Natsuki gasped for air, the pressure in her abdomen sharp and terrifying. She didn't look at the driver. She didn't care if he ran. She kicked her door open, stumbling out into the humid night air.

The "Dwi 01" incident, as it would later be called in the police reports, was a blur of screeching tires and the rhythmic thud of a flat tire hitting the pavement. When the car finally spun to a halt against a rusted guardrail, the silence that followed was deafening.

"I'm done," she said, her voice finally steady. "I'm doing this on my own."

She realized then that being "better" wasn't about erasing the past or the dangerous ride that had brought her here. It was about ensuring that Part 2 of her life—and the first part of her child's—would never involve looking back in a rearview mirror at the mistakes of someone else. in the months following the incident?