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It was not a wild shove.
It was not the kind of thing a stranger across the street would instantly understand.
It was smaller than that.
Sharper.
A hand to Mia’s shoulder.
A hard push at exactly the wrong second.
Mia’s heel slid.
The porch tilted.
The sky went white.
Then gray.
Then the concrete rose up and struck her side with a force that stole the air from her lungs.
For one second, there was no sound at all.
Then pain tore through her lower belly.
It was so sudden and so deep that her mind could not organize it into fear.
She screamed Evan’s name.
He froze beside the truck.
Patricia leaned over the porch rail.
Her face had gone pale, but her voice came out hard.
“She’s performing,” Patricia hissed.
Mia tried to breathe.
She could not sit up.
She could not roll without the pain splitting wider.
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