Chapter 2
Claire’s breath hitched in her throat, the fake tears on her eyelashes freezing as her carefully constructed deception began to crumble.
"Marcus, you don't understand... she tripped and fell during our argument," Claire stammered, her voice losing its composed, manipulative rhythm.
Marcus ignored her entirely, dropping to his knees beside Elena on the cold hardwood floor with urgent, protective desperation.
"Elena, look at me... stay awake, stay with me," Marcus whispered fiercely, gently brushing dark hair away from her pale forehead.
Elena winced in agony, her small hand clutching her swollen stomach as she fought against the waves of dizziness threatening to overwhelm her.
"The... the baby..." Elena managed to whisper through cracked lips before her eyelids fluttered shut in sheer exhaustion.
A surge of white-hot fury coursed through Marcus's veins, but his facial expression remained terrifyingly controlled and devoid of blind rage.
He pulled out his secure smartphone with his left hand, dialing the emergency medical services dispatcher with crisp, authoritative precision.
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"Send an advanced life support ambulance to the East Hampton estate immediately; we have a severe trauma case involving a pregnant female," Marcus commanded.
He kept his eyes locked on Claire the entire time, trapping the rival woman in a prison of inescapable guilt and impending doom.
