Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change?

"Ah! Please help me! It hurts so much!"

Amidst the agonizing cries for help, a crowd gathered, swelling in number.

Sherilyn Gomez stood frozen at the top of the staircase on the second floor, her gaze shifting from the tumbling figure of Caroline Bennett below to her hands, utterly bewildered.

"How did this happen?" she murmured.

Why did Caroline suddenly fall?

"What's going on here?" someone asked.

It was the Johnson family's annual feast, attended by numerous guests. The arriving crowd encircled Caroline, who lay at the bottom of the stairs.

"What happened? How did she fall?"

"She, she..." Despite her pain, Caroline looked up toward the top of the stairs. It suddenly dawned on everyone.

"Sherilyn pushed her!"

"Oh my God! Sherilyn, no matter how much you dislike Caroline, you can't go this far! She's pregnant, for heaven's sake!" "Exactly! That's too much."

with the accusations, Sherilyn went pale as she shook her

she hadn't pushed Caroline. But no one

deep, authoritative voice sliced through the crowd, arriving

was Gilbert Johnson, Sherilyn's husband of

up, hoping

as a knife,

Sherilyn flinched, shaking her head. "It wasn't

scrunched up in disgust and hate. "You think Caroline jumped by herself, huh? Do you think

unloving tone left Sherilyn

Caroline clutched her stomach, leaning into Gilbert's embrace, her voice barely a whisper, "Gilbert, it hurts. It hurts so

Then, Sylvia Johnson, the

Suddenly, someone

a pool of red began

terrified, clung to Gilbert, sobbing,

he said it, Gilbert's face was ashen, panic setting

arms, and with a fierce glare at Sherilyn, he warned, "You'd better pray the child is

words, Gilbert

then

shaking her head, words failing

opened her mouth when