The Crash

by Freida McFadden

I’ve never killed anyone before. I’m not a murderer. I’m a good person. I don’t lie. I don’t cheat. I don’t steal. I hardly ever even raise my voice. There are very few things I’ve done in my life that I’m ashamed of. Yet here I am.

No, the reason my coat doesn’t close anymore is that it no longer fits over my distended belly. I am nearly eight months pregnant.

He is not, by the way, the father of my unborn child. He’s not my boyfriend either.

Soon, I’m going to be rich beyond my wildest dreams. And it’s all because of the baby growing inside me.

And very soon—after the papers are signed—I’ll likely never see him again.

She’s judging me because I am twenty-three years old, eight months pregnant, and unmarried.

But the fact is I did get pregnant at age twenty-two. It was a one-night stand. And up until recently, I didn’t know who the father was.

Simon slipped something into my drink. And then when we got back to my hotel room, he… Oh God.

But as I search the depth of my handbag, I notice one other thing that’s missing. My pepper spray.

“If you light a candle before you chop onions, it burns off the toxins so your eyes don’t water.”

“Are…are