Free Web NovelChapter 56: Chapter 56 - Plan
Waldo had given her two days to decide. Two days, and nothing more.
Iyisha had caught a glimpse of Lauren that morning, standing by the door to Waldo’s place.
She was strikingly beautiful, her long hair tucked under a scarf, her hands rested protectively on a belly just beginning to swell. Iyisha guessed three months at most.
Iyisha did not know what to do.
By law, if law even meant anything anymore, abortion was absolutely forbidden.
The Emergency Rebuilding Framework had gone further this year, reclassifying it as terrorism. Anyone tied to it would be branded an enemy of the state. No safe zone would ever take them in, and if they were caught at a military checkpoint, they would be jailed without trial.
The thought knotted Iyisha’s stomach. She was always on the move, slipping between towns and passing through gates. It was dangerous enough traveling under her own name. If her name ever got linked to something like this, she would never make it past the next checkpoint.
Worse, it would not just be her who suffered.
If she was branded a criminal, Malcolm would fall with her.
At lunch break she sat with Mary and Ester, three cups of coffee steaming between them, papers scattered on the table from the morning’s lessons. Finally, Iyisha told them what Waldo wanted.
Mary froze, then leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing.
"They do not want her pregnant because it means she will be sent to Motherhood. You know the rule. All births happen there now. Once Lauren’s belly gets too obvious, the council will hand her over." freёweɓnovel.com
Iyisha’s brows knit. "And she will not come back."
Mary gave a short nod. "That is the truth no one says out loud. Waldo’s sister Jessica went three years ago. They said she chose to stay with her baby. That is what they always say but none of them returned. None."
Iyisha stared down at her coffee, the surface rippling in her trembling hands. She thought about Lauren, about Jessica, about all the women who vanished into those walls. Maybe they chose to stay. Maybe they did not.
Either way, Iyisha finally understood why Waldo wanted her to break the law.
Mary softened, seeing the conflict twist her face. "Listen. I am not saying you are heartless. But think about this. You have been alive because you stayed careful. Do not throw that away now."
Iyisha stared into the steam of her coffee, her reflection breaking apart in the ripples. Her mind slid to Malcolm and what he would say if he knew.
If she asked him, he would take the burden, he always did. But even as the thought formed, she felt the shame of it. Always turning to him. Always making Malcolm shoulder what she could not. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Ester lifted her cup and set it down again, her voice steady. "Then maybe do not ask him this time. Maybe we use what Waldo is afraid of most."
Mary frowned. "And what is that?"
"Losing her," Ester said flatly. "Lauren. He thinks he can control her, make her accept whatever plan he cooks up. But if we tell her the truth, if she finds out he wants to stop the baby before the council notices, she will leave him. She will break with him before Motherhood can take her. And Waldo will know it. He will know he loses her either way."
Iyisha’s stomach tightened. The idea felt sharp and dangerous, but also real.
"So we turn it back on him. Either he changes the condition, or we tell Lauren ourselves."
Mary pressed her lips into a thin line. "And what if he calls the bluff? What if he does not care? What if he decides we are the problem, not the plan?"
Ester leaned forward, eyes hard, voice low. "Then we are no worse off than we are now. We do not have anything to lose."
The words hung between them, heavy as stone. Iyisha could almost see the path they were sketching: Lauren’s bright smile turned into a weapon, Waldo’s pride cracked open in front of everyone. Risky, but it was the first plan that did not leave Iyisha choking on shame or fear.
Mary sighed and rubbed her temple. "God help us, maybe it will work. But once we light this fuse, there is no taking it back."
Iyisha closed her eyes and inhaled the bitter scent of coffee. "Then we had better make sure it burns the right way."
They sat in silence for a while, sipping their coffee, the steam curling up into the air. Then Mary spoke, her tone thoughtful. "We are talking as if Waldo has the power to change Lauren’s destiny. But he does not. The council will send her to Motherhood whether he acts or not. Unless she hides forever, that is where she will end up."
Ester tapped her cup, eyes narrowing. "So maybe the question is not how to stop it, but how to make it safer. If he really cares about her and the baby, he cannot fight the council. He can only choose how she gets there."
Iyisha looked up. "What are you saying?"
"That instead of breaking the law for him, you and Malcolm accompany her," Ester said. "Go with her to Motherhood. Make sure she reaches the gates alive and in one piece. If Waldo wants her safe, that is the only choice left."
Mary tilted her head. "And it spares you, too. No illegal act, no missing supplies tied to your name. Just an escort. Something the guards would expect."
Iyisha’s fingers tightened around her cup. The thought of walking willingly toward the gates of Motherhood chilled her, yet it was true. Waldo could not change Lauren’s fate, but maybe she and Malcolm could soften it. The risk would still be heavy, but at least it would not end with her branded a criminal.
She set her cup down, unable to drink another sip. "I will tell Waldo," she said quietly. "He will hear the plan, and he will listen."
The words tasted like ash in her mouth, but once spoken there was no turning back. She rose from the table, leaving the half-finished coffee to cool between Mary and Ester, and walked out into the yard. The afternoon sun was pale and sharp, throwing hard shadows across the broken concrete.
Waldo was exactly where she expected him, sitting on a crate by the shed with a cigarette between his fingers. His eyes followed her as she approached, measuring her with that same half-amused look that made her skin crawl.
"Well, well," Waldo drawled, smoke curling from his lips. "Come to bargain?"
