I flinched, crying out as the heavy metal hit bone.
"Oops," Evelyn mocked, not looking sorry at all. "Look at the mess you've made."
"Stop it!" I shouted, finally pushing away from the doorframe. I stepped forward, raising my hands defensively. "Get off my porch!"
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure, unchecked fury. She wasn't used to being told no. She wasn't used to people standing up to her. In her mind, she owned this concrete, she owned this neighborhood, and I was an infestation.
Without hesitation, Evelyn lunged forward. She shoved both of her hands violently against my right shoulder.
It wasn't a warning push. It was a calculated, forceful strike intended to knock me off balance.
I stumbled backward, my rubber-soled shoes scraping harshly against the concrete. The sudden, violent shift in momentum tore a blinding flash of agony through my lower back. I caught myself against the rough brick wall of the house just before I fell, my breath leaving my lungs in a sharp, terrified wheeze. Both of my hands instinctively flew to my stomach, clutching the hardened, tight mound where my baby was actively kicking in distress.
Hot, humiliating tears poured down my cheeks. The physical pain was overwhelming, but the absolute vulnerability shattered me.
"You hit me," I sobbed, struggling to pull air into my lungs. "I'm pregnant, and you shoved me."
Evelyn stood with her hands planted firmly on her hips, her posture rigid, completely devoid of empathy. She didn't look horrified by her own actions. She looked annoyed.
"Oh, grow up," Evelyn barked, her voice echoing into the humid night. "I barely touched you. Don't try to play the victim with me. You're a criminal, and criminals deserve what they get."
She pointed a rigid finger directly at my face.
"You are going to stand right here," Evelyn commanded, her voice rising to a hysterical pitch. "You are going to wait for the deputies. And when they get here, I am going to make sure they run every record they can find until you are bankrupt, exposed, and thrown in a cell where you belong!"
I pressed my back harder against the brick wall. I was trapped. The physical pain of labor was blinding me. Evelyn was unhinged, emboldened by her perceived authority, ready to sacrifice my life and my child’s life to satisfy her suburban ego.
My right hand slid off my stomach.
I moved my trembling fingers across the brick, tracing the mortar lines until I felt the smooth plastic casing of the modified smart doorbell mounted beside the doorframe.
Evelyn watched me, a mocking smirk playing on her lips, assuming I was leaning against the wall for support.
I didn't press the large, illuminated center button. Instead, my thumb found the tiny, recessed panic switch concealed along the bottom edge of the black casing—the button Miller had instructed me to press only if a physical breach was actively occurring and my life was in imminent, unavoidable peril.
I pressed it hard.
For three seconds, nothing happened. Only the sound of crickets and my ragged breathing filled the silence.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Are you done with the theatrics? The sirens will be here any minute."