Chapter 2: The Whispers in the ICU
Three hours later, the hospital hallway smelled of bleach and impending doom. Lila was rushed into emergency surgery. Adrian paced like a caged animal, his wedding tuxedo now wrinkled and stained with his bride's blood.
Eleanor sat rigidly on the plastic chairs, the crumpled medical report clutched in her fist. "She lied to us, Adrian. She used you. She needed a wealthy husband to cover the medical bills for a child that isn't even yours!"
"Stop it, Mother!" Adrian yelled, slamming his fist against the wall. But deep down, the poison of doubt was already taking root. He remembered how distant Lila had been during the reception. He remembered how she insisted on drinking only water, and how her overprotective stepbrother, Julian, kept watching her from the crowd with a look of pure dread.
Right on cue, the heavy double doors of the waiting room swung open. It wasn't the doctor. It was Julian.
Julian’s face was flushed, his clothes disheveled. He didn't look at Adrian; he went straight for Eleanor. "Where is she? Is she alive?"
Adrian stepped between them, gripping Julian’s collar. "You knew about this, didn't you? The pregnancy. The bleeding. Who does the baby belong to, Julian? Who did this to my wife?!"
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Julian looked Adrian dead in the eye, tears spilling over his lashes, but his jaw remained tight. "If I tell you, she dies. If I don't tell you, we all die. You have no idea what family you just married into, Adrian."
Before Adrian could demand answers, the red 'Surgery' light turned off. The doctor stepped out, his expression grim. "The bleeding is contained, but she lost too much blood. We managed to save her life, but the pregnancy... it wasn't a normal pregnancy. And Mr. Whitcomb, you need to see what we extracted from her system."
