Chapter 5
The piercing wail of the hospital's emergency alarm cut through the sterile air, drowning out Julian’s panicked breathing. Red strobe lights began to flash rhythmically along the ceiling of the corridor, casting an ominous crimson glow over the frosted glass of Treatment Room Four. Detective Vance reacted instantly, his hand dropping instinctively to the service weapon at his hip as he pulled the door open and stepped out into the chaotic hallway.
"Stay inside with your daughter, Mr. Vance!" the detective ordered sharply, his eyes darting down the corridor toward the nurses' station where panic was erupting among the staff.
Julian didn't listen. The mention of Elena’s past husbands—and the horrifying realization that his own daughter was currently trapped in the same crosshairs as those ill-fated men—overrode every instinct for self-preservation. He looked down at Mia, whose eyes were wide with terror as she clutched the sheets of her bed.
"Daddy, don't leave me," she whimpered, her voice barely audible over the screeching alarm.
"I'll be right outside, sweetheart. I promise. Detective Vance is right out there," Julian said, his voice trembling as he kissed her forehead before rushing to the doorway.
Peering out into the brightly lit hallway, Julian saw nurses and orderlies scrambling to secure movable equipment and herd confused patients away from the north stairwell. But standing right in the center of the chaos, completely unbothered by the flashing red lights, was Elena. She had shed her sparkly red evening jacket, revealing a sleek black silk blouse underneath, and was speaking calmly to a hospital security guard who was pointing frantically toward the exit doors.
Julian pushed past Detective Vance, his fury eclipsing his fear. He marched straight toward Elena, his boots clicking loudly against the linoleum floor.
"What did you do?" Julian demanded, grabbing her by the wrist and spinning her around to face him. The security guard immediately stepped forward, placing a hand on his baton, but Elena raised her free hand to signal him back.
"Let go of me, Julian," Elena said, her voice unnervingly calm amid the bedlam of the alarm. She didn't look scared; she looked triumphant. "You're making a scene. Again. Just like you did on the stairs."
"The detective just told me who you really are, Elena," Julian hissed, leaning in close so the surrounding staff couldn't catch every word. "Multiple marriages. Multiple dead husbands. All of them dying from falls. And now you tried to push my daughter down a flight of marble stairs because she stumbled onto your financial theft?"
Elena’s lips curved into a slow, chilling smile that didn't reach her eyes. She tilted her head slightly, studying his face with clinical detachment.
"You think you’re so smart, Julian. You think because you run a successful tech firm, you can outsmart everyone in the room," Elena whispered smoothly, her fingers casually adjusting the collar of her blouse. "You never bothered to check my credentials before putting my name on the secondary accounts, did you? You were too blinded by my beauty, too desperate to play the happy family man after your first wife passed away."
"You're a monster," Julian spat, his hands tightening around her wrist until she finally winced.
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"Maybe," Elena replied, her eyes flashing with sudden malice. "But while you’ve been busy playing detective in this hospital hallway, do you have any idea what’s currently happening back at your empty, unprotected mansion?"
Julian froze, a cold dread washing over him as the alarms overhead continued to wail.
