Chapter 3 - The Uninvited Guest
"Ethan!"
The sharp shriek echoed down the linoleum hallway, freezing Ethan in his tracks just inside the threshold of Room 412. Before he could turn around, Chloe appeared in the doorway, her white wedding dress bunched up in her fists to enable her furious stride. Her veil trailed behind her like a tattered ghost, catching on the metal doorframe as she shoved her way past Ethan into the sterile hospital room.
Sarah instinctively pulled the baby closer to her chest, her soft eyes hardening as she looked at the furious bride standing at the foot of her bed.
"So this is the pathetic little secret you’ve been hiding from me!" Chloe spat, her voice trembling with a toxic mixture of humiliation and rage. She pointed a manicured finger directly at Sarah’s face. "You left me at the altar for this? For some woman in a cheap hospital gown holding a screaming bundle of lies?"
"Keep your voice down, Chloe," Ethan warned, stepping between the two women. His voice was low, dangerous, and completely devoid of the hesitation he had shown at the church. "Sarah just gave birth. She doesn't need your screaming in here."
"My screaming?" Chloe laughed hysterically, tears of pure spite welling in her eyes. She grabbed the edge of the hospital mattress, shaking it violently. "You humiliated me in front of three hundred people! My father is going to ruin you, Ethan. Your career, your apartment, your entire life—it’s all over."
Sarah looked up from the baby, her expression entirely calm despite the chaos unfolding around her. She shifted the infant slightly, allowing a tiny, wrinkled face to peek out from the blue blanket. "She has a right to be angry, Ethan," Sarah said, her voice steady and unnervingly quiet. "You made promises to her, just like you made promises to me three years ago."
Chloe stopped dead, her mouth dropping open as she whipped her head back toward Sarah. "What did you just say?" she whispered, the color draining entirely from her face. "Three years ago? What kind of sick game are you playing?"
Ethan closed his eyes, bracing himself for the avalanche he had tried so desperately to avoid. He reached out to touch Chloe’s trembling arm, but she slapped his hand away with a sickening crack.
May you like
"Don't touch me," Chloe hissed, her eyes darting between Ethan and Sarah. "You’re going to explain right now, or I swear to God, I’ll call the police and report you for kidnapping."
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