Marilyn Howlett, a fellow expectant mother whose due date was close to mine, stepped out. Her round belly made her movements slow, but her sharp eyes landed on me immediately.
“Zara, what are you doing here?” She glanced at her watch, “At this hour?”
A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. I opened my mouth to scream for help, but before a single sound could escape, Ian clamped his hand over my mouth.
“My wife wasn’t feeling well,” Ian said smoothly. “She suddenly had stomach pains, so I brought her in for a checkup.”
Marilyn frowned. “That’s strange. She always said her pregnancy was fine. Why the sudden pain?”
I tried to scream again, but Ian covered my mouth tighter, muffling my voice into nothing more than a whimper. Please, please notice something is wrong. If she realizes something is off, she’ll do something. Or at least tell someone.
“She probably ate something bad,” Ian answered smoothly. “Her condition is serious and needs immediate attention. That’s why I brought her here. I’m the head of obstetrics at this hospital. We need to get going.”
Marilyn hesitated for a moment, then finally stepped aside.
“Yeah, of course. The baby’s health comes first. Sorry for standing in your way.”
Hope shattered in an instant and I felt as if I had plunged into a bottomless abyss.
The elevator doors closed. Jaime suddenly kicked me in the legs.
“Bitch, were you trying to rat us out just now? You just can’t stand to see Trish survive, can you?”
The pain shot through my calf and I collapsed to my knees with a dull thud. My stomach clenched, sending a sharp, twisting agony through me.
“Be careful! She’s still pregnant. If the baby dies inside her, the umbilical cord blood will be useless,” Ian snapped at Jaime in annoyance.
Jaime scoffed but complied. “But I can do this, right?” He bent down and pinched my arm—hard. A sharp sting shot through my skin and tears welled in my eyes. Jaime sneered, watching me wince in pain.
Before I could react, Ian's phone rang. He answered immediately, his expression darkening.
“Dr. Seymour, your friend's fever just spiked dangerously high. You need to get here now!”
The call ended and Ian clenched his jaw. “Trish can't wait any longer. We have to do the C-section now.”
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward, dragging me out.
“Hey, stop!”