meant doing all she could to stop him. It was slow, but Olivia eventually got to her feet again and made sure to lower her gaze on Grace first before she raised it to Austin.

She had no idea what she was doing and she hoped that God forgave her for what she was about to do but if that was her only chance to save Grace and make sure she got the help she needed, Olivia knew she had to take it.

She nodded

"Let's get married." She said to him. "You were right about what you said, about me being your family. I accept, I accept to be your wife Austin. I would do whatever it is you want, I would live with you wherever you want as long as you don't hurt Grace, as long as you let her get the help she needs-" Olivia's voice broke , and even Austin could hear the pain in it as a tear drop fell from her face and then another one. She was crying now and it was hard to get a word out talk more of a sentence.

"Please save my daughter." She told him, clasping her hands together and rubbing them against one another to plead with him. She slowly dropped to her knees in the same fashion.

"I am begging you, please Austin, save my daughter and I would live for you."
This was her last chance, her last shot to making sure that Grace was safe and she was saved. At that moment, she couldn't think of anything else, she didn't think of anything else besides that. She made sure to not take her eyes away from Austin.

Why wasn't he saying anything? Why was he just standing there watching her? Wasn't he moved? Wasn't he touched by her display of her desperation? She held her breath the moment she watched him signal the man one more time.

The man started to approach Olivia quickly like he was trying to get in her way and stop her from holding on to Austin as he started to leave the room.

"No," Olivia crawled as fast as she could to stop him. "No! No!" But she wasn't fast enough, and more so, her body didn't let her either. She fell to the ground as she felt a sharp pain on her belly and then it got worse. She held on to it tightly and started to take deep breaths as the pain paralyzed her from head to toe, breathing was hard, and moving was even harder.

She could feel how sweat beads were already forming on her forehead and how her heart rate was rising. She turned to the door and could see how the man had walked out of it and closed it after him and the thought of not being able to go after them destroyed her. The pain tripled each time she tried to move too.

It was happening and she just knew that if she ever survived it, nothing was ever going to be the same. She was going to lose her mind.

Nothing was ever going to remain the same.