Chapter 2 - THE BABY’S HEARTBEAT
Saint Gabriel Women’s Hospital placed Elena inside a protected maternity wing.
Doctors examined the bruising across her back, hip, and abdomen.
The slap had split the inside of her lower lip.
Her blood pressure was dangerously high.
The baby’s heartbeat remained stable.
Marcus waited outside the examination room with sawdust still beneath his fingernails.
The smell of oak clung to his shirt.
He had left the unfinished crib inside his garage with the sander running.
That version of his Sunday now felt like something from another life.
Naomi joined him in the empty hallway.
“The Carrington servers began deleting files when our vehicles entered the gate.”
“Who initiated the deletion?” Marcus asked.
“Richard’s executive account.”
“Was he using it?”
“We do not know yet.”
Marcus looked through the narrow window in Elena’s door.
His daughter lay beneath a white blanket with a fetal monitor around her stomach.
“Victoria pushed her.”
“Richard stopped her from leaving.”
“I heard enough through the phone to activate the emergency authority.”
Naomi sat beside him.
“You were correct.”
“That does not mean I protected her.”
“You reached her before the situation became worse.”
“I should have reached her months ago.”
Naomi said nothing.
She knew Marcus was not talking about the baby shower.
Dr. Maya Chen entered the hallway.
“The baby appears unharmed.”
“Elena has no placental separation that we can detect.”
“We are keeping her overnight because trauma can produce delayed complications.”
Marcus exhaled.
“Can I see her?”
“Yes.”
He entered quietly.
Elena stared toward the rain beginning beyond the window.
Marcus sat beside the bed.
“I’m sorry.”
She did not look at him.
“For arriving?”
“For waiting until you called.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I knew the Carrington family was dangerous.”
Elena turned slowly.
“What?”
Marcus kept his voice steady.
“Twelve years ago, I directed a joint task force investigating financial networks protected by private banks, political donors, and corrupt judges.”
“The Carrington name appeared repeatedly.”
“You investigated Richard’s family?”
“Yes.”
“Before I married him?”
“Yes.”
The fetal monitor began beeping faster.
Marcus lowered his voice.
“We never found enough evidence to prosecute the senior family members.”
“Several witnesses disappeared.”
“The investigation was suspended.”
“And you said nothing to me.”
“I had suspicions.”
“You had an entire federal investigation.”
“Elena—”
“You attended my wedding.”
“You shook Richard’s hand.”
“You allowed me to move into that house.”
Marcus closed his eyes briefly.
“I believed the danger belonged to an older generation.”
“I believed Richard might be different.”
“Did you investigate him?”
“Quietly.”
She pulled her hand away from him.
“You investigated my husband without telling me.”
“I wanted proof before destroying your marriage.”
“You decided I could not handle the truth.”
“Yes.”
The honesty hurt more than an excuse.
Elena looked away again.
“My mother would have told me.”
The mention of Claire struck him.
“She tried.”
Elena turned back.
“What do you mean?”
Marcus had kept one final secret.
Six months before Claire died of cancer, she had discovered that the Carrington family was involved in fraudulent guardianship cases.
She left Marcus a sealed file.
The instructions said to open it only if Elena became connected to the Carrington bloodline.
Marcus had opened it after Elena announced her engagement.
Then he had hidden it.
“I thought grief had made your mother suspicious,” he said.
“I thought I could watch the family and keep you safe without frightening you.”
“You thought silence was protection.”
“Yes.”
Elena touched the bruise on her cheek.
“Richard thought taking my keys was protection.”
Marcus absorbed the comparison.
He did not defend himself.
A knock interrupted them.
Naomi entered carrying an evidence bag.
Inside was Elena’s phone.
“The accidental call was not accidental,” she said.
“A member of the household staff pressed your father’s contact and left the line open.”
“Who?” Elena asked.
“Sophie Lane.”
Elena sat upright.
“She was serving drinks in the garden.”
“She disappeared after Victoria pushed me.”
Naomi’s face became grave.
May you like
“We found Sophie beneath the mansion.”
“She had been locked inside an iron storage cage.”
