Chapter 2: The Midnight Escape
By nightfall, the clinic’s sixth floor had become a gilded cage. Two private security guards, hired directly by Eleanor’s private account, stood outside Maya’s door. They thought she was trapped, but Maya had grown up listening to the rhythm of hospital shift changes.
At 2:15 AM, the floor buffer hummed in the corridor. Maya slipped into an oversized hoodie she had stashed in the laundry bin, tucking her father’s folded letter into the lining of her boots.
Her bedroom door opened with a soft click. Expecting a guard, she backed against the window, but it was Dr. Vance. He held a staff badge and an uncharacteristically dark jacket.
"You can't stay here, Maya," Vance said in a harsh whisper. "The board met an hour ago in an emergency closed session. Eleanor presented forged psychiatric evaluations claiming you suffer from severe schizophrenia. They're preparing to transfer you to the high-security psychiatric wing upstate at dawn."
"Why are you helping me?" Maya demanded, her hazel eyes searching his face. "You stayed silent for six months while she dosed me with sedatives."
Vance’s face darkened with guilt. "Because your father saved my daughter’s life ten years ago with his charity foundation. I was a coward because Eleanor threatened my medical license. But I draw the line at letting her destroy his child."
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He handed her a set of keys and a plastic hospital employee pass. "The service elevator leads to the basement loading dock. Take the alley toward 4th Street. Don't look back."
Maya didn't hesitate. She took the keys, stepped into the dark corridor, and vanished into the shadows of the hospital basement.
