Left for Dead Came Back for Everything novel Chapter 104

"Look at me... look at what I've become. Isn't it pathetic?"

Seeing her punishing herself so viciously, Gwen panicked and pinned her hands down with all her strength.

"Shut the hell up! You are not pathetic! You are Eliza Shaw, the strongest woman I know!"

Gwen's eyes were red as she cursed through gritted teeth. "So what if you lost Zander? There are plenty of fish in the sea, and we can find a million better men! I'll order you ten male models tomorrow, and you can switch them out every single day!"

"And the baby? Screw him! If you want a baby, you can have as many as you want! We'll just take the kids and kick the trash men to the curb!"

Listening to her best friend's fierce defense, a flicker of pure agony crossed Eliza's desperate eyes.

She slumped back against the sofa, a steady stream of tears tracking down her face.

"Honestly... I could survive all of that."

"Sometimes, I even feel like I've made peace with it."

Eliza's voice dropped to a hollow whisper.

"Gwen, do you know what actually breaks my heart? What makes me feel like there's no point in being alive?"

She tilted her head back, her deadened eyes tracing the spinning neon lights on the ceiling.

"It's my mother."

"Since I was a little girl, through my teens, up until this very second... as long as she is in my life, it feels like my world is constantly pouring rain. Not a single ray of sunlight can get through."

"To her, I'm not a daughter. I'm just a piece of livestock she can sell to the highest bidder."

Gwen felt a lump form in her throat and gently wiped the tears from Eliza's face.

"You just care too much. You let other people's opinions get to you, but that's not your fault!"

Eliza acted as if she hadn't heard a word. Her unfocused eyes suddenly snapped into terrifying clarity.

"There's one more thing!"

Eliza's eyes were brimming with bitter self-mockery. "Yvonne is pregnant."

"If you want a baby, leave it to me! Tomorrow, I'll go hunt down a six-foot-two gorgeous guy with an eight-pack so you can have a baby with premium genetics! We'll piss them off!"

Eliza froze at the ridiculous statement.

Looking at Gwen's fiercely protective, entirely serious expression, a genuine laugh bubbled up from her chest.

"Hahaha... deal! You're the best, Gwen..."

Eliza tilted her head back, laughing wildly and playing along with the absurd fantasy.

"Alright, we'll find the hottest guy... we'll piss them all off..."

"If you were a man, I'd pick you!"

Seeing Eliza finally laugh, Gwen erupted into laughter too, playfully pinching her cheeks. "Oh, listen to you! Since when did you get such a sweet mouth? That's the spirit! Trash the losers, the next one will be a million times better!"

In the dark corner of the bar, the two bruised and broken girls clung to each other, laughing until their stomachs hurt.

Neither of them dared to acknowledge the shattered vulnerability hiding just beneath their smiles.