Chapter 16
As I moved forward, my heart pounded like a drum, desperation clawing at my chest. Quinn was right beside me, his expression unreadable, but I couldn’t think about him now. My only thought was of my child.
Why couldn’t I hear him crying? Why was the emergency room so suffocatingly quiet?
The attending doctor stepped forward, removing his mask. His eyes swept over us before he finally spoke, voice heavy with regret. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.”
A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, drowning out the rest of the world. My vision blurred, my mind went blank, and only one thought repeated itself like a mantra: No, this isn’t real. I don’t believe it. I need to see my child.
I shoved past the doctor, ignoring his protests, and burst into the emergency room. On the operating table lay a small, fragile body. His lips were pale, his eyes shut tight.
“My baby…” I dropped to my knees beside the table, my trembling hands reaching for his icy face. “Sweetheart, please… open your eyes for Mommy. Just once…”
But he didn’t move. He didn’t breathe. My baby was gone. He had left me forever.
“Natalia” Aiden said softly, trying to pull me to my feet. “You need to accept this and move on.”
“Don’t touch me!” I shoved his hand away, my grief exploding as I scooped my baby’s lifeless body into my arms.
The sobs tore through me, raw and uncontrollable, as though my heart were being ripped apart piece by piece.
I don’t know how long I cried–minutes, hours, it didn’t matter. Eventually, my head spun, and darkness swallowed me
whole.
When I woke up, the sky outside the window was cloaked in night. I was lying in a hospital bed, an IV needle taped to my hand. The room was empty,
I pulled out the needle and swung my legs over the side of the bed, but my legs buckled beneath me, sending me crashing to the floor.
The noise must ve alerted someone because a nurse’s aide quickly rushed in, helping me back onto the bed. She handed a bowl of oatmeal. “Madam, are you alright?”
Her words barely registered. My mind clung to one desperate hope–that this was all just a terrible nightmare. My voice trembled as I asked, “Where is my child?”
The moment the question left my lips, reality came crashing down like a tidal wave. I knew the truth–I’d known it all along.
The aide lowered her head, sighing softly: “Madam, I’m so sorry. But you’re still young, and so is Mr. Madden. Life goes on. You can’t live in this sadness forever.”
Tears slid silently down my cheeks as my mind replayed the haunting image of my baby’s pale, peaceful face on the operating table.
“Do you think he’ll be sad?” I whispered, forcing a smile that hurt more than crying.
I couldn’t even remember what Quinn had done for our child. The only thing I was grateful for was that the Madden family had the money to gather the best doctors, giving my premature baby a fighting chance
Bun in the end, it hadn’t mattered. My baby was gone,
The aide hesitated, then spoke gently. “Mr. Madden hasn’t eaten or drunk anything all day either”
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Chapter 16
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I waved her off, my voice flat “I’m tired. Leave me alone. Without waiting for a response, I crawled back under the covers, shutting out the world.
I couldn’t sleep; my mind was consumed with thoughts of my child. His face kept flashing before my eyes, haunting me.
For a fleeting, desperate moment, I even wished I could follow him to the grave.
Then I heard heavy footsteps outside my room.
Opening my eyes, I saw Quinn standing there. His face looked hollow, his eyes shadowed with dark circles, and his whole demeanor radiated exhaustion. He rarely smoked, but now the sharp smell of tobacco clung to him like a second skin.
I froze. I had never seen him like this before.
Quinn stood silently by my bed, his dark eyes fixed on me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but the weight of his stare was almost unbearable.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and rough. “The doctor says your health is terrible. You need proper nutrition.” His flicked to the bowl of oatmeal on the nightstand.
I met his words with indifference, my tone flat. “No need to concern yourself, Mr. Madden.”
gaze
He didn’t respond immediately, just looked at me. Then, to my surprise, he picked up the bowl and sat down at the edge of the bed, clearly intending to feed me.
I stared at him, cold and unyielding. My voice was as sharp as glass. “If you have time for this, Mr. Madden, you’d be better off hurrying home to Diana and starting that family you’ve always wanted.”
“Natalia!” His voice cracked, raw with emotion, as he slammed the bowl back onto the nightstand. His dark eyes burned into mine, his tone rough and accusing. “Do you really think you’re the only one hurting right now?”
Was he hurting too?
It made sense–this had been his first child, after all. But deep down, I couldn’t stop the thought from creeping in: once he married Diana and had children with her, this loss would fade from his memory like yesterday’s news.
I opened my mouth to speak but found no words.
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and my mother stormed in, fury etched across her face.
Her anger was palpable, and my father, trailing behind her, was powerless to hold her back. She marched straight to my bedside, raised her hand, and slapped me hard across the face. How could you be so careless with your own child?” she yelled.
The sting spread across my cheek, hot and sharp, and I felt my chest tighten with pain.
But that slap wasn’t enough for her. She raised her hand again, ready to strike.
Quinn grabbed her wrist mid–air, his voice like ice. That’s enough.”
My mother flinched but quickly tried to regain her composure. She glared at him, her tone defiant. “I’m disciplining my daughter. Stay out of it.
“She’s my wife, Quinn said coldly, his towering frame shielding me as his expression darkened.
My father stepped in, finally pulling my mother back. His face, however, carried nothing but disappointment.
He sighed, trying to defuse the tension. “Natalia, your mother is ust heartbroken-
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anymore.
“I know,” I cut him off, my voice flat. I’d heard this excuse too many times before to care anyn
4.55%,
My father hesitated, then turned to Quinn. “Quinn, could we talk outside for a moment?”
Quinn glanced at me, then at my mother. Seeing that she’d calmed down, he gave a slight nod and followed my father out of
the room.
Once they left, the room fell silent except for my mother’s sharp, disapproving gaze.
She sat down, her expression filled with disdain. “What bad luck for you, or for the Hinton family, I can’t tell. Now that the child is gone. I doubt Mr. Madden will go through with donating that building or sending Skylar to study in Drofton City. What a mess.”
“Mom, my child is gone. Are you seriously not even a little sad? asked, my voice trembling, my eyes burning with unshed.
tears.
She faltered for a moment, then her frown deepened. “Of course I’m sad, but what’s the point? Sadness won’t fix anything. You’re the one who failed to protect your child. Let’s be real–you never stood a chance against Diana.
If her reputation hadn’t been so questionable, you’d never have gotten to be Mrs. Madden”
“Mom. I’m your child too,” I whispered, my voice breaking as my vision blurred.
My mother’s cold stare pierced through me. Her lips moved, forming words, but my ears buzzed so loudly that I couldn’t make out a single thing she was saying,
Quinn didn’t come back after he left. Maybe he’d already weathered the storm, moved past the worst of it. But I hadn’t. The pain in my chest was unbearable, like a weight I couldn’t shake.
Late into the night, after sending the nurse’s aide away, I slipped out of bed barefoot. My movements were slow, deliberate, as if on autopilot, I rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a fruit knife. Sitting back on the bed, I pressed the blade against my wrist.
“My baby, wait for Mommy. Mommy’s coming to join you. The words echoed in my head, raw and desperate.
“Natalia, stop!” Aiden burst into the room, his voice sharp with panic as he yanked the knife from my hand. His eyes were. filled with an aching mix of anger and pity as he pressed me back onto the bed.
He glanced toward the door before leaning down to whisper urgently in my ear. “Natalia, listen to me. Your baby is still
alive.
“What.. what did you say?” I froze, my mind reeling. Was he trying to comfort me? Was it just another empty promise to keep me from losing it completely?
But Aiden’s expression was deadly serious. I keep my promises, he said firmly. “It’s a long story, and this hospital is the last place to explain. Too many ears, too many eyes. For now, you need to keep playing your part in front of the Maddens. Stick to the plan.
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