Chapter 4 - The Unseen Hour
Medical staff burst into the room a moment later—two nurses and my primary obstetrician, Dr. Vance. The room dissolved into controlled chaos.
"Get her back onto the bed! Carefully!" Dr. Vance ordered, taking in the scene—the broken glass, the fallen table, and me curled on the floor.
Marcus helped the nurses lift me gently onto the high hospital mattress. I cried out as the movement jarred my abdomen, but as soon as I was settled, Dr. Vance brought over the portable ultrasound machine, slathering cold gel across my bump.
"Heartbeat is steady," Dr. Vance announced after a few agonizing seconds. A collective exhale filled the room. "Slightly elevated, but the baby's vitals are holding. We need to monitor for placental abruption immediately."
While the nurses hooked me up to IV fluids, Marcus stood near the foot of the bed, his back rigid.
Isabella was still in the corner, flanked by two hospital security guards Marcus had summoned. She hadn't moved an inch. Her eyes were dull, hollowed out by an overwhelming dread that seemed to paralyze her limbs.
"Security," Marcus commanded, pointing toward the ceiling. "I want the last two hours of footage from that camera pulled immediately. I want it transferred to a flash drive and brought directly to this room. Now."
"Mr. Vance," Isabella finally spoke, her voice a dry whisper. She used Marcus’s formal surname, a desperate attempt to reset the dynamic. "Marcus... please. You don't know what you're doing. Let me leave. I'll sign the relinquishment forms for the company shares. I'll leave the state. Just... don't look at the footage."
Marcus slowly turned his head to look at her. The fury in his eyes had settled into something far more dangerous: total detachment.
"You threatened my wife. You put your heel on my unborn child," Marcus said softly. "And now you're begging me not to look at evidence that would put you away forever? Why would I grant you mercy?"
"Because..." Isabella choked back a sob, her eyes darting nervously toward the door. "Because if you watch it, Marcus... you won't be able to undo it. It will destroy everything."
I watched her from the bed, my hand clutching the crisp cotton sheet. What was she talking about?
May you like
Isabella wasn't just Marcus's former business partner; she was his late brother’s widow. For three years, since David died in a tragic car accident, Isabella had been an fixture in our lives—always present, always managing the family trust, always claiming to protect David’s memory.
What secret had she been hiding in this room before Marcus opened that door?
