pain in my abdomen. The smell of antiseptic filled my nose. I was in a pr

ought was o

s. My hand went instinctively to my belly. It was still there

. I needed to know

ement. I found a robe draped over a chair and slipped it on. The hallwa

for a nurse, a doctor, anyone. As I neared the nurses' st

is personal assistant, a man named Marcus. I froz

nded hesitant, concerned. "Leaving Mrs. Qui

s cold, devoid of any worry. "Katharina was hysterical.

left me bleeding in a wrecked ca

th your child. What you did tonight..

mouth to stifle a gasp. W

tached. "A little scare was necessary. She' s been acting out. The scene

ut something else. Something that happened after. I must

atters. Amelia is just the carrier. An incubator. A means to

h one landing with brutal force.

till doesn' t know about th

ffed. "And even if she did, what would she do? She has n

into a silent scream

istake. He had intentionally withh

I had loved, the man I had saved, was a monster. A cold-blooded killer who had orchestra

fidence that made my skin crawl. "She loves me. She' s weak. She' ll forgive me f

hallway, my mind a maelstrom of horror and grief. H

dea who I w

smart. I had

e was coming in. I lay back in bed, arrang

" she said cheerfully. "Yo

I asked, my voice

aby are both perfectly fine. Doctor' s orders are for you to stay for observation.

s echoed in my ears. A l

cold. He had

all, trusting smile. I had to

imaging department, the bright hospital lights flashing overhead. They were kin

o the narrow bed o

n now, Mrs. Quinn," one of them s

ight, cylindrical tube, my breath caught in my

years old. Playing hide-and-seek with my cousins. I' d hidden in an old, ab

nic, clawing and screaming, trapped in that small, suffocating box. My

s ever since. Brayden knew that. He kn

ing the frantic beat of my heart. I was trapped. The walls we

the tube, my nails scraping against the hard plastic. But no one c

suffocating tube. The pain in my abdomen returned, sharp and insistent. I was

g I was in there. It

g into unconsciousness, the noise s

blinding. A figure stood over me.

lliot Je

his face grim. "Looks like we