Chapter 2 - The Sterile Room and the First StrikeHospital lights were blinding. The sterile smell of antiseptic mixed with the metallic tang of fear.
By the time the doctors rushed me into an examination room, Maya was already by my side, her fingers tight around my hand. Her eyes were red-rimmed, blazing with a protective fury that mirrored my own.
"The ultrasound technician is on her way," a young resident said gently, her face lined with professional sympathy. "Try to stay calm, Emily. Your heart rate is dangerously high."
"I need my phone," I whispered, my voice cracking.
"It's right here," Maya said, pulling my phone from her bag. The screen lit up, showing a single cracked corner from where it had skittered across the concrete. "Do you want me to call the police? Because I swear to God, if that bitch touched you—"
"Not yet," I interrupted, gripping Maya's wrist with surprising strength. "Listen to me very carefully. Ryan thinks he's won. He's outside right now, crafting his narrative with Vanessa."
"Let him," Maya spat bitterly. "The cops will tear them apart."
"Not without proof," I said, my gaze locking onto hers. "Ryan installed that porch camera. The wide-angle lens captures the entire top landing, the stairs, and the driveway apron. Every single second of it."
Maya’s jaw dropped, a slow, vindictive smile curving her lips. "The local storage. Does it back up to the cloud?"
"To Ryan's home server," I replied. "Which he can access from his phone anywhere in the world. But more importantly... so can I."
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Before the doctor could walk through the door with the ultrasound wand, I unlocked my phone using Face ID, bypassed the security protocols for our smart-home hub, and logged directly into the villa’s surveillance feed. My heart hammered against my ribs as the live connection loaded, revealing the empty, quiet front porch bathed in the harsh white glare of the security floodlights.
They thought they had buried the truth. They hadn't even checked if the shovel had a handle.
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