Chapter 5
Clara turned her head slowly toward the door as Mark entered, her blue eyes looking watery and exhausted in the fluorescent hospital light. The white shirt she had worn earlier was replaced by a standard-issue hospital gown, making her look even smaller against the oversized bed. Mark rushed to her side, falling to his knees beside the mattress just as he had done on the living room floor, but this time, there was no panic in his touch—only immense, profound relief.
He gently pressed his lips to her knuckles, tears finally spilling over his own lashes. "They told me you were stable. Thank God. Oh, Clara, thank God," he whispered against her skin.
"The baby, Mark," Clara said, her voice barely above a hoarse whisper. She reached out with her free hand, resting it on the back of his neck, drawing him closer. "The doctor just left before you came in. The impact caused severe uterine contractions and a mild placental abruption, but... but they managed to stabilize everything in time."
Mark closed his eyes tightly, pressing his forehead against her arm as a wave of intense gratitude washed over him. "He stopped it. Or... she did. The doctor said if we had waited even ten minutes longer..." Clara trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, the memory of Maya’s cold, unblinking face flashing behind her eyelids.
"We're pressing charges for everything," Mark said, his voice dropping into a hard, resolute register that brooked no argument. "Detective Vance is already handling the paperwork. Maya has crossed a line that can never be undone. She could have killed you. She could have killed our child."
Clara nodded slowly, a single tear escaping and tracking down her temple into her blonde hair. The betrayal hurt deeper than any physical injury. Maya wasn't just a sister; she was the only immediate family Clara had left after their parents passed away years ago. To realize that greed could drive someone you loved to commit an act of calculated violence was a psychological wound that would take a lifetime to heal.
"She thinks she can just take whatever she wants," Clara murmured, staring blankly at the beige wall opposite the bed. "When grandmother left me the estate, Maya threatened me, but I never—I never in a million years believed she would actually hurt me. Not while I was carrying."
May you like
"She’s going to face the full weight of the law," Mark promised, stroking her hair back gently from her forehead. "Right now, your only job is to rest and keep our baby safe. I’m not leaving this room."
And he stayed. Through the long, quiet hours of the evening, while the hospital outside settled into a hushed nocturnal rhythm, Mark sat in the uncomfortable vinyl armchair pulled right up beside the bed, holding Clara’s hand through the quiet dark.
